Regarding “Twisting scripture” (March 17), a rebuttal to my Feb. 26 letter on immigration.

The idea that immigrants are bringing crime is simply not true. There have been many studies done on this topic that all conclude immigrants in the United States are less likely to commit crimes than native-born people.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the letter-writer’s statement that “because they broke the law to get here, we can’t trust them to abide by the law.” Here’s why this statement is wrong:

Undocumented workers are not criminals. Lacking proper immigration paperwork is not a crime. It is a violation of an administrative rule. They did not do anything that is morally wrong. They crossed a political boundary without filing the right paperwork — nothing more. It is also important to remember that, for many of them, there is no path to legal immigration. Our immigration system is broken and there are many people who are simply not permitted to enter the country — ever. The only way for them to provide a better life for their families is to break an administrative rule. That does not make them criminals.

The letter writer stated that families are not being torn apart. I wish that were true, but sadly, they are. Look up the story of Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos — she came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 14 to work. Over the years, she worked hard and contributed to our society. She got married and had two children who are U.S. citizens. Now she’s 35. She was deported by Trump in February, leaving her two children motherless.