Views on immigration in US?

Question

Wondering what people think about the big battle about immigration thats going on right now. Do any of you know anyone who is here illegaly? I personally think its all pretty stupid. Most of the people who come here, at least hispanics, come here to make a better life for their families, not to cause problems.....??Comments???

Okay, maybe these people would come over legally if our country could come up with a reasonable plan for them to become legal. As it is right now, you have to wait for years and pay out a lot of money when you are applying to come here from Mexico.. Most of these people come here because they don't have the money and they don't have the time to wait while their families are starving. Also, my husband is illegal and is being deported back to Mexico. We have a 11 month old daughter together, and he has been ripped away from her and will be dropped off across the border with no food, no change of clothes, nowhere to sleep, no money, and we call this humane???? I'm sure they would treat a dog better. And now because he came here to make a better life, and met me and had a family, this will happen to him....

Answer 1

Several years ago I met, fell in love with and married an illegal alien. Six years later he is a permanent resident preparing for his US citizenship. The process of becoming legal cost us over $3000.00 and it will take another $500.00 for him to become a citizen. It is money well spent. My husband is a hard worker and good provider. He is the only member of his family with legal status although most of them are in this country. They work hard and spend their money right here not in Mexico. In fact the only one who sends money abroad is my husband,
I know first hand that many of the stereotypes we hear about are simply not true. The men come here for work. The women DO NOT come to have American babies. They come because they want to be near their husbands when the babies are born. If these men could cross the border legally, they would go home for the birth of their children. That is why their is such an issue about asimilation. Most Mexicans don't asimilate because they really don't want to be here. They just want to earn enough money to return home and be able to live without starving.
It really angers me when people say we have to tighten our southern border to prevent terrorism. People who cross our southern border illegally are not terrorists. They are poor, hungry people who have endured more on their journey to the US than most of us endure in a lifetime. Let's face it, terrorists come here with money and backing from others. They travel first class not on foot through the desert and mountains.
It also upsets me when I hear people say that illegal aliens take jobs away from Americans. I live in the southern California desert and right now it is 114 degrees. We Americans don't even want to leave our air conditioned houses to get into our air conditioned cars to go to our air conditioned stores at this time of day. Yet people like my husband and his family are outside in the sun building houses the likes of which most of them will never have the opportunity to own. These are the people who are picking grapes and lettuce and onions and all those other wonderful fruits and veggies that we grow. They clean our pools and keep our landscapes picture perfect. And they do it in 100 plus temperatures without complaining. Believe me, employers here would gladly hire English speaking Americans for any of these positions if they would just apply for the work. Oh, and it's not about low wages either. Construction workers here make well over minimum wage. In fact unskilled laborers make $10-$12 per hour with skilled workers earning over $20 an hour.
The entire immigration problem won't be settled until we become a country that does not judge people based on color, religion and net worth.
And FYI to all who shout, "Illegal is illegal". It is illegal in the same sense that cheating on your taxes is illegal. It is a civil offense not a criminal one! You can't just call BCIS and point your finger at someone while shouting, "He's illegal" and expect anything to happen. Just like you can't call the police because your neighbor didn't report the porch he added to his house or your brother-in-law cheated on his taxes.

Answer 2

I think that all these Mexicans cut into the labor force that many, many on waiting lists for years can not get in because what most people here do not know is the USA limits each year how many legals they will allow in from any set group classification or country. The USA even has a lottery for those waiting to get here to bet the little money they have for a chance to climb to the top of the waiting list..This make you proud of your government? Don't believe me, check it out yourself. You do not have to be Hispanic to do cheap labor jobs, there are millions in Asia or Africa that would do about anything for a chance to do that and feed their families too..Think about it The person above mentions the minimum wage issue, here's what should be done.
1. The minimum wage shall be a set law and rate made into an admendment to the Constitution. It will state that "we the congress" do decide that a minumum living wage shall now be based and tied to an annual cost of living index that will fluctuate annually with the figures published and payable by any and all employers who pay their employees on a hourly basis or a salary.This minimum rate shall be at an entry position only and any employee that has increased responsiblites or working hours is as well entitled to a pay raise minumum % here forth included. Any company or corporation that violates these laws is subject to public disclosure and prosecution with a fine of not less than $100,000 per instance or person or an authorized closing of said employer..Think this would work? I do..

Answer 3

I have no problem with anyone living where they want. If Mexico had jobs and the Us didn't people would be trying to go to work there. Just like I have friends who are contractors and travel overseas to make big money for there family.
On the other hand I don't believe people in the us should have to change there beliefs and have to speak Hispanic. If I went to live in another country they would not change there ways for me I would have to learn there language and respect there culture.
That is the only thing that bothers me but I have friends from all over and from all races. I feel most people want a better life and to give there families the best and there shouldn't be a problem with it.

Answer 4

No one has a problem with anyone coming to the USA. All anyone asks is to do it the right way. The American taxpayer has been burdened for decades because of illegals. It's not fair and it hasn't been since the beginning. All the Mexicans did when they marched a couple of months ago was basically tell all natural born Americans that they could care less about our rights. By saying it's all stupid just tells me that you really don't understand the situation. Do a little homework on the subject so you'll understand better.

Answer 5

Bad people look for good people having a good time. Along with the hard-working people are some of the most vicious criminals. The hispanic gangs can be ruthless and cruel. Then there are the lazy opportunists who have discovered that the rest of America can fix their teeth, make them new glasses, educate their children, even put food on their tables and pay a large part of their rent if they simply lie about who they are and phoney up some documents to qualify for government assistance. Strange how the same government that cuts them breaks and looks the other way would have me hauled off to jail if I did that.

Still, go to Mexico without an extended stay set of government paperwork, then get a job down there and lie about who you are. You will discover the Mexicans can be very picky about who is permitted to break their laws. You will have to pay for the privilege, one way or another, and it won't be pretty.

Answer 6

We pay the bulk of the cost of education and other services for poor people even if those poor people pay all taxes for their income level. That means every poor immigrant costs us more money and degrades services like education and health care that that immigrant's family uses.

That is why there are limits on immigration of poor people in every developed country. There are so many illegals here now that the drain on education and health care and other services in our border states and areas where illegals concentrate is huge. When there were fewer it wasn't such a problem. The cumulative effect does matter. That effect is there no matter what their reason is for coming.

When we can no longer provide decent education and services to our own people, and we are the ones footing the bill, that is a problem we need to solve.

We need limited immigration to allow our schools and services to recover, and we need to enforce those immigration limits.

Answer 7

"Bring me your weak, your hungry, your huddled masses..."

So says the Statue of Liberty, supposedly the icon of America. Immigrants MADE this country, and now we want to keep them out.

Honestly, they aren't the ones that are causing so many problems with jobs and such. The cost of living in America is. Minimum wage is.

People are upset because jobs are being outsourced. Well no company can continue a profit on jeans and pay their workers 20.00 an hour, yet only sell their product for 20.00 because no one will buy them for more.

People don't understand, either, that minimum wage and cost of living are UNDENIABLY tied together. When you raise minimum wage, people raise the cost of goods. The cycle continues until suddenly, you need yet another raise in minimum wage. Then people wonder why companies are outsourcing. Just like the above example; not every business can afford to pay for health care, benefits, taxes, AND pay a hefty amount for minimum wage.

We in America want our cake and want to eat it to, and we're suffering for this mentality, as are the immigrants that come here who are willing to work for the chance at giving their families something better.

We need to fix the actual problem, not blame it on immigrants - legal or otherwise.

Answer 8

My ex husband's grandma came over and overstayed her visa, which made her illegal. An extension was not approved. All she wanted to do is be with her family. She collected no money from the state or anything (no medicare or anything). So they deported the 86 year old lady a few months later.
She ended up living with a distant relative in a tiny room in her homeland, where she died a year later.

Answer 9

I know there are may Mexican and south American people who come here to make a better life for their families. but they need to do it legally. Have you ever walked into a DHS, Welfare or local health dept. in your area? they are all there getting whatever free benefits they can and they are not paying taxes like we are. They use our school and emergency rooms and never pay a penny. While we are here working hard, paying taxes and often getting denied the same benefits they are given freely. If they paid their taxes like everyone else and contributed fairly, I don't think there would be a problem.

Answer 10

Gosh I hate running into questions like these. But it was the first one on the homepage of Yahoo Answers and it caught my attention.
In my opinion, I agree with you. I mean, sure there are going to be those illegal immigrants who come to do wrong here. Steal, commit other crimes. But all in all the vast majority of them come here in search of a better life for themselves and/or family. It is human nature to want to improve our way of living.
My father came to the US illegally when he was just a teenager. All on his own. 30 years later he has learned the language, made himself a citizen, put himself through school and is very successful. I'm really proud of him. He endured the struggles of being illegal and made it through the many hardships he was faced with in the US. If he could have had a better life in Mexico he would have stayed there. But I really do admire my father. And what anyone else thinks of that really doesn't bother me.

Answer 11

http://www.reason.org/commentaries/dalmia_20060501.shtml

"A stunning two-thirds of illegal immigrants pay Medicare, Social Security and personal income taxes. The 1996 welfare reform bill disqualified illegal immigrants from nearly all means-tested government programs including food stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid and Medicare-funded hospitalization. The 1996 welfare reform effort dramatically reduced the use of welfare by undocumented immigrant households. In 1996 the IRS began issuing id numbers to enable illegal immigrants who don't have Social Security numbers to file taxes. Close to 8 million of the 12 million or so illegal aliens in the country today file personal income taxes using these numbers, contributing billions to federal coffers. No doubt they hope that this will one day help them acquire legal status — a plaintive _expression of their desire to play by the rules and come out of the shadows."

"The non-partisan National Research Council found that when the taxes paid by the children of low-skilled immigrant families — most of whom are illegal — are factored in, they contribute on average $80,000 more to federal coffers than they consume."