Immigration question/frustration

[WVUFAN]

Because the people who come for the jobs do so in violation of our laws. Secondly, because it pays these people less than a living wage, and the government gets no taxes from those salaries, and they're not protected under our labor laws, which creates opportunities for companies to mistreat these people. Thirdly, because if these people want to work in our country, they should do so legally, like millions have done.

You want to be bleeding hearts about it, working here as a legal resident protects them from lower wages and poor treatment. From my perspective, it eliminates 10 million lawbreakers. I don't CARE why they came over, their actions are not defendable.

[MrBigglesworth]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

a) 1 million illegal immigrants, 5 terrorists
b) 1 thousand illegal immigrants, 5 terrorists

you choose line a, i prefer line b

That's fine, but don't tell me that it secures the border, because it doesn't.

[Daimyo]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

We want to secure our borders to prevent people, in general, from entering our country illegally.

You do realize that most of the people in this country illegally didn't just walk across an undefended border right?

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

You do realize that most of the people in this country illegally didn't just walk across an undefended border right?

Actually, most do just walk across an undefended border, because there's nowhere near enough border patrol officers to defend the entire line.

But whether they go through hell to get here, they're still doing so illegally. It should be difficult, if not impossible, to enter this country and live illegally.

[Daimyo]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Actually, most do just walk across an undefended border, because there's nowhere near enough border patrol officers to defend the entire line.

But whether they go through hell to get here, they're still doing so illegally. It should be difficult, if not impossible, to enter this country and live illegally.

Actually a very large number of the people living illegally in the US entered legally, through proper channels with legit visas and simply stay past the expiration date of their visa.

Then again, using terrorism as the battle cry for immigration reform is a bit of a red hering. All 19 of the 9/11 hijackers entered the US with legal visas and only six of them were even here illegally at the time due to expired visas.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

Actually a very large number of the people living illegally in the US entered legally, through proper channels with legit visas and simply stay past the expiration date of their visa.

Then again, using terrorism as the battle cry for immigration reform is a bit of a red hering. All 19 of the 9/11 hijackers entered the US with legal visas and only six of them were even here illegally at the time due to expired visas.

I never once said national security when talking about immigration reform. It's much simpler than that. You have 10-12 million people here that have no right to be, that their presence in the country is costing it money. It's as simple as that -- you find and deport everyone who is here illegally, then take steps, including tracking visa holders, to ensure our border are protected from these illegals.

[MrBigglesworth]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

...that their presence in the country is costing it money.

Long term they contribute more than they take.

[Mo.Raider]

This age old argument is a no brainer.

Legal Immigration is good for the economy. It adds a youthful working class, and a group of workers that are willing to work at unskilled, low paying jobs in order to work themselves up the ladder. Sometimes that may mean the second generation is more successful than the first, but it is still a better life for their family.

Illegal immigration is for one illegal. You can not turn a blind eye to it because of the high cost in security and it puts a strain on the social services of a the country. The jobs that are being talked about frequently that no U.S. citizens want would be filled by legal immigrants and U.S. citizens when the nearly free/slave labor pool dried up and they were forced to pay a competitive wage and benefits or work the fields/ construction themselves. It is simple economics. The reason these jobs are not taken by U.S. citizens is not because U.S. citizens are too lazy or too good, they just can’t compete with someone who will work for nearly nothing. Believe me I have lived in a small rural town all of my life, and I have seen people cling to dead end, low pay, low benefit jobs all or their life. It is not because they are stupid, or lazy in fact they work like dogs doing some of the worst factory jobs you could imagine. The fact is they stay there for their family security and the fear of losing that crappy job and the modest home for which they have worked so hard. They would welcome the chance to work jobs that the media has deemed to lowly for Americans if these industries were forced from using nearly slave labor from illegal immigrants.

Bottom line is there is a lot of money being made off this cheap labor, and that is why in this case we just can’t do anything about it. I can’t believe that we can throw trillions of dollars into other parts of the world but we don’t have the resources to secure our borders, or keep track of visas.

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

Actually a very large number of the people living illegally in the US entered legally, through proper channels with legit visas and simply stay past the expiration date of their visa.

Then again, using terrorism as the battle cry for immigration reform is a bit of a red hering. All 19 of the 9/11 hijackers entered the US with legal visas and only six of them were even here illegally at the time due to expired visas.

So, 32% were here illegally. Basically a third of the terririst. Let's see, if we had a solid system that would have removed them from the picture, you may not have had 911 at all. I think your point screams that we look at some of the guidelines we use to grant legal Visas as well.