What about the small children of illegal immigrants who come here? They grow up here, make this their home,etc

Question

Is it fair that they are persecuted as well? They grow up here and this is all that they know? Some don't even know about where they came from. When we are of elementary school age, we don't understand these issues. Should we give those individuals some leeway? After all, they are not the ones who made the decision to illegaly cross the border themselves when they were little. Their parents did it without thinking of how it might be more bad for them (living in fear of being sent back, etc.) than good to come here. (Remember, I am talking about those individuals who grew up here since they were very young and are more American than some Americans. You know, the ones who are educated and are fluent in the American culture.)

Hello people, I am not talking about kids anymore. I'm talking about adults 21 and over who came here as children (under at least 12). I am not talking about the little kids anymore. To the first 6 people who answered... you are too easy to read. I would like an a thought provoking answer. No more dense answers please.

I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT ANCHOR BABIES! I'm talking about children, children! Thanks for editing your responses, much better!

To the first answerer, Jim, I would like to tell you that I had no opinion prior to writing this question. Everyone has their opinions, especially you, and the way you read my question most likely led you to ASSume I had stronger feelings for one side. The reason I wrote this question was to see what others thought and to hopefully gain some inspiration, something new to work with at least. To all who answered with hostility towards anyone, everything you drop is so tired, none of us have gotten any higher.

Answer 1

i agree with Carol R. this is probably the saddest and hardest part of this situation, and really there seems to be no easy answer. if you ship them back, their lost, if you let them stay it makes another loophole. the only real solution is to secure the borders and implement a guestworker program, something that covers all the problems, not just a few, and maybe things will be different for the children of the future.

Answer 2

16 seems a little old. That's the legal age one can drop out of school in many states. A child who comes here as a teenager will be fluent in his or her native language and have literacy skills typical for people in that country. The teen can adapt easily if he or she returns home a few years later. Many teens from Mexico and Central America are not brought here by their parents. They come on their own, hopping aboard trains heading north. They risk being attacked or raped by smugglers or being injured or killed falling off the trains. Children brought here with their parents or by smugglers also undertook a risky journey. If we create a path to legalization for any child who comes here before the age of 16, we are creating a strong incentive for teens to jump on trains and for parents to pay smugglers to take their kids across the desert. The children, if they make it, get legal residency, and when they turn 21, they can sponsor the parents and other family members. We do need to think about ways of legalizing the status of people who come here as young children, but we need to be careful not to create an incentive that increases the number of children who enter the country illegally. One important consideration is the age of eligibility. Another is a residency requirement. A 14-year-old who has been here two years can go home again. A 16-year-old who has been here ten years is likely to be literate in English and acculturated to American society. Present immigration and naturalization laws set age and residency requirements, so a path to legal residency for minors should include these two important criteria.

Answer 3

Persecution? Educate yourself on 'anchor baby'. It goes pretty deep, and draw your own conclusions from it. My feeling is, if the parents came to the country illegally, and dropped a kid, the kid should keep their nationality, they can stay like, for a limited time,
til the kid can travel, like 6 months old or so, but after that, bye, everybody! Thanks for visiting!

'Anchor baby' is a 'loophole', or the 'means of doing what you want to do when the law prohibits you from doing otherwise'.

Here's the gag: You drop a kid in the US. As a reward for having done so, the 'gummit' gives you and your spouse a green card!
As far as I'm concerned, that's rewarding a criminal act, because you just went to the head of the immigration line, yes there is one, by virtue of having engaged in the reproductive process.

I think as soon as the baby can travel, everybody goes home.
Sorry, but 'no' means 'no', time for other countries to start standing up, and taking care of their own problems, Mexico first and foremost. We've let this stupidity go on for too long, it's either act now or annex Mexico. I vote for good immigration enforcement, and a border fence. I don't feel that I should have to learn a foreign language to do business in the US of A.

Mexico has issues and problems, yes. This does not automatically constitute an emergency on america's part. Maybe, maybe, if people in Mexico and other countries found OTHER HOBBIES besides going forth and multiplying exponentially, their economy wouldn't be so wretched. Just a thought...

Answer 4

Sadly, there are always casualties in a war, and they are the casualties, or at least will be. If they are over 21 and are a productive member of society, let em stay, if not, ship them back with their parents.

Answer 5

Until they are 18 (in most states) they are under their parents control - the parents knew the risks when they entered our country illegally. The two options are to take them back to mexico or to leave them here....no special treatment. How many Americans do you know that can blatantly break our laws & the cops just ignore it like they do for the illegals?

Answer 6

I think their situation is difficult and sad. But you could also say that about children of drug dealers, whom I've also known. Talk about persecution. I've never seen the children of illegals persecuted. If anything, people go out of their way to give them what they couldn't have had in Mexico. But right now, that means taking it away from my people...because right now, there's not enough to go around. If you've ever been poor you know what I mean. So as long as taking care of them means not taking care of us, I'll be against it. For me it's about getting our priorities straight. And no one should be persecuting anyone.

Answer 7

You can not fault the child who came here unknowingly, or the child who grew up here and became an adult. No child can control where they live. If they've lived here most or all of their lives and have been educated, speak both languages fluently, work...of COURSE they deserve to have rights. We can't marginalize them. Why should they be sent back to a country that was never theirs in the first place.

Answer 8

No, no, no, no. no way. What about my cousin's son? They live in South America in conditions much worse than most illegal immigrants in America. My cousin teaches English and Spanish. His wife designs websites. They are much more skilled than many illigal immigrants. Do you also feel sorry for my cousin's son who is growing up in a third world country because his father and mother cannot come to America because there are 12 million illegal immigrants taking up their place. Every day they are here they are stealing better health care, better food, better education, and a better life from him. This question only shows your blind ignorance on the subject and you are obviously biased by your misplaced sympathy for these criminals. Yes, criminals, the parents who broke the immigration laws. You won't get my sympathy with the "Oh boo hoo, the poor children" crap.
In Georgia they recently rounded up hundreds of illegal immigrants and deported them. The news story was so boo hoo sympathetic to all the poor illegal immigrants and how the big bad nazi goverment rounded them up. The story ended with one point that they did not comment on at all. THE CHICKEN PROCESSING PLANT HAD TO RAISE WAGES BY OVER $1 AN HOUR IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD TO ATTRACT LEGAL WORKERS. Illegal immigrants are surely DESTROYING the american dream of a better life. WAKE UP! Why would a conservative repulican president push for the rights of the poor underdogs? This is a scheme by corporate america to import slave workers so companies don't even have to move to Mexico anymore. They do not care about giving these people the chance to live a better life.
I will just quit now because I have nothing good to say about you or this incredibly cheap and stupid attempt to persuade people to your stupid, wrong point of view.

Answer 9

Jim, what is wrong with growing up in a 3rd World country?

They are just as talented.
Just as smart.
Just as good-looking (trust me on this one).

But their country's leaders have made some pretty $hitty decisions.

Answer 10

NO leeway, thats how we got into this bloody mess in the first place.

We've tried the nice friendly liberal human rights approach - its failed - dismally

Now is the time for common sense - get them out, and keep them out