Why do so many illegal immigrants refuse to legalize themselves?

Question

I understand it takes effort, but the rest of us have to file taxes every year; we have to apply for social security cards for our children, and you HAVE to go to the SSA office, which is ALWAYS hell and you better pack a lunch!; we have to pay for insurance (We pay $550/mth for my family) and still have co-pays; we register our children for school; and we work honest jobs (at least, the honest people do) without fraudulent identification.

Yes. I realize that. Thats why my question also states that "its an effort". Did you miss that part? If you are not born here, you need to apply for citizenship. Bottom line.

Answer 1

I think a lot of them refuse to become legalized just simply because they are afraid that they will be deported. If the government would work with them and take that fear away maybe they would get legalized.

Answer 2

check this out, I live with legal, semi legal and illegal immigrants all in the same family. The ones that are illegal have the most money and buy the coolest stuff because they dont have to pay taxes but because they all have the same first and last name they can apply for jobs credit cards, welfare, anything with one of the legal one's social security number. We get a piece of mail for Francisco and everyone just stares at it for days wondering which one its for. They all pool thier money at the end of the month and send a lot back to grandma in mexico. I make 20 bucks an hour and am by far the poorest person there and they all have xbox 360s and order pizza whenever they want and dont care about money. They drive POS cars and dont have payments or insurance. I have a payment, rent, insurance, and a commute. They work whenever they want and whenever they need money because they have basically a job on demand through old rich white people who need crap built in thier houses. They dont care about all these citizenship benefits because all they need to do is go down to get some temporary medical insurance called MediCal, which is free for unemployed or low income people in california. They have no reason get get citizenship because thier life would get harder rather than easier.

Answer 3

If they turned up and said "excuse me i want to get a job legally" they would be sent straight back. Although you are right about taxes, if the government did something about it you could have a lot more taxes coming in, therefore meaning you would have to pay less. Isnt part of the problem that many big companies rely on immigrant workers as they can pay them well below the minimum wage? Remember that most 'illegals' are doing jobs that americans refuse to do.

Answer 4

I am with you they are undermineing the system to benifit them. I know that in germany as long as you are a german citizen the german gov pays a kindergeld which is like welfare until the child is 3 I think because germans don't do daycare and stronly encourage mom raising the kids. If they are american citizens they don't get that. Plus I think they should serve in our Army or other service. I strongly believe in this because we have to many soldiers returning back 2 and 3 or more times to the middle east because we don't have enough bodies that are serving well if the immigrants served at least one tour we would be so much better off I believe....anyhow thats another subject for another day.

Answer 5

1. they have no money
2. they do not qualify for citizenship (like most countries, including Mexico, the U.S. doesn't want anyone that will prove to be a burden on state charities and funds)
3. they want to, but their visitor/student visas ran out and now they won't go home and know that applying here will have them sent home
4. disrespect

To krazyfu:
I'm Native American. I don't think everyone is being 'racist'. It's not just about Mexicans, ya know. And yes, they want a better life, but so do I. I don't complain about taxes, but I do complain about people who tax our funds. Illegals don't get benefits from my money, no. But my money pays for the Border Patrol and the INS. People that spend all their days sending chasing down illegals. And sending money "home", is just another way of saying it isn't put back into the U.S. economy-- which pro-illegals claim for a reason for illegal immigrants to stay! Illegals also make it hard for those coming in legally. If I lived in another country and made $2 a day for a 10 hr shift, I'd only spend $1 on groceries and the like! It's called a difference in economy. 'Living wage' mean anything??? Plus, those people that work 10 hrs a day also come from countries with 1 to 3 months of holiday time! Even in Japan, with their long days and no weekends, they don't have to put up with illegal immigrants on top of it! And another thing...... why don't we try to get them legal, after their prison term! Every country has laws and punishments for illegally immigrating. Mexico fines, imprisones and deports (you can reapply to come back in). It's considered a felony! I'm not asking for a death penalty, but come on, they have to be punished for not following the rules. And don't get me started with Mexico's recent drug cartel problems........ how long til that is our problem???? But I'm not picking on Mexico alone, ANY illegal action must be punished, regardless of who committed the crime!

Answer 6

how come almost everybody here is racist?
america didn't belong to the "americans" anyways in the first place... they kinda stole it from the natives who lived there before anyways in the first place...

but to answer the question. we'll your not sure you'll get approved in the firstplace anyways, after all your efforts and the money you placed in it.
plus dont get mad at illegals who only want to feed thier families in the first place. why not get mad at the people who hire them... oh wait... whos going to do all the dirty work they are willing to do to make a decent living. you? i doubt it..

lets face it life is hard. people just want to have better lives. don't you? i find it ironic that people who make $7 - $30 an hour working 6 to 9 hrs a day. would complain about taxes and why they have to pay for them (none of the taxes paid really benefits illegals anyways) when people from other parts of the world only make $2 for a 10 to 14 hr workday (yes $2 for the whole day. that means they would have to work 4 days straight just to make 1 hrs worth of work in america). and those people arent even considered poor in their countries.

i mean if i can make $7 an hour and send money back home while being illegal.. i'd do it..
put yourself in their position before mouthing off. since is so easy to tell off someone while your in your posh living room thinking why there are so many illegals.

Answer 7

I don't know good question.....unfortunately I don't have an answer. I have read about several incidents where illegals were here for 22 & 28 years and did not get legal! One woman on here complains that her husband was deported, but yet her husband has been here since he was 3 months old!!!! (I don't know his age, but he was old enough to be married and have 6 kids) These are just a couple of cases where the illegal chooses not to be on the up and up. What is their reason? I have NO clue, maybe they have a criminal record? Who knows....

Answer 8

IDIOT! Most of illegals like me pay taxes and talk to lawyers all the time. Once you are on expired visa YOU CANNOT legalize unless you marry for papers!
Legalization in 2006 is not a whim!We all want to be legalized, but your laws don't permit it.

Answer 9

I agree! Nothing is free baby, if you want to live here (you being general) do it legally or get the heck out! (was that harsh?) My family came here from Europe years ago, they did it legally, the worked for everything they had/have and they did not receive ANY hand out's like they seem to today! heck you dont even have to speak English anymore.....

Answer 10

Its not a question of refusing....

Its a question of impossibility....This govt makes it close to impossible to become legal, so the other option is cross over illegally....

As long as people have a need to survive and unethical employers hire them and this govt. doesn't secure its borders, it will continue being a problem....

Illegals are not the only ones to blame here, or don't you see that?