What's your take on the illegal immigrant issue in the United States? I'm interested in hearing your replies

Question

To me, it's a very touchy subject. I've known people who went through proper channels to come here for work reasons (high tech needs) and were turned down by the US government in fear of them never returning to their homelands. Yet, people are sneaking in illegally over the border and on boats every day. It saddens me that we turn away people who provide a special needed skill yet we don't do enough about illegals. It's truly a tough issue. I don't know what the right answer is...we can't simply allow such a massive illegal influx, yet we need to be sensitive of those who are already here.

From an economic standpoint, illegal aliens provide a much needed service of filling low cost jobs when the economy is rolling, When it's in a slump, then we have a huge welfare issue with which to deal.

From a humanitarian standpoint, it's great we do take in poltical assylum type cases. Yet, it's hard to really get a bead on who should really qualify.

I see no easy answer...your take?

Answer 1

Have you ever tried to apply for a guest worker permit or a green card or even citizenship...it takes too long. If we need the workers than lets get them legal. There's obviously a demand for the labor so get em processed and paying taxes.

Answer 2

With companies raking in record profits, they can afford to pay a livable wage to American Citizens of other LEGAL immigrants. It is NOT a touchy issue the illegals are CRIMINALS, by coming here illegally they gave up any chances of staying or returning to this country! Their opinions do NOT count, if they wanted to have a say they should have tried to come here legally. The American dream doesn't only pertain to IMMIGRANTS. It is also what MOST American CITIZENS are looking for too!!! I believe that immigrants built this country and they are great for this country, but only the legals. Americans and legal immigrants should be rewarded for turning in illegals. I am in favor for every 1 illegal deported 1 legal returns, they must be prepared to start at least attempting to learn ENGLISH, not have a criminal record, work, and most importantly they must NOT commit any violent or sex crimes. Any violations of the rules and jail time for the criminals then deportation, others just get deported. I think it needs to be a random drawing, no picking and choosing who our government wants to let in. The less educated have the same rights as the others. They should not be able to come here and receive welfare of any kind for at least 5 years. And they should pay just as much if not more into taxes as everyone else pays.

Answer 3

I support the new bill and yes it's a touchy subject on both sides.I know NICE illegals but I also know BAD illegals.I don't like people coming into our country without knowing anything about their past or if they are who they say they are.I have had good experiences and have to admit I've had ONE REALLY BAD experience.The bad experience made me take action.When I found out about the new bill and the points in it.I realized it was way better than the way things now stand.So I support the bill with a passion.Many of the illegals here are decent and hard working but some aren't.Right now the laws protect both.If the bill goes thru it won't protect the bad ones anymore.It will give our law enforcement more power in detaining and deportation will be mandatory.Please don't make up your minds on this bill until you know what the final draft is about.I'm very upset that it's being changed from it's original version.Which protected our citizens.I hope the original aspects of it remain.

Answer 4

i come across the irony interior the actuality a great sort of people by ancestors immigrated to the rustic for the suitable same reason the Mexicans do, yet they could thankfully deprive those people of a similar existence kind they have been able to create. It wasn't exceeded on a plate to them, and neither is it to the Mexicans so I hear.

Answer 5

It is ruining our schools and healthcare in areas where they concentrate, and the new bill would do nothing real to stop it yet would increase immigration, legal and illegal, massively.

We need to take care of our own people and our overcrowded, year round scheduled schools taught by emergency credentialed teachers, and take care of our closing hospitals and solve (or virtually solve) the influx before we turn to the other issues.

Whose government is it, and who are they ELECTED to protect, to begin with?

Big business that wants to continue to undercut American wages with foreign workers dependant on them feel the situation is urgent. THAT is not the situation that is urgent. Go to school in LAUSD and speak to someone like myself who went through school there a generation ago, about all the programs for our children that have been cut to educate the children of those illegally here, who then get college preference on diversity grounds despite being the majority of students left in the LAUSD. (The middle class is moving out or is mortgaging its retirement to send their kids to outrageously expensive private schools here.)

The system is insane, and the bill in Congress would make it worse.

Wicked, deportation would NOT be mandatory. There is a raft of 'humanitarian' exemptions that are very vague, and clearly less than the 'extreme hardship' excemption already in law. Since the illegals would have created the situation that now would make it a 'hardship' for them to leave, I think that is unacceptable. ANYONE who builds a life here illegally can argue it is a hardship to be deported. What about our children's 'hardships' in not getting decent education and having their wages driven down as workers? Their children are not more important than our own.

Wicked, what is the date of your bill? I am looking at the moment at section 202 on mine and it amongst other things gives discretion to parole into the US any alien under an order of deportation if they have applied for entry. There are humanitarian exemptions (undefined) elsewhere, but I am not looking at them at the moment. What is the date of your bill?

Answer 6

Yes, it's a VERY touchy subject, but to me it's also a clear-cut law enforcement issue !!

As someone else stated, I look at it from it's effects on me and my family !! I once lived in San Diego while serving in the US Navy: my step-daughter couldn't attend the elementary school 4 blocks away because it was full of ESL-students (80% of who came across the border each morning and were enrolled in the school using false addresses and paperwork).

I really disagree with the "jobs-Americans-won't-do" argument... US Government statistics show that 80% of illegals working are no longer in farm-labor, but are in construction !!

I also don't like the "path-to-citizenship" thing which truly amounts to nothing less than amnesty.

Answer 7

My answer as a true born American would be something like this. They are here illegally, they premeditated a crime and followed through with it. If you or I were to per-meditate a crime, the crime of trespassing, and or other laws, we would be arrested, thrown in jail, help accountable, given a criminal record...etc....

So now the government is considering giving all 12 million of them legal citizenship. Is that like pardoning them of the crimes they committed against America? Is that discrimination in reverse? If we trespassed, you can bet there would be no pardons for us.

How many of them could belong to terrorist groups? Should we really just give them all citizenship? If we do, we could, and probably already have let in hordes of terrorists, just to let them become citizens in the end. Now we the tax payers will have to pick up the tab for each and everyone of them who do not work in the form of welfare, education and other assistances.

I would like to see this process take place: In order for them to become American citizens, they must, MUST, go fight in Iraq. Our troops are weary, tired, and have sacrificed over and over again, only to come home crippled, spouse less due to divorced, or in the worst case, have given their lives for our country.

If the illegals want to show how much they want to be here, they must be willing to risk their lives and maybe even die for this country as our family members have. I also believe that the Mexican government should be held accountable for not keeping their citizens on their side of the border. I would like for the US to tell them that for every illegal that crosses the border, we will take 1 acre of Mexican soil. This would be a good penalty towards Mexico, it would give the illegals land on which to start their eventual legal lives here, something like a reservation set-up. Hey, we could even require them to have schools set up on this land/reservation where they can actually learn to speak English before becoming a legal citizen.

I don't really have an answer to the problems, just a few opinions. I also think that before they become legal citizens, they should have to agree to pay back any and all the money they have received through our tax payed assistance programs. They should also have to be held accountable for knowingly breaking the laws in the first place.

Answer 8

i have struggled with this question for many months...finally, what it really comes down to is my family, my country first.
If I were Mexican I'm sure I would do exactly what they are doing..going to a country that allows them to be there, and try to earn a living, after all, in many of the cases it's our companies that pay them to little too live on in Mexico, and then pay them very little here...but it is having a detrimental effect on my family and my country. I have sympathy, but I must choose my family first, just as they are.
Our country allows more legal immigration than the combined legal immigration of the world. We are generous, but we must not allow this to harm our citizens.
We must stop illegal immigration...through walls, through border patrol..through whatever means necessary....we must not allow companies to fire american citizens and then hire illegal immigrants at a lower wage..this is happening in many areas i.e. meat packing plants...the answer is complex...but the current bill being considered is ridiculous...it gives preferential treatment to illegals over citizens(free legal aid is given to illegals before citizens, just one example), sets up a program that they will not abide by (touchback to country of origin within 8 years),.
After much thought, it comes down to...my country...my family first.

Answer 9

We are all reqired to follow the law of the land. Irregaurdless of our economic stature, race, or religious beliefs. Many illegals that come across the border are child molesters, murderers, and gang bangers. they come across our borders, commit crimes, then shoot back across the border to evade prosecution.

With that being said, I live in south Eastern Arizona. Immigration is a mojor issue here. People die in our deserts from coming across the borders with out the proper food and water, ranchers have live stock killed for food, and many ranchers now deal with the problem in a more Billy the kid style. Illegal immigration must be stopped. It affects more than just those wanting to be here. It is more than "why not just let them in".

If you want to come into the country, do it the right way, the legal way. Abide by our laws from day one. If you are here without permission, do not cry to me about your rights, as you have none. You are a citizen of your home nation and your rights lie there.

Answer 10

Well, those workers are obviously needed, otherwise, why would we allow them....I don't support greedy companies who hire them, only to exploit them for the cheap labor, in my opinion they are the main reason we have this problem....In any other country, this is NOT tolerated...I wish to have those workers legalized and in the system, and stop their exploitation....