What do you believe about immigrants – including illegal immigrants?
- They increase crime rates in the USA
- They include many drug dealers
- They are a prime source of terrorists
- They are lazy and looking for a free ride
- They don’t pay taxes because they don’t work
- They are desperate people, sometimes refugees, looking for a better life promised by their perception of America.
Over the last eight years the negative view of immigrants- especially from South America – has grown because it was propagandized as a political issue. We have been conditioned to believe everything negative about immigrants.
We have been taught xenophobia.
We have a problem with hundreds of thousands of people each month trying to enter our country anyway they can, and we need a solution, but is it :
Only the last bullet is substantially true. Of course, there are exceptions, there are bad apples, but mostly the other bullets reflect things that are no different between illegal immigrants and our native born population.
Our worst terrorists were here legally or native born. Trained terrorists or spies aren’t going to kept out with a wall.
Illegal immigrants work, spend money and pay taxes including billions to Social Security. Their crime rate is better than the native born population. They do essential jobs that most of us would shun.
The real question is who will come up with a viable, compassionate solution reflective of the values our Country claims to represent. Who will enforce our exiting laws?
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
“Simply sending back is not the answer”–then if folks know they can stay they will come–it’s just common sense–why do you think they cleaned out a few CVS stores near me? Of course, because they knew nobody would prosecute them.
Remember life is not complicated–hot water on the left–cold water on the right–effluent runs down hill. Did you discipline your children? Teach them right from wrong? Punish them in some non-violent fashion? There are rules and regulations so if we want order we need to follow them.
How sad it is that if you simply want the law obeyed some folks imply we are xenophobes. That’s what we have come to in this society for certain groups of folks.
We have become, in many locations, lawless. My neighbor group reports daily on nearby car jackings–armed theft–car windows being smashed–the other day 4 tires and rims stolen overnight on a prominent avenue in the city–I actually saw the cops as they looked on while the car was being hoisted on to a small truck.
So call me names all you want but I believe in following the law and if find the law onerous let’s work to fix it.
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Well…this is not a “black or white issue”. But the devil is in the details:
I agree that we need more unskilled labor to supplement the unwanted jobs in this country. But there are too many unskilled non-English speaking and uneducated people crossing the border.
Where are they going to live where there’s available housing? Not in rural areas but in sizable cities where housing is already very limited and very expensive.
How are they and their children going to be educated and fed for the indefinite future?
Isn’t there labor laws prohibiting new immigrants from working? Free medical care will impose large costs upon our system. The federal government is ignoring paying for the costs dumping the costs upon the cities and the states.
Labor unions do not want them to flood the labor pool and bring down the going labor costs.
This will evolve into quite an expensive and disorganized mess!
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Not that anyone cares about violating laws but in response to your well reasoned comments, I’d like to confirm:
Well…this is not a “black or white issue” – Not sure about black, white or shades of gray, but if we want more immigrants, there are legal processes to follow. Our asylum requirements are an open faucet.
I agree that we need more unskilled labor – well, there is plenty already in the country, if we could only get a return to past, higher rates of labor force participation. We don’t need more unskilled immigrants to do that. There are plenty of folks out there who went to our public schools but never managed to read at grade level, don’t understand simple math, etc.
Where are they going to live where there’s available housing? I have no problem with increased immigration if we go back to the 1920’s and 1930’s concepts – application, full vetting, sponsorship by an American citizen (who would be fully responsible so that no immigrant would be a burden on others).
How are they and their children going to be educated and fed for the indefinite future? Same as my mom, who came over on the boat, see prior answer.
Isn’t there labor laws prohibiting new immigrants from working? Yes, but, gee, that would require folks to enforce the laws. We can’t even arrest and prosecute shoplifters.
Free medical care will impose large costs upon our system. Not if we limit immigration to legal immigration, see prior answer.
The federal government is ignoring paying for the costs dumping the costs upon the cities and the states. – You must be lawfully present in America to enroll in medical coverage. Else, see prior answer.
Labor unions do not want them to flood the labor pool and bring down the going labor costs. See prior answer.
This will evolve into quite an expensive and disorganized mess! The sponsor system worked well into the 20th Century – at least until Reagan made his mistake in 1986 by signing legislation that included amnesty.
Any reason why we can’t “go back to the future” on immigration?
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I heard a good discussion on how the asylum law was basically being interpreted so liberally as to be ignored. That or the law needs to change. As far as others go, it’s easy and logical to say the immigration laws should be enforced, but its a matter of being overwhelmed at the border. Some of the solution must originate at the source in other countries, but how is the question. Simply sending back is a viscous cycle.
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Agree that we want to avoid a cycle. And, if we followed the asylum code, the cycle would end once it was clear that no claim of asylum in the US would be accepted where the individual crossed the northern or southern border, where the individual wasn’t a citizen of Canada or Mexico.
That should have been a provision in NAFTA (President Clinton, 1993) and USMCA (President Trump, 2019).
USMCA has been in effect 3.5 years and appears to be a success, an improvement over NAFTA. Total US trade with Canada and Mexico was a record $1.78 trillion in 2022, an increase of 27 percent over 2019 levels. North American nearshoring/reshoring is on the rise as measured by the 2022 Kearney Nearshoring Index, which found a 78 percent increase from 2021 to 2022 in the number of CEOs evaluating reshoring their operations, moving to re-shore, or having already re-shored production.
The USMCA has proven far less divisive, even in today’s polarized political environments, compared to NAFTA. USMCA has never been an election issue – in any of the three countries.
The USMCA continues to perform effectively despite global economic uncertainty and geopolitical stress. Resolving the border issues are a critical element in ensuring USMCA continues to succeed in improving North American competitiveness and productivity.
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We can’t start to control the borders now, not with all the Palestinian refugees needing a place to land. Venezuelan folks don’t want to stay there with their economy in the dumpster. I figure another 12-13 million need to get here before the open borders crowd is placated.
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Here’s the deal – the Biden Administration needs to enter into agreements with Canada and Mexico (or enforce existing agreements) to apply the 8 U.S. Code § 1158(a)(2)(A) “country of first entry” exception – see below. That should include returning everyone, EVERYONE who has crossed into America from the northern or southern border claiming asylum.
(a)Authority to apply for asylum
(1)In general
Any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States (whether or not at a designated port of arrival and including an alien who is brought to the United States after having been interdicted in international or United States waters), irrespective of such alien’s status, may apply for asylum in accordance with this section or, where applicable, section 1225(b) of this title.
(2)Exceptions
(A)Safe third country
Paragraph (1) shall not apply to an alien if the Attorney General determines that the alien may be removed, pursuant to a bilateral or multilateral agreement, to a country (other than the country of the alien’s nationality or, in the case of an alien having no nationality, the country of the alien’s last habitual residence) in which the alien’s life or freedom would not be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, and where the alien would have access to a full and fair procedure for determining a claim to asylum or equivalent temporary protection, unless the Attorney General finds that it is in the public interest for the alien to receive asylum in the United States.
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It is the illegal immigration that the author includes in his essay that is our problem. Whether they commit crimes at a higher rate or lower rate or whatever is not my personal concern. The fact that they are here illegally (author’s word) is the first crime. There is a process for legally entering this country and all should follow. My ancestors did along with millions of others–just obey the law.
Do we have issues with illegal guns? How about illegal drugs? Businesses that illegally pollute our rivers and streams? What about folks who enter your local CVS and clean off the shelves? Legal immigration is, in my opinion, great. We need folks with skills, folks that work hard, folks that do work that native Americans seem to shun. Legal yes–illegal no!
What’s a hoot is the sanctimonious ones who label folks racists and bigots for wanting a closed border as opposed to the sieve we now have. Remember, when the governors of Texas and Florida bussed folks north to the Vineyard. Oh my goodness they actually declared an emergency, brought in the Guard and shipped them out as fast as they could. Obama’s beachfront “cottage” could have housed a goodly number of them. You know the” cottage” that is going to wash away someday as the oceans rise. Now who would buy a “cottage” on the ocean? I guess he forgot his own words–sort of like his health care pronouncements.
Now, as busses roll to NYC and Chicago and other cities we hear the outcry for the feds to get involved–“my state is overwhelmed”–“my city is having its character changed”–all of sudden the sanctuary city group has found religion. When millions crossed into Texas they didn’t give a hoot. Of course the critics called those busses a “stunt”–the Boston Tea Party was a “stunt” wasn’t it–the sit-ins in Greensboro were a “stunt”? Stunts have a way of crystallizing issues.
Nobody is being taught xenophobia where I live and we have plenty of immigrants–Jose #1 did a great paint job for us–Jose # 2 did wonders for our gardens–the folks who do my lawn speak no English–Alfredo will be here to do the gutters and inspect the roof next week.
I think a vast majority of people welcome legal immigrants–follow the process–contribute to the wonderful life we all have. No illegal guns–no illegal drugs–no polluting rivers and streams–no folks coming illegally.
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What Al said. Big difference between legal and illegal immigrants – regardless of what happens after they arrive. Go ahead, walk onto someone’s property, and claim you should not be removed.
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It’s true that the “Black” economy exists for illegal aliens. But they do the jobs that “real” Americans don’t want. Sadly the crime rate is higher in marginal neighborhoods. As long as the True Blue MAGA naggers refuse to allow a process that manages immigration and naturalization, there will remain a parallel system. Building a Wall is an exercise in futility. The Great Wall of China and Hadrian’s Wall were more psychological barriers than physical ones.
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I live in New England and there is such a shortage of workers that we can’t find day care workers or nursing home workers or house cleaners etc. If some poor lady from Guatemala is willing to risk her life to come here and take one of those jobs, I am all in favor of it. Immigrants increase both demand and supply in the economy and cause economic growth. They are even more critical now that we have such a low birth rate. And it is the only way we can really compete with China too.
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It’s clear who does NOT enforce our existing laws
Vote!
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