Illegal immigration
POSTED BY: SignyM
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 17:49
VIEWED: 84088
PAGE 3 of 34
Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat1:
What I don't understand is why Immigration didn't descend on this event w/ every agent they had, SWAT, the National Guard, and every police officer they could muster. This was their chance to catch all these illegals that the Federal gov't claims are too "slippery" to catch. Guess hiding in plain sight makes them too slippery.
Oh, wait. That's right. The federals don't care.
Well, this is just speculation...but perhaps they figured that trying to arrest a half-million people all at one time and in the middle of America's largest cities could present a bit more of a problem then anyone could handle and could turn an otherwise mostly peaceful series of protests into full blown riots.
If you get forty illegals in one place, its easy to surround them, arrest them, detain them, process them, and deport them in an efficient manner. If its forty thousand...its a tad more difficult.
H
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
A half-million people waving the Mexican flag and chanting "Si se puede" is not going to win over any converts. It tells me that they have mixed loyalities at best.
---------------------------------
Free as in freedom, not beer.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I'm pleased with the vote. Knowing the history of U.S involvement(manipulating of the political process/stomping/murdering/pillaging) in Latin America---really where did any armchair political analyst think the oppressed, the dispossessed, and impoverished would wind up going? Too late for shaking fists now.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/politics/28immig.html?pagewanted=1&_
r=1
WASHINGTON, March 27 — With Republicans deeply divided, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Monday to legalize the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants and ultimately to grant them citizenship, provided that they hold jobs, pass criminal background checks, learn English and pay fines and back taxes.
The panel also voted to create a vast temporary worker program that would allow roughly 400,000 foreigners to come to the United States to work each year and would put them on a path to citizenship as well.
The legislation, which the committee sent to the full Senate on a 12-to-6 vote, represents the most sweeping effort by Congress in decades to grant legal status to illegal immigrants. If passed, it would create the largest guest worker program since the bracero program brought 4.6 million Mexican agricultural workers into the country between 1942 and 1960.
Any legislation that passes the Senate will have to be reconciled with the tough border security bill passed in December by the Republican-controlled House, which defied President Bush's call for a temporary worker plan.
The Senate panel's plan, which also includes provisions to strengthen border security, was quickly hailed by Democrats, a handful of Republicans and business leaders, as well as by the immigrant advocacy organizations and church groups that have sent tens of thousands of supporters of immigrant rights into the streets of a number of cities to push for such legislation in recent days.
But even as hundreds of religious leaders and others rallied on the grounds of the Capitol on Monday, chanting "Let our people stay!," the plan was fiercely attacked by conservative Republicans who called it nothing more than an offer of amnesty for lawbreakers. It remained unclear Monday night whether Senator Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, would allow the bill to go for a vote this week on the floor or would substitute his own bill, which focuses on border security. His aides have said that Mr. Frist, who has said he wants a vote on immigration this week, would be reluctant to move forward with legislation that did not have the backing of a majority of the Republicans on the committee.
Only 4 of the 10 Republicans on the committee supported the bill. They were the committee chairman, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike DeWine of Ohio and Sam Brownback of Kansas. All eight Democrats on the committee voted in favor of the legislation.
The rift among Republicans on the committee reflects the deep divisions in the party as business groups push to legalize their workers and conservatives battle to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Mr. Specter acknowledged the difficulties ahead, saying, "We are making the best of a difficult situation." But he said he believed that the legislation would ultimately pass the Senate and would encourage the millions of illegal immigrants to come out of the shadows.
"We do not want to create a fugitive class in America," Mr. Specter said after the vote. "We do not want to create an underclass in America."
"I think this represents a reasonable accommodation," he said, referring to the divergent views on the panel. "It's not a majority of the majority, but it's a good number."
Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said Monday night that President Bush was "pleased to see the Senate moving forward on legislation." Mr. Bush has repeatedly called for a temporary worker program that would legalize the nation's illegal immigrants, though he has said such a plan must not include amnesty.
"It is a difficult issue that will require compromise and tough ch
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat1:Quote:
Originally posted by piratejenny:
I sympathize with the immigrants I understand that they want a better life, but on the other hand why should it be at our expense. The facts are the corporations don't want them here llegally, because then they would have to pay a higher wage, taxes, healthcare etc. illegal workers benifit the Corporations and businesses, while driving wages down for U.S workers and its putting a squeeze on the middle class, I'm also tired of the argument that, Americans don't want to do the jobs that illegal immigrants to, if they paid a fair wage Americans would do just about any job for the right price.
That is the rub.
I can sympathize & appreciate wanting a better life & standard of living for your family, but not at the expense of others. I would never dream of moving into another country illegally and then taking advantage of the system at the taxpayers expense.
Big business being in bed w/ big government only makes matters worse.
__________________________________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/
http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org
I agree while I do sympathize I don't do it at my own exspense either and I to would never dream of coming to another country illegally, but on the other hand I don't come from a third world country like Mexico, the down side is the U.S is endanger of becoming like a third world country
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Republican Split on Immigration Reflects Nation's Struggle http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/29/national/29policy.html?pagewanted=2
There does seem to be a precedent in the US--when the chips are down, blame the immigrants! My guess-- this is the first world power military occupations thru the centuries karma blues.
milagrobean
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:Darlin', that is gonna happen regardless. It's in the wacky rich interests that it does. Cheaper labour, more consumers, more potential soldiers...etc.
Originally posted by piratejenny:
the down side is the U.S is endanger of becoming like a third world country
Chrisisallmovin'toAustrailia(as an illegal)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:I must agree; Blow up the Japanese cities- the come here and buy our companies. Kill thousands and thousands of Central Americans- they move here. Lay mines in Vietnam- Vietnamese look for education and jobs here. Attack the Middle East- they control our Seven-Elevens....
Originally posted by milagrobean:
this is the first world power military occupations thru the centuries karma blues.
Chrisisall
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:Darlin', that is gonna happen regardless. It's in the wacky rich interests that it does. Cheaper labour, more consumers, more potential soldiers...etc.
Originally posted by piratejenny:
the down side is the U.S is endanger of becoming like a third world country
Chrisisallmovin'toAustrailia(as an illegal)
YES YES YES!!! Chrisisal you hit the nail on the head.
I was just saying to a friend of mine, what happens when people don't have a job and can't get work? they have two choices, turn to crime or join the military, They meaning the elitist who really run things are purposely creating this economic downfall to fuel more fodder for these on going wars, or better yet the prison system where slave labor is supreme!!
I'm seriously considering moving to Canada, legally of course but I get the ugly feeling that all this global, you know that saying you can run but you can't hide!!
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I think everyone (excluding felons) has the right to live wherever they choose if it will better their life. I just don't think the government should be able to say "This person can live here, but that person can't." We have rapists and child molesters living in our neighborhoods but someone from Mexico can't? The government just wants to keep out any foreigners.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
This is just a general addition to the thread.
There's a danger in scapegoating. I wish everybody would try harder to make the distinction between being anti illegal-immigration and anti illegal-immigrant.
Hopefully, most people aren't thinking of them as one in the same. Hopefully they aren't hating the victims of a situation that is hardly desirable. If these people stay in their country, they starve. When they come here they have no rights, no protections, and poor wages. How easy could it be to leave your home and risk death to cross the border? They aren't doing it for kicks, and the ones I know...love America.
That said, illegal immigration is a problem. A big one. But as a couple of threads have already mentioned, its a problem that is benefitting businesses who so far, are not being pushed hard enough to stop hiring illegally.
If you stop the jobs, you stop the immigration. That's so much smarter than trying to wall off that whole border, or than making criminals out of people who try to help these immigrants in humanitarian ways(which, I believe was recenlty part of a Republican bill). How about this. Make criminals out of the people who are enticing the migration.
They are the ones bringing in the flood of desperate people, while slowly but surely making our own citizens more desperate.
If the lawmakers wanted to do something about this, they would enforce the businesses. They don't, and they won't. Instead, they'll pass some amnesty law(finally gutted of any good legislation) that will allow companies to continue to use immigrants, without affording them any true rights, or protections against business exploitation -- again, hurting the rest of us, by making it more desirable to hire immigrants. At the same time they'll continue to foster anti-immigrant sentiment by talking about needing to secure the borders against terrorists(forget the ports), or talking about the children of illegals getting free education...etc.
If we really care about this issue, then we should focus on the source of the problem. It's the money, not the people. The American Government and the Mexican government are most definitely on the same page with this one. The corporate lobbyists in washington are getting returns on their investment by not being legislated against, and Mexico is bringing in American dollars. We're the only ones losing.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME