[oneLondoner]

Illegal Canadians, huh? All 5 of them!

[tecpatl]

Originally Posted by oneLondoner

Illegal Canadians, huh? All 5 of them!

oh you know....you can just tell they're illegal just by looking at 'em. The hair sticking out every which way from underneath a knit toque, reeking of cheddar cheese and maple syrup, Labatt's cans and Tim Horton coffee cups littering the back yard, that funny way of talkin' eh?
You can just tell they've slipped across the border somewhere, sneaking in to get away from that socialist cradle to grave healthcare, low crime rate and stable, solvent banks... They're sneaky.... but we'll find em!

[PeteBarnum]

Now theres a fix to a non problem, Michigan has no work and people are moving out faster then hookers from church, and you want to stop these fantasy immigrants from coming in? I think you should build a fence to keep the people there from moving out.

[baystater]

Originally Posted by PeteBarnum

people are moving out faster then hookers from church

Hookers from church? I think Catholic alter-boys would have been a better term of phrase.

[crazyme4878]

Originally Posted by junior 88 fan

I understand what you're saying. My point is if I get pulled over or are asked to show ID, why is it not OK to do the same to someone who looks Mexican? Police can use any excuse they want to pull me over at any time- tail light, swerve, lane use, etc. Why the double standard? Maybe if the heat was turned up a little bit, people would be less motivated to sneak across the borders.

Okay, so I was going to read all the posts, but just couldn't get past the first page.

Anyhow, the issue with the new AZ law is not that without it the police cannot stop a car with a latino-looking driver for speeding/swerving/taillight out/whatever and ask for thier drivers' license. They can already do that. It is that they can walk up to anyone on the street and ask for their papers. You can be just minding your business...maybe you are walking to the corner store because you forgot something for dinner that night. You just grabbed some cash and went--no ID.

Is it right to harass someone whose family has been here since the Spanish landgrants? There is an issue and it needs to be dealt with. However, is this the right way?

Did you know that a majority of illegals are here on expired Visas? Why don't we use our money tracking those down?

Lastly: the idea that "Maybe if the heat was turned up a little bit, people would be less motivated to sneak across the borders" is just plain false. If the desert isn't enough to convince them, more stupid laws won't either. Crossing the border is not remotely easy and death is a very real danger.

[Sparrow_temp]

I think you're misinformed. The AZ law only allows police to ask for proof of citizenship during the commission of another crime. I wish they could just ask for any reason but they can't.

And sorry but "turning up the heat" so to speak would take care of the immigration problem. If illegal immigrants knew they had no chance of employment (fine the hell out of anybody that employs an illegal along with possible jailtime) and that they had a serious chance of spending time in jail/work camps while waiting for deportation, people would not come here in the first place or would self-deport after the conditions changed. For most, it's about jobs and economic opportunity -- get rid of the incentives and the problem goes away. They're not really here to assimilate into our society. The fence and the border patrol just raise the cost of entry but don't deal with the root of the problem.

Legal citizens may be asked for id/proof of citizenship but so what -- I get asked for ID every day. If you're not an illegal alien, you don't have a problem. Too many people simply think that anybody who wants to come here should have a right to do so. No other country allows this; it's national suicide. Maybe we should treat illegal immigration based on the laws of their country of origin. Do you know what Mexico does with illegal immigrants? If you're lucky, you're thrown in jail.

And you're definitely right about those with expired visa's. This is just as bad as sneaking over the border in the first place and we should probably go after them first.

Originally Posted by crazyme4878

Okay, so I was going to read all the posts, but just couldn't get past the first page.

Anyhow, the issue with the new AZ law is
..
that they can walk up to anyone on the street and ask for their papers. You can be just minding your business...maybe you are walking to the corner store because you forgot something for dinner that night. You just grabbed some cash and went--no ID.

Is it right to harass someone whose family has been here since the Spanish landgrants? There is an issue and it needs to be dealt with. However, is this the right way?

Did you know that a majority of illegals are here on expired Visas? Why don't we use our money tracking those down?

Lastly: the idea that "Maybe if the heat was turned up a little bit, people would be less motivated to sneak across the borders" is just plain false. If the desert isn't enough to convince them, more stupid laws won't either. Crossing the border is not remotely easy and death is a very real danger.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by darstar

All nothing new in Michigan, especially the SW fruit belt. Illegals have been a problem for a long time. The local law enforcement gave up , when they had a back seat full if illegals, and no one to take them, little to do but release them. The Feds in GR would not get involved, they told the local Sheriff that there was no plan, or facility to retain the illegals in the area.
Unless a serious crime had been committed, the word on the street was to just look the other way. The local berry farmers used both legal and illegals, still do, in mass. They withheld taxes from their pay, yet the workers never came around to collect or be identified. Most of the workers were placed in jobs by an organizer, who took a cut for getting them a job. The illegals drove cars, no insurance,expired plates,and broken taillights. The South Haven Hospital was over flowing with folks who not only spoke no English ,but who had no address,insurance or ID....Yet , the migrant workers provided a service, they picked the crops, they kept to themselves mostly, stayed in the provided dorm housing provided by the farmers, and helped the economy . How much they took out in free services was,and still is a question to be asked, and resolved.
Today, things have changed a bit, many of the workers are now contract...they have become independent contractors. Machines have replaced a lot of the jobs, but still the need for migrants remain. Some have started their own businesses and have gained a foothold in the area of improving the production of the seasonal produce that the Farmers could not prosper without..... Michigan is a State that depends on these workers, how the social problems get resolved remains an open wound. I can't help but think other states have the same problem..its a love-hate relationship.

This sounds like some parts of Upstate NY.

I think people need to be careful about who we view as an illegal immigrant, as it doesn't automatically mean someone from Mexico. I did read a story about how many Mexicans are flying into Windsor and staying there as well.

[Mi. Red Wing]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Michigan is one of the least multi-cultural states in the country...in relation to how large the population is that resides there.

I'm in favor of the AZ one...mostly because the Mexican population there is enormous. It is an obvious problem in that state.

In Michigan however...where nearly everyone you see is almost always all white...or you go into a MI city and it is nearly all black....and few if anything else besides those two, then what is the point? I consider it fortunate when I see a non black/non white person that even visits MI...let alone decide to call it home.

For the MI police to go around and harass what few non-white/non-black people who do decide to go to MI....just seems....in one word, awful.

You must not get out of the house much, try walking into a company that makes auto parts, then after you're in there just yell: "Immigration" in Spanish and see what happens.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

This sounds like some parts of Upstate NY.

I think people need to be careful about who we view as an illegal immigrant, as it doesn't automatically mean someone from Mexico. I did read a story about how many Mexicans are flying into Windsor and staying there as well.

It is, every state has the same problem, some more than others. The Mexicans have been coming across for 100 years. Places like Texas seem to handle it better.....the Valley could not produce without them. It all started with migrant workers, has now progressed to factory, meat packers, and other labor intensive jobs.