Investigating legal status

To the editor:Local police of cities, counties and states in many instances are barred from questioning people about their legal right to be in the United States. This should be changed.

Am I advocating that people of different ethnic groups should be stopped and questioned merely because of their background? Of course not. However, any sworn law enforcement officer should be allowed to look into a suspected crime and hold a suspect for turnover to proper jurisdiction.

We should all request our elected representatives at the federal level do their duty in this matter as outlined in the constitution.

At the same time, we need to call on our state representatives and senators to make being within the respective state illegally a state crime punishable by fines, incarceration and deportation.

There should also be hefty fines and imprisonment for those who knowingly or negligently hire, harbor, or assist illegals except for food and water.

John P. Fitts, Noel, Mo.