Come on jim, you’re obviously opposed to this just because you don’t like mexicans.

i’m sure i’ve said this before, but as the daughter of a LEGAL immigrant, this angers me to no end.

i truly believe there needs to be some reform of the legal process.  i also think there are certain people presently in the country illegal who should be given amnesty, but come ON!  this is absurd. 

then again, what do you want from a system that allows celebrity criminals to go home just because they don’t like the scary jail cell? :P

heh...that Paris thing is breaking - the DA is angry and so is the judge.  She’s back in court at 9AM tomorrow and the speculation is she’s going back in.  :)

I think what bothers me the most about the illegal immigration debate is this sleazy tactic of making anyone who opposes illegals also opposed to legals based on the fact that they’re foreign.

I’m mostly foreign in my parts.  It was NOT long ago that my family came over.  Jo-jo’s half foreigner.  :) We like people from other countries!  We want them to come here and contribute!  Just do the damn paperwork first.  ;)

This is one of the few issues I disagree with you on. I consider myself pretty conservative on just about every issue.  Maybe you all can set me straight. 

I don’t see anything particularly wrong with people coming here “illegally”, as long as they don’t use public social services (which should be eliminated regardless).  Maybe I’m just incredibly naive, but how are we harmed if somebody doesn’t get a seal of approval from some bureaucrat? I see it as a failure of the immigration department, not meeting the demand for citizenship, more than a security problem.  Seems like most of the people sneaking in would prefer to do it legally, our government just isn’t able or willing to process them with current resources.

I never thought I’d see the day when Republicans would use the “You’re a racist” card that the Democrats have been using since the ‘60s.

Times a changing under Bush’s “Republican” Party.

Gcanter,
Its not something as simple as getting a stamp of approval by an bureaucrat. Being here illegal means they cannot do much to actually benefit themselves or our country. We are harmed because they are pretty much here as an economic slave.  Our society as a whole is based on the ability of anyone to rise above their roots to make something of themselves, and in doing so, better our country. Illegals cannot, by their very nature, do this.
Do most want to enter this country legally? There are ways to do this, but many find it easier to just come over illegally because of the lack of enforcement on these laws. By not enforcing these laws, we just start a slippery slope where what laws do we just ignore, and what do we enforce.

I don’t see anything particularly wrong with people coming here “illegally”

So if they broke into your home and started living in a corner of the dining room, that would be okay, as long as they didn’t get caught using your utilities?

No one here is truly opposed to immigration per se, it is the ILLEGAL part of it that pisses us all off.

Nothing that they are currently proposing is new, and is pure duplication of legislation that has already been written and passed and signed into law.

The problem isn’t that we don’t need “comprehensive” ANYTHING until we have comprehensive enforcement of the laws that are already on the books. I can drive to the local Home Depot and find 20-30 illegals standing around looking for work - are you claiming that ICE agents can’t figure that out?

Seems like most of the people sneaking in would prefer to do it legally, our government just isn’t able or willing to process them with current resources.

And what happens to the people who are actually going through that process? Should they just quit trying and sneak in illegally, too? What about those who are NOT trying to improve their lives, but intend us harm? Should they be allowed to wander across an unprotected border and set up shop wherever they wish, simply because there is no way to keep track of them?

FWIW, I am probably the most American Heinz-57 you are ever likely to meet. My father was adopted by an Irish barber and Danish schoolteacher, my mother’s mother was full-blooded Amerindian from one of the tribes in northern New York, and I agree with JimK.

I want immigrants to come here and share their drive to succeed. Just sign the damn guest register on the way in the front door, just like my ancestors had to do (as near as I can tell, anyway).

I’m beginning to see your point. I think countries like Mexico need to get their acts together and fix their own economy first and foremost.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know if these people would want to come legally.  I am merely assuming that most people in their right mind would not choose sneaking through the desert with the risk of being killed or robbed if the alternative really was filling out a few forms.  We all know it is not that simple.  It takes years and a good bit of luck to get official approval for entry if you are unskilled and coming from a poorer country.  These are the people who don’t have years to wait around and the money to pay all the fees and legal costs. 

Plus, isn’t there an equally slippery slope on the enforcement side as well?  I just worry that we will end up with a solution far worse than the perceived problem. If racial profiling is not used, that means we will all be required to keep citizenship documents on us all the time.  Of course, these will inevitably be faked anyway, so that still won’t solve anything.

I think what many people want is for the government to fight another battle against the market, which I strongly feel will be futile and possibly harmful on a practical level despite knowing how moral and great the intentions are. There’s no reason for me to believe that a prohibition on undocumented labor will be any more effective than the prohibition of certain narcotics.  Is there a difference I’m not seeing?

Sorry I’m being so long winded, I’m just trying to wrap my head around all this as I type…

Drumwaster, I understand your frustration, and I didn’t want to leave the impression I was supporting with this bill that’s in congress.

I think countries like Mexico need to get their acts together and fix their own economy first and foremost.

Mexico’s got no incentive to do so. As long as America goes easy on illegal immigrants, all Mexico has to do is continue to pass out leaflets on how to sneak into America, and it reaps the rewards.

And if you’re going to ask “What rewards?”, consider the influx of money going into the Mexican economy because of mostly illegal immigrants sending a good part of their paychecks back home to their families still living in Mexico. While I wouldn’t say their economy DEPENDS on this, it would probably take a fairly noticeable hit if it went away.

Mexico has no drive and no reason to reform itself as long as we continue to allow that country to cling to us like some scruffy, unofficial state.