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I hope Coloradans can count on Sens. Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet and Rep. Jared Polis to refuse to pass any budget appropriating money toward President Donald Trump's wall. Using our money to build a wall is an irresponsible diversion of resources from real and important immigration issues impacting economic growth.

The executive order to build the wall is based on false premises. It assumes Mexicans come over the border in droves, when fewer Mexicans are immigrating than ever before due to fewer available jobs, increased border security during the Obama administration and changing demographics. The order assumes a wall is going to stop the flow of immigrants when 40 percent of immigrants enter the U.S. legally by air and overstay their visas. Finally, it assumes Mexicans are violent offenders and terrorists. Of 11 million undocumented immigrants, 2.7 percent have been convicted of a felony compared to 8.5 percent in the overall U.S. population. There are no documented acts of terror committed by Mexican nationals.

A real immigration issue is that our economy relies on immigrants to provide a flexible source of labor in many low-paying service jobs, yet there is no easy path to legal status for low-skilled workers. It is a myth that immigrants drain the system. In addition to filling low-paying jobs that keep down prices, undocumented immigrants contribute $139.5 million annually to Colorado's economy in state and local income taxes.

Immigration policy based on building a wall and deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants will take 20 years, cost $425 billion, and shrink GDP by $1.6 trillion. A policy based on sensible immigration reform providing a path to legalization for undocumented low-skilled workers would produce an annual increase in $25 billion for government coffers and increase GDP by $1.4 trillion over 10 years. It just makes sense.

Shelly Wells

Fort Collins

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Immigration reform needed, but a wall certainly isn't - Loveland Reporter-Herald