Why do you think Undocumented Immigrants come here?

Question

This is very straight forward question. I just want to know why you personally think that the undocumented people originally came here. Not what they do when they are here, but, I am wondering why you think they made that decision to leave their family, friends, culture, and, language and venture into the great unknown.....

And, I am sure a lot of you will say "don't care", but, with all due respect, please try and come up with an answer?

un·doc·u·ment·ed /ʌnˈdɒkyəˌmɛntɪd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[uhn-dok-yuh-men-tid] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. lacking documentation or authentication.
2. lacking proper immigration or working papers.

m·mi·grant /ˈɪmɪgrənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[im-i-gruhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence.
2. an organism found in a new habitat.
–adjective
3. of or pertaining to immigrants and immigration: a department for immigrant affairs.
4. immigrating.

Dictionary. com definitions... Seems appropriate language to me...

Answer 1

Depends on the country of the illegal immigrant.

Many come to work I am sure, some come for reasons that are not so honorable. Some simply come to reunite with family - in fact the PEW Hispanic Research Center says that reuniting with family is a big factor, with the majority gainfully employed when they decide to make their journey. I am sure it is a variety of reasons, no one simple answer.

http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=58

Answer 2

In Mexico, you are either poor, or you are wealthy. It's the same way in Cuba. There isn't much work for poor people to do in those countries, and the ones that do work receive very little pay for what they do. All many of those poor people can do is sell fruits and vegetables to tourists. That doesn't pay anything. People will do whatever they can to have a better way of life. That's why illegal immigrants come to America. I have no problem with them coming to America if they attempt to become legal citizens and work, but I don't think that's what many of them have been doing. I blame Congress for this more than the illegals themselves. Any country that will not enforce the laws deserves exactly what it gets. Mexico enforces immigration laws. The Mexican police put any illegal immigrant in jail. Members of Congress haven't been doing that, and there have been major problems with gang activity in California. Almost every person in those gangs has been an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

Answer 3

The prisons are full of people that broke the law. Every one of them has a reason.

Should we ask them why they broke the law??

Does it matter??

Every country in the world has immigration laws.

Every country enforces them.

Period.

BTW, they are not undocumented and they are not immigrants.

They are ILLEGAL ALIENS.



EDIT:

You have 2 legal categories of "aliens": Resident and Non-resident Alien.


Definition of Resident Alien
Resident aliens generally are taxed on their worldwide income, similar to U.S. citizens.

To be classified as a resident alien, the individual must meet one of two tests:

1. Green Card Test

A non-resident alien is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. at any time if they have been given the privilege, according to the immigration laws, of residing permanently as an immigrant. This status usually exists if the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a green card.

2. Substantial Presence Test

A non-resident alien is classified as a resident alien for tax purposes if they were physically present in the U.S. for 31 days during the current year and 183 days during a three-year period that includes the current year and the two years immediately before that.



Definition of Non-resident Alien
If a person does not meet either the Green Card or Substantial Presence Test, then that person is classified as a non-resident alien.

A new arrival on a J-1 or F-1 visa is generally a non-resident alien.
Non-resident aliens are taxed only on their income from sources within the U.S. and on certain income connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the U.S.


And then you have An ILLEGAL ALIEN, which is neither of these.

An illegal alien is in a category all by himself or herself. He or she is not a resident or non-resident alien, not a citizen, naturalized citizen, and not any type of legal immigrant.

People like to use the term "undocumented" as if the only thing an illegal alien is lacking is paperwork, once they get it, everything will be "hunky dory". But the only way this will happen is for them to LEAVE the country, return to their country of origin and apply the legal way, obviously getting in line behind those already in the process. They are in no way shape or form "undocumented immigrants". They are not in the process AT ALL.

People like to call illegal aliens "immigrants" so as to try to make them seem "legal or kosher" and group them with those that follow the law coming here, or residing here. It's a slap in the face and an insult to group them together with law-abiding immigrants. People also attempt to confuse the issue (intentionally) by using the term "immigrants" when they really mean those that are here illegally. It is merely an attempt to blur the issue between REAL immigrants that followed the law to come here and those that did not...the ILLEGAL type.

Answer 4

Response to above poster

"For the same reasons that documented immigrants came here".
Obviously they chose to break the law instead of following it, so whatever consequences they face is their fault.



"Why do unlicensed drivers drive? Same answer for the same reasons licensed drivers drive. Even rich people who can afford to pay someone to drive them around like Paris Hilton will drive not only without a license but on a suspended license and got caught twice driving on a suspended license".
I agree with the first 2 sentences. Obviously the unlicensed drivers chose to break the law, so whatever consequences they face are their own fault. I suppose the comment about Paris Hilton driving without a license is the a comparison to the multitudes of illegal aliens driving not only with no license (or a fake one), but also no insurance. Of course they don't belong in the country in the first place, so it's not a fair analogy. Paris Hilton is a citizen.



"I wont speculate why them come here because i really don't know".
The only thing that matters is they are here illegally, and will never become legal until they return to their country of origin and get in line behind those already in the process of legally immigrating here.

Answer 5

Where I live, Mexican illegals are everywhere. I have spoken to many of them, worked with a lot of them. Some I've talked to really are very hard working people and would love to be Americans and leave Mexico behind. Then you have the ones that think we owe them something. They put us down, put down America. They traffic drugs. They even tell me they hate America, but it's the only place where they can make money. These are the ones that I wish we could weed out. If we are going to let people come here, they need to be loyal to this country, or for the very least, respect it and it's people.

Answer 6

They came here to work because Mexico hasn't seen way to develop an economy that benefits their under class uneducated citizens and to advance into a 21century into a first world country.
The one fact everyone is missing is illegal never wanted to become citizen of the USA. They just came to work. It is LEGAL immigrants from all countries that come here wanting to a different life from their home land and become citizen.
So it is amazing we keep pushing for them to become citizen when that wasn't their intent.

Illegals in the beginning were just young men coming here working sending money home then later going home.
Now, they bring the the whole village and their intent has been pushed to change.
Mexico's economy is mainly based on Illegals here sending money back to Mexico. That is why the Mexican government keeps pushing it and the elite in Mexico back it up. They don't want them back just their money to supports the one there.
In reality Mexico is just a third world welfare country to the USA. How sad!

Answer 7

You would think that entering another country illegally would be the kind of thing relatively few people would want to do. The term 'economic refugee' gets thrown around occassionally, and I think it fits. Lack of opportunity in your native land, combined with a perception of opportunity in another.

But, for some, that decision is made easier by a welcoming environment. You don't have to leave your familiy, friends, culture and language to go to a foreign land if some of your familiy and/or friends have preceded you there, and are waiting for you in ethnic enclaves where your language is spoken and your culture preserved.

Not all immigrants - legal or illegal - have that advantage, but some who choose to come illegally come here knowing that they will be able to find communities that feel more like 'home' than a foreign land.

Answer 8

The vast majority come for a better future for their families. It's really hard for them to leave their family and friends behind but they feel that by coming here is the only way they will succeed in life.

Answer 9

Corrupt Mexican government that seeks to export their poor people to the USA. Employers who want to exploit the same poor people. City and County governments that refuse to stop giving handouts and free medical care. Limp weenies who provide bilingual education at tax payer expense. All these things make it attractive for Mexicans to cross the border. Get rid of these things and it no longer will be.

Answer 10

In order to have children here so that their kids become "anchor babies" and allow them to bring more family members in here. They also want to take advantage of the "free" social services like education, police, fire, health care, etc. They know that if enough of them come they can form their own enclave and drain money from US citizens. Plus they have access to technology they'd never see in their own country. Its a lot easier to get free handouts here than to try to fix things in their own country.