Iowa: In the eyes of an immigrant! ( In dubuque ) (house, lease)

[M TYPE X]

Welcome to the Midwest. The problem you're not enjoying the whole drinking thing is that you are not unemployed! You have to be laid off from the local machine shop in order to enjoy drinking. THEN, you take the government check to the movie theater.

..... you'll survive unless you marry and have kids. Then you will NEVER leave! /evilinsidiousmidwesterncurse

[Southside Shrek]

I for one firmly believe that this country should remain open to the consideration of prospective honest, decent and hard-working immigrants who genuinely desire to contribute something to our country as opposed to taking something away and bashing it in the process.

this is the kind of stuff this country doesn't need--more 'undocumented' foreign workers.

Immigration agents raid Mishawaka plant
An immigration raid at a factory that makes Fiberglas-reinforced plastic products in Mishawaka led to the arrests of 36 workers suspected of being undocumented aliens. More than 50 agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided Janco Composites on Tuesday with a warrant that allowed them to interview workers and check their records.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...OCAL/703070480

[RonnieJonez]

mike88, like most small-town whites, you refuse to see anything besides minority "stereotypes". Of course, that is all the media plays up, and most small-town whites can't think for themselves very well.

Also, people do not always choose places, a lot of times places choose them. They end up somewhere for a variety of reasons, family, education, work, etc. There is this attitude in Iowa and other states like it (Nebraska, South Dakota) that if you don't "like it" you must go purchase a one-way Greyhound bus ticket in the next 24 hours. As if it were so easy to relocate. At least in bigger cities people can live like individuals.

And I can see the immigration problem in California, Florida, Illinois, etc, but underpopulated states like Iowa shouldn't be complaining as much, they NEED people to move there and a lot of people with the means to live wherever they want aren't exactly putting Iowa high on their list. Iowa has a HUGE ag industry and a lot of illegals do contribute to that section of the economy because of all the farm work and factories.

[Southside Shrek]

CBS News last night showed a mother and her husband in a small Iowa town donating all of their time making comforter quilts out of blue jeans for wounded, injured and disabled soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. That really impressed me and creates a very positive image about Iowans.

[Torrey]

I lived in Iowa for a number of years. We didn't like illegal foreigners then in the late 70's and early 80's and they probably don't like them there now either. Even legal foreigners are not very welcome. Why? Because they come to this country, and feel like they need to continue the customs of their FORMER country and that those customs will fly here. Well Osama, Juan Pablo, and Chang Kai Shek, sorry they do not. This is America - you come here legally, then adopt OUR customs, OUR language which is ENGLISH, and you learn to FIT IN. You study up, and get your citizenship. If you want to continue like you're in Mexico, Saudi Arabia or Taiwan or other places, maybe, just maybe this isn't where you need to be and should go back where you came from. No? Why? Because the US is giving you so much of my tax dollars to live on and food cards and social security checks you didn't earn?

I'm fed up with most immigrants, and am definitely fed up with illegal immgrants. Fit in, or leave.

[S.Asian]

Originally Posted by Torrey

I lived in Iowa for a number of years. We didn't like illegal foreigners then in the late 70's and early 80's and they probably don't like them there now either. Even legal foreigners are not very welcome. Why? Because they come to this country, and feel like they need to continue the customs of their FORMER country and that those customs will fly here. Well Osama, Juan Pablo, and Chang Kai Shek, sorry they do not. This is America - you come here legally, then adopt OUR customs, OUR language which is ENGLISH, and you learn to FIT IN. You study up, and get your citizenship. If you want to continue like you're in Mexico, Saudi Arabia or Taiwan or other places, maybe, just maybe this isn't where you need to be and should go back where you came from. No? Why? Because the US is giving you so much of my tax dollars to live on and food cards and social security checks you didn't earn?

I'm fed up with most immigrants, and am definitely fed up with illegal immgrants. Fit in, or leave.

I'll let most of your personal opinions slip by without bothering to answer. But still I can't help myself from telling you something, whether you like it or not, Iowa is definately realizing the importance of diversity and the additions that people from various backgrounds/cultures/nationalities bring to Iowa. Whether you like it or not, more illegal immigrants are moving on to Iowa and working on the meatpacking facilities, more Legal immigrants are moving onto the United States in general. I'm at the moment facing some odd transitioning moments on a number of occasions. Just yesterday, while I was listening to Obama's speech being held at my college, I overheard one guy sitting behind me asking his friends, " Is that guy even a US citizen? " I wonder why'd my nationality have anything to do with the speech of the candidate set to become the next president of the World's most powerful nation?
One quick suggestion, this is the country of liberty, you are entitled to your opinion. No matter how much you're fed up with Legal or Illegal immigrants, you aren't a person of authority to tell us to leave if we don't fit. If you're caught telling an immigrant to leave the country hatefully, then you're more than likely set to serve a number of years behind the bars and I'm not sure that you will not love being there. Sir, let me ask you this, who the hell do you think you are to ask us to leave? Do you feed us? Do you give us free housing? Do you give us jobs and pay us more than we expect to be paid? Do you even know what you're talking about? What makes you think that we live on food stamps? You think that people legally immigrate to the United States so that they could get food to eat and clothes to wear? You're generalizing few immigrants who come here to solve basic need related problems and ignoring the whole bunch of immigrants such as the indians who make up for 33 percent of all the work forces of Microsoft. What about the taxes that the legal immigrants pay? Fit in?
United States is a young country built upon the foundation led by immigrants coming from all over the world and United States will continue to move forward with contributions made by the immigrants who came here centuries ago and the immigrants who're already here and the immigrants set to enter the country to seek personal goals and achievements. Myself being an immigrant wanted a learn the ways to Americanize myself and I'd like to take my hats off to the people who shared their opinions about the general view of the people towards outsiders and also bothered to spend some time to send me private emails and messages. I've learnt and realized that my stay and transition from my roots of eastern culture/heritage to the western culture isn't an everyday activity but still, I'm working upon it. I just wish that I didn't get some odd gestures and comments in here, but like some of the members told me already, no matter where you go, regardless of a person being a citizen of a country or not, prejudice, racism, embarassing gestures are the parts of any society, not just Iowa. It isn't just me who faces the problems, it isn't just a There isn't anything that could be done except live with it and I'm doing the same, in a better way after reading the comments in the boards.
PS Don't expect me to leave Iowa just because some educated guy like yourself asks me to. I'm smart enough to realize the pros and cons and just wait for the next 10 years and see the number of influx of immigrants in Iowa. Nobody is gonna care if you love us or not, the number is set to rise. Some have already arrived, hundreds of thousands are set to move in.

[Southside Shrek]

just look back at how white Irish immigrants were treated in this country back in the 19th century. They were viewed as lowly dogs and discriminated against.

[Torrey]

They were Legal Immigrants. The Irish came, worked hard and didn't stick out their hand for freebies.

Moderator cut: personal

[Jammie]

There are over 12 million legal Americans who are unemployed and would love to have some of the jobs the illegals are taking. What company has to offer benies or pay more when they only have to hire an illegal and get things done cheaply.

This actually is a very interesting thread, but we may need to move it to the "Immigration forum" in the future.

[Southside Shrek]

Originally Posted by Jammie

There are over 12 million legal Americans who are unemployed and would love to have some of the jobs the illegals are taking. What company has to offer benies or pay more when they only have to hire an illegal and get things done cheaply.

This actually is a very interesting thread, but we may need to move it to the "Immigration forum" in the future.

really? the white persons I have spoken with have tried the meatpacking plant not far from here and they won't do that kind of work. They quit almost as fast as they started.