Immigrants who do it the right way are welcome

In your article about the United Church of Christ in Simi Valley taking a stand against immigrants' families being pulled apart, the pastor, Rev. June Goudey, said their "sanctuary church" will not consider any criminals.

The woman from Oxnard, Liliana, "entered the U.S. with a fake birth certificate," according to Goudey. I'm interested to know what kind of crime qualifies for a crime in Goudey's eyes, since it's apparently not the sort that you'd find in the Penal Code, U.S. Code or maybe any other statute for that matter.

No, Liliana didn't rob a bank or rape a child, but she knowingly broke the law to enter and reside in this country, and now she's pulling at our heartstrings to stay here.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not thrilled about separating families. I can't imagine being forced to move out of the country and leave my family behind.

But then, I wouldn't enter a foreign country illegally and expect to later be excused of the choices I made before starting a family either.

To all immigrants: Do it the right way the first time, and we welcome you to this great country! Sarah Shobe Simi Valley