Illegal Immigration... What is the REAL issue?

Question

Too often, the issue of illegal immigration in the U.S. is viewed as a racial issue. For some groups [on both sides, i.e. KKK, La Raza (The Race), etc.] it is a racial issue. However, for the majority of Americans, it is more of a legal/illegal issue. The latinos have trouble viewing it as a legal issue when many Americans break laws with no remorse (speeding, etc.). How about language? If the hispanic immigrants, both legal and illegal, showed a sincere desire to learn English and use it as we do, would illegal immigration be such a big deal? Does it really have to do with laws, economics, or race? Or is it really just a communication barrier stemming from a culture clash?

Answer 1

its about several things, Economic, legality, Laws and Attitude of so many of them,
Economy
They take jobs away from Americans, they don't pay for there Medical care. they come here to have a baby, the baby is automatically a citizen therefore is entitled to welfare, food stamps and Medicaid. so the rest of the illegal family is obtain government assistance. and when they have there babies they don't pay for it, its taking up by the hospitals and tax payers. there are several border hospitals that are facing closing because of this problem, they cant afford to operate any longer. it has also raised the taxes in those areas to pay for this. thy don't pay taxes, or SS.

Legality
It is illegal and they don't seem to care- and are not willing to pay the consequences, when we brake the law, we pay the consequences.

Laws
The law and policies make it easy for them, there's not enough border patrol, borders are open ever where, babies that are born here get Birth right citizenship. and they are not doing anything to companies that knowingly hire illegal's. in other words our Government is enforcing the laws on the books and they don't seem to want to do anything about it.

Attitude
They get offended when we get upset that they are streaming over our borders. they think that the laws shouldn't apply to them, they run mexican flag up a US post office, they protest for equal rights-I mean you want equal rights then become a citizen. they march for these rights.

Its not about race, even though Mexicans are the vast majority, there are plenty of other nationalities that come here illegally to. so fly into the US just to have their Babies. so they can get in this country and get benefits. They say this country was founded on immigrants, Yeah But Legal Immigrants, my family all came here legally, got jobs learned the language, didn't leach off of the welfare system, paid there taxes. why cant they?

Then with the treat of terrorism, all a terrorist has to do is walk across a border, any border take your pick, even by boat. thee are place were the coast line is only patrolled by 1 officer that is responsible for a hundred miles of coastline. that's ridiculous. I don't really know why this government congress isn't doing something know. they passed a bill on Internet gambling, a yeah that so important these days.
Its the whole situation. something has got to be done,

Answer 2

I am a white, Anglo, mutt American. I married a Latin American. I have cause to know a great many people that are here illegally & legally, mostly from Mexico. I fully believe in my heart that it is not about taxes, money or welfare. It is not about breaking the law - Americans break the law every day! Crossing the boarder is not the equilivant to murder.
Nor is it about language. My husbands english is very good, but he still is attacked for being Mexican. Of the huge bunch of family & freinds I have met through my husband & his family, only a few people have not spoken english.
America is angry for supporting Mexico - and I do agree with that arguement. Mexico needs to be self sustaining - it is obviouly Not.

Unfortunately, America picked up on cultural differences and has gone for the jugular. This is completely about race! 100%

Answer 3

It is an economic issue. Poor people don't pay much in taxes even if they pay all taxes. They certainly don't pay enough to cover education and other costs of services. This is why every country limits how many poor people can immigrate. We are willing to subsidize OUR poor people, and our invited guests, but not tens of millions of illegals who think they have the 'right' to make us cover education costs for their children at the expense of a decent education for our own children.

Health care and other services, like schools, are overstrained and degraded due to the mass illegal immigration. Just a few people illegally here might have been a small problem. But there are a huge number illegally here, and it has become a huge problem. Being called a racist by those who benefit from the cheap labor we subsidize through our taxes, or by having a better life for themselves at our expense, doesn't make us any happier with the situation. Frankly it pisses us off.

Answer 4

Legality is total bullshit! What's legal today is illegal tomorrow. So that is really not the issue. The issue has more to do with an unsubstantial superiority complex of America towards Mexico and other Latin American countries and to a lesser extent to the Canadian superlibs - or that of Europeans towards North Africans and other of their former colonies making it to the respective motherlands. Not many people would complain about Canadians crossing the border illegaly or Europeans overstaying their welcome as printed in their visa. I'm told that Canadians even celebrate when Americans cross their border illegally for an unpermitted stay. The politicians however seem to do as little as possible against the influx of 'illegal' immigrants at the southern border. In Europe where I live there are stricter measurements but they mainly focus on darker colored immigrants making it in than on Russians, Poles, Hungarians, Czechs and other white immigrants.

Some Americans say that the illegals can gain legality by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the Prez beat them to it by summoning Latin American countries to support with non-combating forces to give aid in Iraq and Afghanistan. If those wars were fought on a less profiled manner there would have been enough money to hospitalize any American and every illegal at least 3 whole months in the year or something. So the whole thing of illegals draining the economy is another crock of you know what! Oh and some even call that war in Iraq illegal!

But as long as people see other people as a legality or with a disputable legal status and not as people in the first place, this veil of legal/illegal will be cast upon the issues at stake. And logically legal or illegal will be viewed upon for the most obvious of things, skin color, language and so forth. But like I said in the beginning, legality is bullshit. Marihuana for instance is a natural growing plant but illegal, while more potent drugs that the pharmaceutic industry produces (with many hazardous side effects) are legal - see what I mean?

Then constructively to stop 'illegal' immigration would mean changing the 'third world' into market partners, rather than suppliers of raw materials that they can buy back at high prices once processed. The gain, a middle class third world that can buy their own nokias and motorolas and choice of car and other luxuries. Think they will cross the border to be treated like dirt? But think the big corporations see that as a gain on their behalf? People in the streets know it would solve things and never bring up the stress they have to live with now, but it's not up to you. It's probably illegal to want to make the third world countries into equal market partners than to keep the status quo of free world against poor world.

Fifty years ago segregation was legal, can you see what that says about legal? Seventy years ago alcohol was illegal with as side effect a rise in wealth for the mob! And today legality is the milk cow of lawyers and lawmakers and it's every other person's loss really. Not that I advocate a lawlessness, but laws that suit people and not laws that straightjacket most of us. Have you had your wiretap today?

The real issue is poor vs. rich, but it comes down in the backyards of the not so rich and middle class people. This could well end up in scapegoatism whenever the situations calls for a scapegoat. Ask any Jew, lib or con, how bad that can be.

Answer 5

1. It is a national security issue (we need to know who is entering this country)

2. It is a legal illegal issue (If they break the law to get here why would they obey any laws here)

3. It is an economic issue (Illegals don’t pay their full taxes and take advantage of the free services in this country, ie education, emergency healthcare etc)

4. It is an assimilation issue (Immigrants don’t need to fully adopt all American customs.. no one has a problem with “Chinatowns” or “little italys” The problem is with the blatant, in your face “we want all the benefits of your society but we don’t want to be a part of it” that bothers most Americans. America see’s how messed up Mexico is and we don’t want that to happen here.)

Answer 6

When a law is routinely broken and largely un-enforced, as our immigration law currently is, it fosters disrespect for ALL laws. Also, our President and others are fond of saying that the illegals are hard working people just looking for a better life. But it doesn't speak too well of their moral disposition for them to break the law to come here, continue to break it staying here and break it again by working here. Being a criminal never made anyones' life better. Perhaps one can get away with it for a time, but sooner or later they slip up and get caught.

Answer 7

the real issue on immigration has nothing to do w/ race. many would have you believe that, such as the hispanic community (and i name them because they seem to be the most outspoken. btw, i am mexican myself) to try to give legitmacy to their cause. but in fact the REAL issue has to do w/ economics and laws. speaking for myself, and i'm not alone, i am disgusted when people come here illegally, thus breaking the laws and are then rewarded. my family and i live paycheck to paycheck and sometimes struggle making ends meet, mainly because of the high cost of health insurance, but now illegals can get free health insurance. my family and i don't even qualify for that and we are all born and raised u.s. citizens. my grandparents who are citizens recieve their measley social security checks every month and just recently they've had the amount of their checks reduced while the cost of their prescptions go up. all while they personally know people who are illegal and getting welfare and recieving more than them. my grandma actually knows of a women who lives in mexico, has never been to the u.s. but recieves u.s. gov't checks at her children residence here in the u.s.. so then her children cash the check, mail her the money and she runs a loan sharking business over in mexico and is one of wealthiest people in her pueblo.
and all the while, we, the u.s. citizens work our butts off so these people can come over, contribute nothing (except for often times, more crime) and reap the benefits of our harding working dollars. it has to end now.

Answer 8

It's a legal issue. Not only are illegal aliens (they are not immigrants) here illegally, they obtain illegal documents (fake SSN and stolen SSN) to sustain illegal employment.

We do not have enough money in our coffers to sustain the number of illegal aliens needing socio-economic care. My tax dollars pay for their roads, street lights, education, health care, police and fire support, etc.

Answer 9

The real issue is legality. It would be nice if they learned English and adjusted to our culture, but that wouldn't do anything about the drain on the economy and the jobs they steal. The point is, we cannot afford to have them here and they broke the law by coming.

Answer 10

I beleive the real issue is... They are comming here because they are little more than slaves in thier own country. Give them good reasons to stay in their own country, like financial stability and a home of their own.

Punishing them for comming here is never a good answer.

Treat the cause, not the symtom