If all illegal aliens were legal..? (crime, invasion, citizenship, English)

[majoun]

Originally Posted by ClarissaM

Of course, Detroit and Southeast DC would be different without illegals! As I've said before, the US has enough problems with its native born citizens. Resources spent on the illegals could go a long way in those two areas to improve them.

As if the US did so much to improve Southeast DC in the 1970s and 1980s....NOT!

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by macmeal

Most people would not; it simply goes against human nature. "Legalized" or not these FORMER illegals (now legal) would STILL be seen as 'line jumpers', who were perfectly willing to break our laws in the face of massive public disapproval, in order to gain their own selfish agenda....and that means that in so doing, they'd have also been willing to publically scorn American law (which is, in effect, equivalent to scorning the American population), over a LONG period of time...AND, they've been willing to debase and degrade the entire 'immigration' process, AND make things all the harder for those who had the desire to immigrate here legally.

So they've done all THIS, and you ask if we'd "welcome" them? Are you SERIOUS? You, Kellem, insult all of us by even suggesting this. These people, (assuming this ever happens) will have been largely instrumental in destroying the very DEFINITION of 'immigration', probably for all time to come..along with going a LONG way in introducing the concept into our society that "laws are made to be obeyed, UNLESS they're inconvenient". Good luck on trying to get people to obey OTHER laws. And you ask if I'd 'Welcome" this"?...in a word, NO...I would not.

Tell me this, Kellem...if you paid good money to attend an expensive concert; waited for hours in line; paid extra for a good seat, etc....and just as the show began, a crowd of people came sneaking FREE in the side entrance, having intimidated the ticket-takers and the security guards into silence with their implicit threats to 'disrupt the show' if they weren't allowed to stay, FREE...you, as a paying guest, MIGHT have no choice but to 'tolerate' them, as they stood in the aisles blocking your view and interrupting the show....but, honestly, would you 'WELCOME' them?...I don't think so...I don't think you'd even LIKE them, just because of what they'd done.

This is America. Believe it or not, we have a culture here, and there's VERY little patience with 'line-jumpers' and those who fel they are 'above the law'. No, I most certainly would NOT 'WELCOME' those who were admitted into the country in the way you describe. I should think they'd be ASHAMED to admit behaving in this way....and I hope they'd at LEAST have the sense not to advertise their status, because I can ASSURE them, they will NOT be 'welcomed' by a large segment of our society. I'd recommend the "don't ask, don't tell" approach...

As always, spot on!

[Bluesbabe]

No. There are TWO concerns with this issue: They are here illegally AND there are too many of them! Many of them are NOT living here honorably ~ they engaged in various criminal activity, affect the quality of life in many neighborhoods.

Our jail spaces are crowded with illegals, and they have been a large cause for the breakdown of our healthcare system, and have been since the 80's (in the west coast, anyway).

Those who think they should all be here have no right to complain about the healthcare system. There are many illegals where I live, and every time I walk past the ER waiting room at the local hospital, I am reminded of their participation in the collapse of the system.

But I do not blame "them" nearly so much as I do our government. And Mexico's.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by majoun

As if the US did so much to improve Southeast DC in the 1970s and 1980s....NOT!

Trust me: the USA does not need illegal aliens to fix up a dump like Wash DC; if the dunderhead powers to be grew up and allowed DC to be a real city------------factoring in the hideous cost of housing there, SE would gentrify in 5-10 years.

Face it: aside from Capital Hill; the Feds do not need all of the District of Columbia for its daily business. Common sense would dictate returning that land to Maryland.

[contachster]

I'm starting to think that undocumented Mexicans are perceived very differently on the west coast than on the east. No I take that back a bigot is a bigot no matter where he lives. I kinda think you people that are salivating over this thread have an issue with Mexicans not with their immigration status. I wonder how you all are arriving at your opinions? I live and work around a lot of Mexicans here on the east coast. They are normal people who want normal things , i.e. : A good education for their children, a good quality of life, and to be happy joyous and free. Most undocumented people here are not criminals. They go to work go shopping go to their childrens school functions, at least thats what they do here. I think that any inhabitant of the planet earth should be able to go wherever they want. OK I AM DONE YOU CAN COMMENCE FIRING NOW!

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by contachster

I'm starting to think that undocumented Mexicans are perceived very differently on the west coast than on the east. No I take that back a bigot is a bigot no matter where he lives. I kinda think you people that are salivating over this thread have an issue with Mexicans not with their immigration status. I wonder how you all are arriving at your opinions? I live and work around a lot of Mexicans here on the east coast. They are normal people who want normal things , i.e. : A good education for their children, a good quality of life, and to be happy joyous and free. Most undocumented people here are not criminals. They go to work go shopping go to their childrens school functions, at least thats what they do here. I think that any inhabitant of the planet earth should be able to go wherever they want. OK I AM DONE YOU CAN COMMENCE FIRING NOW!

Try again.

Factoring in false SSN's, non reporting of income, etc.---------I can safely say that close to 100% of all illegal aliens (Mexican or not) here in the USA are committing Felonies, which makes them criminals.

[tiffany_ga]

Not unless they can speak english and pay taxes...

[contachster]

They wouldn't have to use fake SSN's if there was a guest worker program. They are filling a niche that no one else is. If every illegal immigrant disappeared tomorrow do you think all the unemployed white collar types would start mowing lawns, washing dishes, and clean toilet bowls. Doubt it very much. That aside I was refering to crimes such as purse snatching, petty theft, drunk driving, sexual assaults. I think the rate of criminality as it pertains to those types of crimes is the same for Mexicans as it is for any other racial group.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by contachster

They wouldn't have to use fake SSN's if there was a guest worker program. They are filling a niche that no one else is. If every illegal immigrant disappeared tomorrow do you think all the unemployed white collar types would start mowing lawns, washing dishes, and clean toilet bowls. Doubt it very much. That aside I was refering to crimes such as purse snatching, petty theft, drunk driving, sexual assaults. I think the rate of criminality as it pertains to those types of crimes is the same for Mexicans as it is for any other racial group.

There are guest worker programs already in place and in case you have forgotten, there was a Bracero program but who was the most against that of all? Cesar Chavez's group the UFW helped stopped the Bracero program because they believed that foreign workers were brought in to keep wages and working conditions way way down -- and surprise! -- they were right.

[contachster]

Originally Posted by malamute

There are guest worker programs already in place and in case you have forgotten, there was a Bracero program but who was the most against that of all? Cesar Chavez's group the UFW helped stopped the Bracero program because they believed that foreign workers were brought in to keep wages and working conditions way way down -- and surprise! -- they were right.

The guest worker programs in place are for skilled workers it is virtually impossible for an unskilled worker to come here legally. And why are Mexicans pouring across the border to occupy certain unskilled positions? Because no one here is taking them. The same thing more or less will happen concerning wages and conditions with or without a program similar to Bracero.