Dear Editor: This is in rebuttal to Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops concerning his view in that local law enforcement and local jurisdictions should not be required to enforce federal immigration law as it appeared in The Tablet (June 17).

Any person or persons crossing our borders to gain entry without necessary documentation or not having gone through a proper vetting process are classified as illegal aliens. That is the law! It is the duty of all law enforcement agencies, whether local or federal to enforce the immigration laws of this country.

The cardinal’s viewpoint is reminiscent of two scenarios depicted in the LifeLock commercial. In scene number one, there’s a patient with a serious tooth problem sitting in a dental chair having his teeth examined. After a quick examination and the examining party about to exit the room, the patient yells, “Where are you going?”

The reply is, “Out to lunch. I’m only the dental monitor.”

Scene number two portrays a bank robbery in progress where a person is stretched out on the floor, glancing with a quizzical look at a person in a uniform.

Knowing what the party on the floor is about to utter, the person in the uniform states, “I’m not the security guard. I’m the security monitor.”

Where in sports does it say that defense and offense should go their separate ways? How about in battle. Doesn’t the Army, Navy, and Air Force coordinate a strategy for victory?

With local and federal law enforcement agencies sharing responsibilities, a more cohesive strategy is implemented in controlling illegal immigration.

PETER T. KONIUCH

Yorktown Heights