Mexico's Secret War: Immigration

Ok, for now, I'm about up to my head in disgust with the way how our government is handling this issue with these immigration laws. I don't see a compromise in the near future on anything regarding it.

So what exactly is going on here? Cheap labor? Or is there something going on behind the scenes...

My state is filled with illegals and they're literally taking over our economy and because of them, many of us, can't find jobs for the summer, or a second job if we need it.

I say.. Annex the bastards and be done with it so they can stay there. What consequences would there be to a Mexican Annexation?

I don't think that Mexico wants to be the 51st state.

1 + 3 / 2 = 2

The Latin American supermarkets my office is working on now are a hell of a lot more interesting than the Safeways were.

The whole "guest worker" thing really bugs me, though. If someone wants to live and work in the United States, we should be doing everything we can to educate them and make them into U.S. citizens.

Strange coincidence, my daughter was just talking to me about this very subject and then i happen upon this post.
Let me just say first... If Mexico wanted to be annexed they would ASK to be. If the Mexican people are not asking to be a part of the US, then it isn't annexing, it's conquering.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060331/us_nm/usa_immigration_youth_dc_1




I have to address something you said, although I'm not assuming you mean it in any offensive way, it just affects me when someone says this....

"My state is filled with illegals and they're literally taking over our economy and because of them, many of us, can't find jobs for the summer, or a second job if we need it."

Have you tried getting a job in the fields picking vegetables in the hot sun for 8 to 10 hours a day? Until the average american starts applying for those jobs (which my husband has) then the average american doesn't get to complain that he can't find work because of all the "illegals".

I've tried to make this post sound not at all emotional ... it's just that immigration issues is something my family had delt with for years. What my daughter pointed out to me is the last paragraph of the portion of an article I quoted above. There is a compromise... offer incentives and make the transition to becoming LEGAL citizens easier for those illegals wiling to put in the effort to pay taxes and learn english and who TRY to follow the laws to become citizens... but the government makes all of that so much harder when they declare all illegals and anyone helping them FELONS.... Felons for simply wanting to live in another country and have better opportunities? *shakes head*

There done with my rant.... sorry.

Here in Austin, hundreds of high school students, who were generally opposed to immigration reform, conducted protest marches for three days in a row. On first glance, I was impressed that so many students had taken an interest in this important issue. However, after paying closer attention to the various local news reports, some troubling trends emerged:

1. Some of the interviewed students were terribly misinformed. One young woman said that she was protesting the US's attempt to "kick out all of the hispanics." Um, where in all of the proposed immigration bills was that ever mentioned? Most of the immigration reforms I am aware of are attempting to give illegal immigrants some sort of path toward citizenship.
   
2. A significant number of students draped themselves with the Mexican (and other Latin American) flags. Many also carried placards and signs with rallying cries/slogans for these foreign countries. If these folks are so interested in US citizenship, why aren't they carrying a US flag? After all, naturalized immigrants must take an oath of allegiance to the US constitution as a condition of citizenship.
   
3. At the state capitol, some immigration-rights groups spoke of "entitlements" for illegal migrant workers. Entitlements? Um, where in the US constitution are foreign nationals, who enter the country illegally, entitled to anything beyond basic human rights?
   
4. In other protest interviews, some adult demonstrators mentioned things like, "This is God's country, where every one of us has immigrant roots, and as such, the US has no right to deny [illegal] immigration." What, we have no right to protect our borders? Have you seen what goes on along the US border with Mexico?
   
5. There is so much talk about illegal immigrants "taking the jobs that Americans won't do." Do you suppose that, if illegal immigrants weren't depressing wage scales, that those jobs would go unfilled? Perhaps a percentage of those jobs would go unfilled, but not the majority.
   

Now, I am totally in support of making immigration a more sane and humane endeavor. But, give me a break. These people knowingly evade US border security measures (lax as they may be) and enter the US without authorization. That is already against the law, even if it is not currently a felony (as some reform bills propose).

Finally, on Thursday's edition of NPR's Marketplace, economist Paul Krugman (who broadly supports immigration rights) spoke about the economic impact of illegal immigration. He states that unskilled immigrants, who make up a majority of the estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants, have a slight negative economic impact. Krugman states that they collectively take more out of the "system" than they contribute, which means that the rest of us are left to subsidize the remainder. Isn't that enough of a reason for taxpayers to support a sane immigration policy?

I totally get that there are no easy answers. But, I am really starting to resent those who arrogantly chant the "entitlement" mantra. And you've gotta know that I have a vested self-interest in immigration reform; my S. American partner (who has advanced degrees, btw) is navigating the muck and mire toward permanent residency. It ain't no picnic. But, as economist Krugman also stated, it's not about legal vs. illegal immigration; it's about skilled vs. unskilled immigration.

(PS: Einsman, if the US were to annex Mexico, would Baja coastal real estate inflate or would California real estate deflate?)

i say we make canada the 51st state not mexico

1 + 3 / 2 = 2.5

(1 + 3)/2 = 2

This thread depicts poor basic math skills and as such should be closed.

You wanna make the country with the largest coastline in the world..... you're 51st state eh...... uh huh... sure.... don't make us beat you down like we did the last time you tried to invade!

whatever to YOU future resident of east alaska!

Illegals already get free schooling.

They can get medical for free too. I can't even get medical for free. Their medical costs are around 11 billion a year.

They are trying to get free COLLEGE in NJ.

In CA they can already VOTE. We're not allowed to check for citizenship because it's discrimination or some crap.


What we need to do:

1) Stop allowing companies to get away with hiring illegals. Stop allowing illegals to VOTE!

2) If you come over here so that your child can be born in the US, that's fine. But until the child is 18 and can make up his/her own mind on where they want to live, they should be pushed back to Mexico with their parents.

3) Anyone caught entering the united states illegally should not be returned immediately. Make it a federal crime and have them put to work building a giant wall between mexico and the united states. Repeat offenders get longer sentences.

4) Don't make just a wall. Build a giant freaking pit filled with water, THEN a giant freaking wall. We can install some motion detectors that spray high pressure water at anything moving.


The total cost of the work on the wall can't exceed what we're already paying for medical service for the illegals.

You just want to lay claim to our Uranium... Oilsands, Hydro Electric power, Lumber (from our poor rainforests) and vast Diamond deposits... and not to mention the best commodity of all... yummy Maple Syrup! Orrrrr.... did you just want it so that you could lay claim to me

pshaw ive already laid claim to YOU and no its so that we can fix yur wacky "no right turn on red" traffic law

Yep, I'd gladly work labor jobs. But please note, they aren't only taking the poor labor jobs. They're also starting to take the higher end jobs which pay is much better. But because they're willing to work for a lower wage, the rest of us suffer.

Also, btw, they ARE asking to become apart of the US simply by crossing over and getting work here. If Mexico were to become apart of the US now, it would solve this whole damn issue in one stroke.

So basically, some are upset because some people want to criminalize illegal immigration.

Yeah. Go figure.

Criminalize illegal immigration...

Think about that for a second.

Whatever it is they are smuggling across the borders and smoking...they need to cut back on it just a little.

Like what? Do you have examples or something to back that statement up?

That was my first thought too, and I would agree if it weren't for the argument that since these immigrants are such cheap labor, it effects the market price for such work. Even if a citizen was willing to do it, at such a low wage, it's basically useless. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there's a higher cost of living when living here legally. (heh) If there's a good counter-argument to that, I can't remember it or I've never heard it. Of course it might just be that in fact nobody IS willing to do the job...which I guess is possible.

If they employ illegal immigrants, they dont need to pay health insurance, and can waive health and safety issues..... as well as pay starvation wages.
Isn't big industry lovely and cuddly.

Instead of targetting the immigrants, you should put them on citizenship courses, and prosecute the employers to the full extent of the law.

Just my £2.99 worth

Should we add piranaha's to the moat? It would be too easy if someone had to swim and then climb over the wall. Let's add flesh eating fish.

ALL children in the US get free schooling and frankly thats why some people immigrate from other countries to raise their children here. This is a good thing. But it is CHILDREN who recieve free education ... children can not and should not be denied their needs because of the legal or illegal status of their parents.



Anyone can enter a hospital and get free emergency medical treatment (everyone is billed but not everyone can pay) no matter who they are and this is as it should be in my opinion.



Only a registered citizen of CA can vote in california and illegal immigrants are not registered to vote as far as I know.... do you have a source for this?



1) Definately companies should be and when caught are prosecuted for hiring illegal workers. Companies do this to be able to avoid paying taxes, health care, and other expenses for employees and yes this needs to stop so that more illegal immigrants will be encouraged to become legal.

2) Anyone born in the US is a US citizen period. You can not deport a US citizen to another country. Often the laws in other countries state that no matter who your parents are, if you are not born there then you are not a citizen there either. By deporting the children, in some cases, you are basically leaving them with no country to call their own.

3) This is called slave labor in my opinion.

4) How about sharks with lazor beams too? *rolls eyes*



I agree.

Maybe if more US kids were taught in school about the time your invasion went sour and the Canadians burned the White House to the ground, youse guys wouldn't be so "invasion happy" in the first place.

Illegal immigration has always been a problem in this country, just ask the Native Americans...

The point is, they are here illegally. They don't pay income tax, so the rest of us are footing the bill.


I don't care to list a specific website, but a quick google search for terms including illegal, alien and voting should yeild results. Fact is, poll workers do NOT check for proof of citizenship. With millions of illegals, we are going to see enough votes to elect officials that don't necessarily speak for those who are here legally.


The parent's have no right to be in this country. The child cannot stay here without it's parents. Ship them back till they're able to make the decision for themselves.


We do it in our prisons right this very minute. How is it any different?

The children didn't choose to come here, their parents did. Bottom line you can't punish innocent children in order to punish their parents. Don't want to foot the bill to educate children who were born outside of the US and whose parents haven't become citizens yet? Fine, encourage the parents to become legal. Don't want to foot the bill to educate children BORN IN THE US whose parents are illegal?... too bad. The child is a legal citizen. So still, encourage the parents to join them and become legal too.




I'll agree with this up to a point... it is possible for an illegal immigrant (from any country btw not just mexico) to bypass the security process and sneak in a vote. So, the solution to that is obvious. Improve security measures. That will end that particular problem. But it is illegal for a non citizen to vote... that hasn't changed.



Again I refer to my first paragraph here.... can't punish children for the actions of their parents. If the child was born in mexico or china or germany or wherever and their parents are here illegally then they can be deported along with the parents. If the child is born here then they are legal citizens of the US and therefore can not be deported.



True... but in prison we still pay the inmates for the time spent working... granted it is a very very small amount but it is an amount based on need. In prison their need for money is considerably less. The point is they get paid. Are you proposing paying detained illegal immigrants to build your wall before they are sent back to the other side of it?

I'm not saying do not deport those people who choose to be here illegally. I'm not saying not to punish people who try to skirt around the law. It is a risk they choose to take and even as a person whose family immigrated here I understand and respect that there have to be laws and penalties for breaking those laws. I'm only saying that along with that we should be giving people incentives to FOLLOW the laws, not to break them. This means making it more difficult for employers to get away with hiring only illegals. This means doing things like offering amnesty from prosecution to immigrants who come forward and say they WANT to be citizens. And yes this means preventing the possibility of illegal immigrants getting away with voting so that the ability to vote and have their vote counted becomes an incentive to work toward citizenship.

I fail to see how the War of 1812 really factors in anywhere, but okay.

I think people that make comments about invading Canada or invading Mexico are just being idiots, but you can't seriously believe that there's more than one possible end result.

Er, and thanks for the blatant implication that Americans are uneducated. We'll throw away all of those undeserved Nobel Prize awards immediately.