What do you think of my situation........?

Question

Was my father a criminal even though his intensions were good. And what does that make my family who is here legally because of my fathers illegal actions? Read below to understand my questions:

My father came into the USA back in 1968 illegally. He worked the summers in California as a farm helper until 1978. During these 10 years he risked his life every year because he would come back and forth every summer to spend some time with his family. While he was in the US he never once broke the law except for crossing the border illegally.

I come from a family of 12 (keep your jokes to yourself, cause i can already hear ya ignorant remarks). In those 10 years he saved enough money to bring all 12 of his children including his wife, legally!!!

All of my brothers and sisters work every day, we all finished high school and some of us went on to college. Aside from the occasional traffic ticket, we have and will always continue to obey the law.

Unfortunately there are immigrants from all walks of life that give us a bad rep. But in my fathers case, he truly came here so his children would have a better life. He was not thinking of how to scam the government of tax dollars, or health benefits.....only to make enough money to bring his children here legally.

I can't imagine what my life would be like in Mexico if my father wouldn't have sacrificed the way he did, and I cannot deny someone who is truly trying to have a better life.

My father was a good man, sadly he was not able to see all the good that came out of his great sacrifice....

Sorry.....I forgot to add that my father also was able to obtain legal documents at the same time we did......

I am so glad to hear these responses, I knew we have caring people in this country.

bobemac.....I am not looking for any sympathy points, just sharing my story, I keep reading very hateful things here and it is depressing.......

Peace and God bless you....

Answer 1

Man thats a great story, you can be proud of your father. Unfortunately immigration into the US is a very competitive thing, and of course the fact that so many have come illegally it makes it harder for those who are trying to come legally. Mexicans have an unfair advantage in that they live right across our border. I have a good friend who is Ethiopian and he has applied and been denied 6 times for even a tourist visa so that he could visit his family in San Diego. His family split and they fled as asylum seekers in the early 80's and he stayed behind with his father. I'm sure he'd like a shot ar running the border too, but he would be sent a lot farther than across the fence.

Anyone who tells you they wouldn't have done the same thing in your fathers shoes is lying. We can afford morals because we live a protected, sheltered, and overly convenient life. If you remove those conditions from any American, I guarantee they would do anything to get them back, and an imaginary line in the sand would be the least of hindrances for them.

Answer 2

Well, how do you feel about 12 million illegal immigrants? How many reruns do we get of Little Hacienda On The Prairie before we say 'no mas'? Bluntly and to the point, there's 6.6 billion people in the world, and a fair number of them would LOVE to have 12 kids in america.

Mexico's a fine country, good people, but illegal immigration is just that, illegal. Your dad could have made a go of it in Mexico, but instead skipped the border fence. It's a real tear-jerker of a story, but the world has changed even from 1968. This is 2006,
and there were 50 million less people in the US in 1968. There were 2 billion less people IN THE WORLD in 1968. Do the math yourself, use your head on this problem...the same circumstances where your dad raised 12 kids are rapidly fading...

Answer 3

You have a good dad. Let's go back to immigration. Have you ever thought about the immigration problem before compared to the present time problem? 1968, there were only less than a thousand illegal immigrants that works in the USA and they come and go. 2006, there are 11 milliom illegal immigrants staying(don't want to leave) here in the USA and more are coming. Can you see the discrepancy in numbers? Guest worker law won't solve the problem since once the paper expires, they will go in hiding again. They have done it before and they will do it again. I have not seen a Japanese who is illegal here in the USA. The reason is, when they say they will stay for 3 months, they do keep their words. They leave before their stay (visa) expires. People from other country needs to respect and obey the laws of the country they are going to. That is why there is a law for everyone to follow.

Answer 4

I understand wanting to support your family but I truly believe that if you want to come the the US you should do it legally! Illegal immigrants shouldn't be alowed to just stay and work in the US while others people wait years to become a legal citizen. I don't just mean Hispanics either. I'm talking about all races. Other countries aren't at relaxed about illegal immigration as the US is and I think that this country should be following the lead that others have.

Answer 5

Yes your father was a criminal, and I don't believe for one minute that he brought his wife and 10 kids into the United States legally, or that he ever got citizenship.
People who enter the USA illegally are all criminals, they have no honor, no decency, no morals, they have no respect for our laws, they are cheaters who think that THEY CAN JUMP IN FRONT OF THE LINE. It is so easy for illegal aliens to break one law, by entering the USA illegally, they continue to break law after law when they get here.
You never said if your father worked for cash? If he paid no income taxes he committed another crime. If he used a stolen security number (bought, borrowed, made up....all are STOLEN) then he committed the most serious kind of crime, a FELONY, for which he, by law, should be put in prison for 25 years and fined $250,000.00.
If your father was here illegally for 10 years paying no income taxes, he should haved payed the same price any US citizen pays for committing that crime, he should have been arrested and sent to jail and been fined back taxes compounded each year he never paid, which by now, 40 year later would amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What makes you think it's acceptable for only SOME people to disrespect our laws like your father? but everyone else is supposed to obey the law?

Having a "better life" should not be at the expense of other people.
No "good man" ever comes illegally to this country, only BAD PEOPLE come illegally, they are liars and thieves.

Answer 6

I think your father is a wonderful man who cares a lot about his family. Knowing many immigrants (Hispanics and otherwise..legal and illegal) I have no problems with a how a person gets to America, it's what they do once they are here. Now if your father had come over, never returned to his family (and as I am sure you know some men do) or never bothered to work that would have been one thing. Actually, it is these men that are creating a lot of these feelings of ignorance that people feel toward this immigration issue. I only hope that the rest of the illegal immigrants that are still here are granted amnesty so that they too can move forward w/ their lives and kudos to your dad for doing things the right way to save all this confusion that has come about now.

Answer 7

I commend you father. He did what any decent father would have done for the children that he truly loved. Your father displayed good family values and morals. I appreciate your story. There is good and bad in all race. We cannot judge by the color of the skin, nationality etc. If you look at a book it is not enough to make you a scholar as to what the book pertains..... you have to take the time to read it. I for one am in love with the Rich History, and the beautiful culture of Mexico. Your people remind me when I was young and growing up on the farm..... neighbors helped neighbors, shared food, cared, raised their children to be decent people........The majority Mexican society still has those things... BUT does THE "WHITE AMERICAN" Culture still have those basic morals, ethics......NO....Look everyday some of our children are being killed in our schools....Why because our society has bred into them hatred and these false sense that we are a superior invincible race. You don't hear of these things in Mexico.... Don't give me the BS that they don't have guns in MX. I have been there. Everyone has a gun in Mexico... the difference is that the children there are taught to respect life and others............

Answer 8

You know my parents were black and my mother came from a family of 9 and my father came from a family of 13 so its not just Hispanics who have lots of children.
In response to your question I understand you situation and there are many that are in that same situation right now but the fact of the matter is that is was illegal thank God for you he didnt come here when it was a huge deal like it is now therefore you and your siblings were able to make a good life for yourselfs but it is Illegal and now it is just getting out of hand! That is the point people are trying to make that you father probably didnt try to encourage Americans to learn Spanish and cater to the Spanish culture here in American but that is what is happening now. Its so bad that Americans are not able to get certain jobs or even getting jobs taken away from them because they are not bilingual and to me that is not fair.

Answer 9

I think your father was a stand up man, and you probably would have been OK in Mexico too with such a caring father, but yes your life would certainly be different.

I tend to think you and your fathers story is more common than most think. If illegal immigrants were going places to scam social systems they'd probably shoot right through the states and head for Canada if that were the case.

Anyway, I bet there are more Legal Americans scamming the "system" than illegals.

Answer 10

Truly admirable what your father did, however there is a right and a wrong way to do everything. My husband is from The Philippines. He and I were separated our entire engagement over 10 months, while we waited to do things Right. All our T's were crossed and all our i's were doted. He is here in America now, with a Green card and working legally making money for our family. Is the way we did it any less admirable? The ends do not justify the means sorry.