Immigration

[elSicomoro]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

We do? (let Cubans in if they make it to the US)

Yes...from a January article in the Washington Times:

Under the U.S. government's "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, Cubans who reach dry land in the United States are usually allowed to remain in the country, while those caught at sea are sent back.

And if you find a burglar in your living room, it's obviously your fault too; you should have better locks. Puhlease...

Apples and oranges. Most of the illegals here are apparently not here for criminal activity. Are you equating illegal immigration with burglary?

It's being proposed to make the borders more secure; a proposal that's meeting a lot of resistance. But making being an illegal alien here less attractive follows the principle of "security in depth".

In theory, yes. But does the proposal really make the US more secure? I don't think so.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I got this email today that I found to be a pretty stupid idea. Maybe I'm just not in the right social circles (read, young, hip, party animal), but I can't see how this would impact much of anything. It reminded me of those stupid "Don't buy gas from xxxx company on Tuesday and they'll cut the price in half" emails I get all the time.

The Easiest Job you'll ever have!

You won't have to take off work .. you won't have to walk for miles .. you won't have to make signs and you'll save money to boot. Be a messenger for America ... we aren't losing it .. politicians are giving it away! BOYCOTT CINCO DE MAYO! Its a Stinko Goodbye-O to the 2006 Cinco De Mayo

You've heard the news stories. Illegal Mexican Immigrants marching in the streets, demanding amnesty and attacking Americans who want to protect our country by sealing its borders. Tell them to go protest and wave their Mexican flags in their own country.
It's the Americans Turn to Protest ... BOYCOTT Cinco De Mayo...

It's one thing to come to this great country looking for better lives, its a whole other issue when these same ILLEGAL immigrants start waving their Mexican flags, demanding that we change our laws and ways to serve them.

If they really don't like what is happening here, they need to go home. They are NOT supposed to be here anyway. They didn't stay home and fight for the things they claim to have a right to here and because they are illegal, they can't fight for American sovereignty -- even if they wanted too!

And so they are protesting against America, trying to force us to change our laws, only to accommodate what they want.

Now it is our turn. There is plenty of time to distribute this e-mail to as many people as you can before May 5th (i.e. a Mexican holiday, known as Cinco de Mayo). This shall be our protest: A call to boycott this "Non-American" holiday that has infiltrated our border, and our cities and towns, along with the ILLEGAL ALIENS who brought it here.

This is your chance to say, we don't want you here marching in our streets, and we don't want your holiday. If you're angry at the growing problem of illegal immigration, if you've had enough of our government's lack of response, and if you are downright fed up with images of marching, protesting illegal Mexicans trying to run our country...then May 5th is your chance to do something.

On May 5th, do not go to restaurants, bars, night clubs, special events, parties or anything remotely associated with this "NON-AMERICAN holiday." This year, say Cinco Deny-O to Cinco de Mayo.

A recent "stupid quote" by the Mayor of Los Angeles: "We cannot criminalize people who are working, people who are contributing to our ec onomy," - Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa He says, they are not criminals. He says, they are working people who are contributing to our economy. Well, just because their intentions may be good, does not mean they have a right to break our laws. Lets consider these examples:

If you are a good driver with a clean record and you are courteous to others on the road...Is it legal for you to run a red light? No, it is ILLEGAL.


If you are a hard working taxpayer, a charitable family man or woman with no criminal record...Does that give you the right to rob a bank in order to make ends meet...No, it is ILLEGAL.
If you are a Mexican national striving for a better life in America...Do you have the right to ignore the laws of this country, breach its borders, and live and work here while others from all over the world, are legally applying and patiently waiting for their chance to become Americans....NO, it is ILLEGAL.

A duck is a duck and ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL no matter how you look at it. That my friends IS the meaning of IS!

On May 5th ... stay home with your family and friends. This is a message that will eventually trickle on down to all of the foot-dragging politicians who have sat on their hands for decades. You can beat a politician with a four-by-four until your arms ache with little hope of jarring any common sense out of them but, start talking about taking pennies and their cushy jobs away and they wiggle like a snake on a hot plate. Many of you Americans may have never had the opporunity to serve America in the military ... here is your chance to participate in a simple protest towards protecting YOUR countries sovereignty.

One .. send this to every American in your e-book and two, stay home on May 5th.

NOTE TO POLITI CIANS (Democrat, Republican, et al):

Be reminded illegal aliens cant vote you out of office! But, angry Americans can!!

Originally Posted by sycamore

Apples and oranges. Most of the illegals here are apparently not here for criminal activity. Are you equating illegal immigration with burglary?

Of course they are, just being here after getting here the way they did is criminal, working without the proper credentials is criminal, not paying their taxes while working is criminal & a form of burglary, getting paperwork under false pretenses is criminal and it goes on-&-on.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by sycamore

Under the U.S. government's "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, Cubans who reach dry land in the United States are usually allowed to remain in the country, while those caught at sea are sent back.

So we're back to considering Cubans to be "political refugees"...once they cross the line. Mexicans aren't, nor are other illegals.

Originally Posted by sycamore

Most of the illegals here are apparently not here for criminal activity. Are you equating illegal immigration with burglary?

No, but I'm trying to remind the people who want to sweep it under the rug that illegals are *ILLEGAL*. Not just "most of them"...*all* of them, by definition. They've already demonstrated that they don't care about our laws if they become inconveniant, and the fact they they're successful at their crime shouldn't get them a pass.

Why make a joke of our laws? If you're willing to ignore them, give up. Repeal immigration law, open the borders, let everybody in, but prepare to live to a standard of living more like Mexico's...there's only so many jobs delivering pizza and flipping burgers.

I"m not arguing for mass deportation; that's hideously expensive and completely ineffective. I'm in favor of punishing employers who break the law.

When the kitchen's full of flies, you don't play "catch and release" with them, you'll never be done. You patch the holes in the screen, sure. But most importantly you cover the food.

[mrnoodle]

CNN article about the terrible woes illegals must face during their trip north.


So. We are supposed to send manpower and resources down there to rescue these idiots from the folly of their decision to walk across 120 degree deserts so they can "buy nice things". However, using the manpower and resources to deport them and seal the border is racist. I think I've got it now.

[elSicomoro]

I think there were good intentions with the protests, but the only way you can really measure the impact of immigrants is if they don't show up for work and don't announce that they're going to be absent. Because many employers knew of the protest ahead of time, they planned accordingly. That weakened the protests' impact...how much is hard to say, based on what I've read over the past 2 days.

The market for cheaper help will never go away unless we revert from our relatively capitalist ways and/or there is a major shift in thinking in American society. We like making and saving money too much.

I think the market is driving wages down...that, and greed.

The issue of illegal immigration is so spun now, it's hard to tell which end is up. Overall, I think it's beneficial to the US. I'm not against making it easier for immigrants to come, but I think that could backfire because people that really need money will work for pennies. The problem will just go further underground.

[fargon]

IMHO, if I was running a business, and people did not show up for work yesterday. They would not be working here today, or ever.

My mother ran a coffee shop in SoCal for many years, and all her Mexican workers had green cards, and were treated with respect, and dignity.

We need to protect our borders, with troops if nessisary!!!

[Shocker]

Look guys, there is another side, a very serious side, to this issue that I haven't heard anyone else mention...

[elSicomoro]

Damn right! I'll be damned if I gonna make my own tortas!

[elSicomoro]

What type of crime would you consider illegal immigration? (white-collar, crime against property, etc.)

Being an illegal immigrant, working while one is fraud... among other things.
Being in the US without a Visa is illegal... it ain't hard.

[elSicomoro]

What ain't hard?

What would you suggest be done with illegals?

The same thing that has always been done with the law, enforce it.
Deport them if they do not comply with the law.
What is not hard are the concepts involved here.
This is a legal issue, you enforce the law for all or none.

[elSicomoro]

US law is never as simple as "all or none." And we don't have enough money to enforce the current laws. That's why there are so many illegals now and why their numbers are growing.

But I just don't see the illegals on the same level as murderers, rapists, burglars, etc...at least, not the ones that aren't committing those types of crimes.

And speeders are not on the same level are murders either... so we should just let that go too?
Where in the hell did you come-up with that argument?