One of my grandfathers came here illegally too- from germany. He took a job on a ship as a cook long enough until he could jump ship in NY harbor. Apparently saw the writing on the wall post WW1 and wanted no part of whatever was happening there. Even changed his name to erase his germanic heritage. Assumed a swedish name.
I never did know the details of how he managed his way around that illegal status, or for how long. He was a very tight lipped stoic man with history he didn't share because it seemed painful- we didn't pry for details. He was well educated & cultured but never talked about degrees or universities. I believe he was a conscripted german soldier in WW1 (deserted?), which is my theory about what made him turn 100% pacifist by the time he met my grandmother in USA late 1930's. He was 4F for WW2 but also was a conscientious objector.
Grandma knew his story and she took that to her grave. He made sure my dad had a copy of "All quiet on the western front" as a teen (my dad, disappointed when I joined the military, passed that onto me directly for some light reading in boot camp! hahaha) and encouraged his children to go for higher education professions. He avoided politics like the plague, invested his life in spiritual things and being a good family provider. He was masterful with a drawing board as an illustrator and had a Maxfield Parrish style that was popular at the time. He illustrated catalogs and local newspapers for many years, but eventually became a caretaker of quaker retreat houses in partnership with my grandmother who would cook for them. He may have been illegal, but IMO he was a good American.
One of my great grandmothers came here illegally by lying about her age. She was only 15 and came with a sister who promptly ditched her when they got out of the processing center at ellis island- never saw her again. If I recall the story rightly, minors were obliged to come with parents or be deported immediately, and the family back home in Poland/Lithuania couldn't afford the whole family traveling. Once past ellis island they just disappeared in the crowd sometime in 1910-1920's.
My Irish ancestors? Don't ask don't tell policy.
R- I know this issue is your pet peeve, but when will you do the math showing how profitable illegal immigration has been to those hiring them for less than living wages? Why do you think republicans haven't taken the hard line stance they always have before about these sorts of issues? Because they know who they'll really hurt- the ones exploiting the situation for personal gain. Think of any other reasons why they'd be sitting down which in effect defends those hiring? And yes, the people who ultimately pay for all of it in the end are the working class stiffs. When in history has that been untrue, on every conceivable level?
Want to put an end to illegals, you'll have to fund INS arm of the law to do it (which has been underfunded since deregulation policies went in effect
). You'll also have to put those hiring them (people like DK I'll remind you) in jail with heavy minimum monetary penalties to compensate tax payers. Large commerce in turn will make a game of it, hire someone unqualified to hire anyone, and with a troop of lawyers use them as the fall guy if they get busted- disavowing illegal activity all the while. ::innocent look::
Obama and McCain didn't invent all this, but how they deal with all the players involved through policy is far more telling IMO.
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