Immigration Debate Simmers on Back Burner (health care, illegal immigrants, laws, unemployment)

[Benicar]

The debate over what to do about 12 million illegal U.S. immigrants has stalled, and some reform advocates in Charlotte fear that President Obama lacks the congressional support to pass a bill anytime soon.

"There is a lot of fear that the immigration debate is going to be more vicious than the debate of health care," said Rafael Prieto of Charlotte, a former Spanish-language newspaper editor. "The president is not going to be as effusive as he has been with health care. And it's going to be so much more poisonous because there is going to be no one to defend the undocumented."

"Health care reform is not a dialogue, not even a discussion" she said. "It's a fight. So anything on immigration reform is going to be ugly."

Immigration debate simmers on back burner - CharlotteObserver.com (http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/995478.html - broken link)

[chicagonut]

Well at least the pro-advocates can see the handwriting on the wall. CIR is definately going to get uglier than the debate on the healthcare reform bill. There just isn't any justification for it with our poor economy and high unemployment. In the back of everyone's minds will be the failed 1986 amnesty also. This will be the biggest fight of all domestic issues that we have ever seen and I think our side will stop it dead cold. At that point congress and the president will have to take more drastic steps with internal enforcement of our immigration laws and secure our borders and eliminate as many of them as we can. If they took away all of the other incentives to come here or to stay here besides implementing e-verify we could get illegal immigration down to much more reasonable numbers but I won't hold my breath on that one.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

No one to defend the undocumented? The people that snuck into our Country can willingy remove themselves at any time if they are worried about being forcefully removed.

[chicagonut]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

No one to defend the undocumented? The people that snuck into our Country can willingy remove themselves at any time if they are worried about being forcefully removed.

"Undocumented"? Who are they? Someone who left their DL at home while driving? Why in the world would anyone defend illegal aliens and why would they need defending anyway?

[Nativechief]

No one is going to pay any real attention to these people until they stop talking about getting something for nothing and why the law breakers need to be punished.. You never hear them talking about any penalty for someone who is here illegal.

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by chicagonut

Well at least the pro-advocates can see the handwriting on the wall. CIR is definately going to get uglier than the debate on the healthcare reform bill. There just isn't any justification for it with our poor economy and high unemployment. In the back of everyone's minds will be the failed 1986 amnesty also. This will be the biggest fight of all domestic issues that we have ever seen and I think our side will stop it dead cold. At that point congress and the president will have to take more drastic steps with internal enforcement of our immigration laws and secure our borders and eliminate as many of them as we can. If they took away all of the other incentives to come here or to stay here besides implementing e-verify we could get illegal immigration down to much more reasonable numbers but I won't hold my breath on that one.

Good points. I vividly recall the big Amnesty of '86...the bitter debates, the mud-slinging...even a few corridos on the radio gloating about it. The thing passed over HUGE objections, and some 3 million 'trespassers' were made instant American citizens. It didn't 'go down' well, but the folks who pushed it through assured all of us that it would be the LAST time we'd ever be put in such a divisive mess, ever again.

Needless to say, we were misled. I can't ever recall ONE INSTANCE of anyone who benefitted from the '86 amnesty (or their children) making any sort of a public statement, or a public gesture of 'thanks' or appreciation for their good fortune. Perhaps this is a free country...and nobody should have to "thank" us for anything...and, as I was told on the forum a few weeks back, perhaps "no immigrant owes us a THING"...But it might have been a nice gesture, just the same... and it might have paid off in good will and empathy.

What we have today is not 'thanks' for what we did, but anger and resentment at the fact we won't do more...MUCH more. It brings to mind the old American 'folk saying'. "Burn me once, shame on you...burn me TWICE, shame on ME"...etc etc. (Actually, there have been a number of smaller amnesties, as well...it's not as if this is the first time we've heard of this).

Perhaps those who benefitted from amnesty back then, helped ruin it for those today who now want it...and are demanding it in the shrillest, and most abrasive ways...even up to and including an occasional veiled 'threat'...

Today's illegals are here in numbers that are COMPLETELY 'over-the-top' when discussing giving a few people a 'pass'....this isn't a situation of helping a few deserving souls...it's more like mass extortion.

Sorry, but the 'compassion' of most average, thoughtful, decent Americans for illegal immigrants, which was once so common, has just about run out. I've seen it happen, in my own life, to very DECENT, very REAL people...people who once felt sympathy for the illegals, and are now "fed right up to here" with the attitude of today's 'crowd'. I've even heard several FORMER ILLEGALS, dismayed by the sheer 'in-your-face' audacity of the 'later arrivals'. It's not only annoying to THEM, it's an embarrassment. Our generosity has been shoved right back in our faces....and in the American culture, that's NOT the way to advance your cause and win people over to your side....sorry.

[chicagonut]

Good points and I totally agree, macmeal.