Editor, Gazette-Journal:

This is written in response to a recent Gazette-Journal letter to the editor (“Looking back,” March 7 Readers Write).

In 2020, we did not have a secure border. The Department of Homeland Security was working to stop the spread of Covid-19. Legal entry points were closed to immigrants, and immigrants entering without authority to do so were not detained but were returned to their country of origin. In 2020 there were a total of 1,267,652 border crossings on both north and south borders. For comparison, there were 2,567,702 in 2017.

Regarding “energy independence” the phrase sounds like we were energy self-sufficient, which is false. We exported 3,400,000 barrels per day in 2020 and imported 2,700,000 barrels per day, because the shale oil we export is not the type of oil we can refine for domestic use.

Iran has been under U.S. sanctions since 1979. Backing out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action did not prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabi...