Why are people so against immigration? Were they like this during the Ellis Island days?

Question

Should there be something similar to Ellis Island at the border to make sure the terrorists stay out and the hard workers come in?

Answer 1

Actually, people were like this even against *legal* immigrants, during the Ellis Island days. For example, it was common for signs to read "Help Wanted: Irish Need Not Apply" and "No Dogs or Irish Allowed." And it was common for rich families with Irish maids to call all their Irish servants "Bridget," because it was easier than remembering their real names.

Answer 2

I agree that there is a way to come legally, and a quick glance at test scores ESL costs and overcrowding issues in schools in LA and other areas heavily impacted with illegal immigration will give you a pretty clear idea of why we have immigration limits. And actually, the only time that as a percentage of population as many poor people came once as are coming now was during the 'Great Wave' which is when Ellis Island was functioning. Much stricter immigration laws were put into place as a result, and as a result of THAT this became a middle class based country. That is when the 'American Dream' was developed. This mass immigration of poor people, even just by ruining our own children's upward mobility through education, is taking that dream away.

Answer 3

Why the people against immigration it isn't because of their race. It is because the U.S.A is becoming more than it can handle as far a land and employment is concern. A lot of the immigrants work for lower wages and the employers do not have to pay for health insurance for them. The immigrants will rent one place and they have other immigrants with them to share the rent. Which hurt the people that are U.S. citizens because they can't not support their family if they don't have a job. Some what. No we should not have the Ellis Island days back. The way I think to handle the problem is offer the other country a way to create more jobs in their country and deiny U.S. citizenship in the U..S.

Answer 4

A legal immigrant needs a sponsor(someone who will vouch for them), a place to live and a place to work and they pay their taxes. That is how its done legally. When my grandpa came (not through Ellis Island but San Francisco) he had learned to speak English, this helped a lot!

When people come illegally into this country they are not sponsored and work is what they can get. They have no regular job, so they never pay any taxes for services but they demand all the help we give impoverished people and also demand we write it all up in their language. This is just being rude. If you show up in a country illegally how can you demand anything?

When you have a lot of people on welfare that never pay into the system it makes those that do work and legally here get punished through higher taxes to take care of everyone. At this that rate, states like California, will beonly very very rich like movie stars and the poor. The middle class is getting fed up with being over taxed, gouged at the gas pump for taxes, gouged for utilities that are about 3 times higher than the rest of the states. While many business's are leaving because they are being overly taxed too and I don't blame either of them. It isn't fair at all.
But the money has to come from somewhere!

Answer 5

I think most people are only against illegal immigration. I can't say about the days of Ellis Island, since I wasn't there.

Answer 6

So just who is telling you people are against immigration ? I've seen very few say anything against legal immigration. People are against illegal immigration, well thats the PC term they like to use, the term by federal law is, Illegal Alien, or the term I like, Invader. The people who came to Ellis Island were happy to come here, and so I'm told happy to call themselves Americans, the very first thing they did was wanted to make sure they were here legally. And as far as I've been able to tell, demanded nothing.

Answer 7

Ellis Island days involved people coming here LEGALLY and becoming LEGAL citizens.

I know of very few people who are against LEGAL immigrants becoming LEGAL citizens.

My grandparents were immigrants to this country in the 1920's. They came inthrough Baltimore. And they became LEGAL citizens.

It's not the immigration status "most" people are against... it's the "ILLEGAL" status that ruffles the feathers.

Answer 8

Two things. Back in the Ellis Island days, America wasn't a Socialist Welfare state. Immigrants didn't get guaranteed free benefits like today, so immigrants weren't an economic burden to society. While there was much animosity among the lower-skilled workers who resented the fact that foreign workers from countries with poor working conditions were willing to work for much less than the Americans were willing to accept, they didn't have a tax disadvantage, because NOBODY paid income tax. That is a 20th century phenomenon, introduced in 1913 to fund the explosion of the US Federal Government. Before ratification of the income tax amendment, the budget of the USA was a paltry $1 billion. Compare that to the $2.7 trillion Bush just submitted to Congress. Wages have not increased by 2.7 million times over the past 100 years. Why should the budget of the Federal Government?

Population of the United States in 1907 was 87 million. Today it is 300 million. An increase of 3.5 times. With average rate of inflation at 3%, the per-capita adjusted budget of the US from 1907 in real (2006) terms is only $209 per capita ($11 per capita in nominal 1906 terms)!!! Today the per-capita budget is $31,000. Compare that to the GDP per capita in 2006: $43,500. Back in 1907, the average worker earned about $400 per capita.

In 2007, the government spends 72% of every dollar the American taxpayer earns - either directly or indirectly.

In 1906, the government only spent 53% of the American taxpayer dollars on social welfare and government waste.

The difference between ILLEGAL aliens and legal immigrants is that legal immigrants obey our laws and pay taxes. Illegal aliens DO NOT pay taxes. Illegal aliens use disproportionately high amounts of services that costs a ton of money. They don't pay the full cost of having 8 babies per woman, by way of using free emergency care, sending them to free public school, subsidized preschool, subsidized lunches, subsidized busing, subsidized housing, subsidized legal services, subsidized language instruction, subsidized etc, etc. Not to mention the lost productivity of all the American Citizens that have to deal with illgal aliens who illegally interfere with our life and take our housing.

If you want to reduce your taxes and increase your health care coverage, resulting in a net gain in overall income of 25% and a take-home pay raise of between 30% - 5000%, tell your Congressman and Senators to expel the illegal immigrants and stop the socialist programs that are causing unreasonable burden on individuals and businesses. If the illegal immigrants and their children were freeloading off us and not paying their fair share of taxes, we wouldn't have this problem.

DO THE MATH!!!

Answer 9

We the people who came in from Ellis Island came on a quota system legally insured by sponsors in the USA and sanctioned fromt the USA gov't. People coming here illegally especially from south of the border come here not necessarily wanting to integrate into life here. Because of their class and culture and religion they have children more than they can provide for adequately health wise and send them to school speaking their own language etc. where should I stop...you get the point they come in droves unlike Ellis Island folks

Answer 10

People aren't against LEGAL immigration. We are against illegal aliens that come to America expecting something that they are not entitled to...in essence they are cutting in line and will CONTINUE to cut in line if this isn't stopped.

The politicians wont do anything about the border until it gets to the point that they HAVE to do something. We have crooked people (a LOT in each of the parties) who are in office. Republicans like the illegal aliens because they are cheap labor and can be paid under the table which cuts costs of the businesses, Republicans like anything that the Businesses who give them massive amounts of money like. Democrats like the illegal aliens because they see them as tomorrows vote and they usually try to stick with the underdogs.

Look at what happened with those border agents?!?! They are in prison right now because they WERE DOING THEIR job!!! And the drug smuggler that was shot has amnesty and is now SUING the US Government for $5 million for loss revenue from drug smuggling!!!