Why are so many Americans against immigration, but harp on about being part-Welsh, part-Irish, part-Italian...

Question

Thanks for putting me in my place with the legal/illegal distinction.

I guess I have a different mindset - too many people in my country (UK) are against legal immigration

Answer 1

You left out one word that makes the big difference....illegal. The people you are talking about are here with visas and permission from the US government. My folks waited two years before they could go through customs. They became citizens within 6 months and had permanent jobs and learned to speak English. Get the point? Can you see the difference?

Answer 2

Thomas M, Westerners came here in the 1700's? Really? You must be reading from a history book I've never seen before. Most southerners are descended of colonists who came here in the 1700's? Again, you must be reading from a history book that I've never seen. Most people from the Northeast are descended of immigrants who came over recently?! Please tell me it's just early in the morning and you weren't really thinking clearly when you wrote this. People in the Midwest are less concerned about illegal immigration than the rest of the country? Hmm...I'm going to have to disagree with that as well. Get your facts straight before you answer. You just look foolish. Race is very much an issue here. Not the only issue but a HUGE issue. The fact that most white Americans look at blacks as somehow being less American than they despite the fact that the families of many of the blacks they're looking down their noses at were here long before the families of the whites ever thought about coming to America should tell you that.

My ancestors are from Ireland and there was a time when we were the "Latino immigrants." If you have any interest in really learning about American immigration, a great place to start is by reading "How the Irish Became White."

Answer 3

Very few Americans are against immigration. Probably somewhere around 5% at most.

What's happened is simple. People, like you, who cannot debate, and win, the topic of immigration have resorted to twisting what people who disagree with you want. You try to oversimplify the entire argument because, well, honestly, you can't win otherwise. You have to make people feel guilty for the view and its really hard to make someone feel guilty about not liking crime.

Most Americans are not against immigration. They are against ILLEGAL immigration. Illegal as in breaking the law. Illegal as in committing a crime. Got it yet? Of course you do. Will you stop twisting the argument? No.

What most Americans believe is equally as simple, despite your attempts at mischaracterization, and this isn't difficult, is that being here illegally is a crime. Being an illegal immigrant is a crime. Enforce this country's laws. Simple.

Answer 4

Americans are complaining about illegal immigration-
Contrary to what some here have posted it has little to do with skin color because obviously any skin color can and has chosen to enter this country without benefit of the sovereign nation of the United States of America's approval.
Illegal immigrants slither across the border circumventing the screening process required by law to enter this country legally or enter legally and stay beyond their visa.
The reason people are angry that our immigration laws are being trampled upon by disrespectful and self serving dishonest people is obvious- We have no idea who is coming into this country (and there have been some real dandies- click the links below) or what these people are bringing into the country ( diseases and drugs mostly - lots of drugs )
No one wants or needs criminals as part of their civilized society-
the only place for criminals is prison-
but these illegal aliens ( who by violating immigration law)
are criminals ask to be treated like equals-
Well, maybe they will be treated like equals when they act like equals.

Answer 5

Everyone here keeps saying that they have a problem with "illegal" immigrants, not immigrants. I suspect (obviously have no proof so I could be wrong) that even if every single immigrant who crossed the border was legal, they would still have a problem with a massive influx of non-European immigrants. The main argument against immigrants that I hear concern the alleged erosion of American culture and a change in legal status would not change this.

Let's be honest for once people, most of you have no idea how your families got here or why they came in the first place. You just know that your great-grandfather was born in Ireland and nothing more. Don't sit here and try to pretend otherwise. Everyone knows that illegal immigration is a problem that needs to be dealt with. Everyone understands that we can't just have people crossing the borders with no regulation. Everyone understands that we have laws for a reason but everyone also knows (you know no matter what you may say to others) that the main problem with immigration is the massive numbers of brown people coming into the country. I'm not saying that everyone is racist and just doesn't want any non-whites in America, what I am saying is that most Americans don't want millions and millions of non-whites flooding over the border every year. You can see it in the repetitive, "whites are the minority" posts right here on YA. Just admit it. I have two Russian friends who are as illegal as can be but, shockingly, no one ever asks to see their papers.

TNfarmgirl - I take your rant to mean that you have never broken the law. Never sped, never drank underage, never experimented with drugs, you're just clean as a whistle huh? Must be nice to be so perfect.

Answer 6

We are not against immigration, at least most of us aren't. We are against illegal immigration.
I honestly don't care where someone came from or who their family was, it is up to the individual person to make something of themselves.I know many people who talk about how great their ancesters were ect.,while they sit round themselves and do nothing.that is the great thing about America, if you try hard you have a good chance to make something of yourself no matter where you were born.

Answer 7

It's quite a lot of media manipulation. Once the big boys saw they could no longer keep America divided and angry enough at the war, they went for imigration big time. The people who listen to right wing radio are bathed in hate and illogic daily.

It feeds on a HUGE change. I do believe that Bush encouraged massive illegal immigration in the past few years because the composition of my community - very far from any borders - has changed practically overnight. Since I grew up in Italy, Guam, and Puerto Rico, it is neither startling nor unpleasant for me to suddenly be shopping, eating, spending time in parks, and going to school with more brown people and fewer white people. But to folks who grew up around here, in a county where the KKK still leaflets, the world of their childhoods has disappeared. It's hard to even order a 'meal' at a fast food restuarant, because many of the order takers understand only enough English to take your order, not answer a single question or understand non-standard order format, for example. While I typically experience that and wonder - where is this person from, what did they flee, what are their dreams, will my soda contain the dreaded aspartame or just the vile sugar - for other people, it's trying.

In addition, men who worked in the construction field, for example, and were pulling down 50K a year on a high school diploma - and tons of skill - can no longer work, except doing odd jobs - because the crews are all immigrant labor. In the computer programming field - white collar workers who thought this change would never touch them - have been displaced.

People are scared of the future, because our govt is incredibly regressive. It's hard to see the bright new future coming when you know lower wages, lower safety standards, lower benefits is the goal for the administration.

I've been reading a history book with my son and we see that the anti-immigrant anger has been a feature of America since at least the Civil War. Our treatment of the Chinese who helped build our railroad was abysmal and, alas, no surprise to those of us witnessing the attacks on immigrants' today.

Attacks like - want to go to the hospital emergency room? PRoduce your papers and we have to report you if they're not in order.

As a great-grandchild of a man who bravely fled the austro-hungarian empire to find freedom here, I can not help but embrace the newcomers, however much income my husband, a programmer, has now lost. Others don't make the connection between their heritage and the modern world.

Answer 8

Americans are against illegal immigration. I suspect that very few are against all immigration.

Answer 9

Because the Europeans at the turn of the century went through Ellis Island the legal way. They didn't hop the fence.

Answer 10

Your country is already overrun with Pakastanis and Muslims it is'nt even funny .
Ya really need to get control over your out of control immigration problem.