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Post by AquaHolic on Jan 29, 2009 17:30:01 GMT -4
I guess her ILLEGAL and my ILLEGAL mean two different things. To me if you are Illegal...YOU are a criminal..period. news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090129/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/immigration_deportationsHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says if you're a criminal and you're not entitled to be in the United States, she wants you out of the country. Napolitano wants what she calls "criminal aliens" off American streets. She is looking at existing immigration enforcement programs to see if taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck. Napolitano, whose job includes overseeing immigration laws, says she also will go after criminal fugitives who are illegally in the country. Officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement say about 201,000 criminals illegally in the U.S. were deported last year.
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Post by bchevy on Jan 29, 2009 17:40:27 GMT -4
It would be at least a start, but it wont happen.
And yes, if you're an illegal alien, you are a criminal,
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Post by funnel101 on Jan 29, 2009 17:41:52 GMT -4
And yet, if a whole industry is based on the labor of illegal immigrants, who are often underpaid or not paid at all, that's somehow totally acceptable.
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Post by AquaHolic on Jan 29, 2009 17:53:39 GMT -4
And yet, if a whole industry is based on the labor of illegal immigrants, who are often underpaid or not paid at all, that's somehow totally acceptable. Its not acceptable...the part about the "whole industry based on the labor of illegal immigrants". If they weren't here..then maybe..just maybe...joe smoe who lives down the road who was born in this country would have a job. The companies who employ these people should be closed down...period. Barb
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Post by funnel101 on Jan 29, 2009 17:56:01 GMT -4
Our government does absolutely nothing, as far as I can tell, to slow down immigrant labor on fruit plantations. The companies employ illegals because they don't want to pay a fair wage. They wouldn't hire joe smoe because he'd want to be treated fairly.
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Post by AquaHolic on Jan 29, 2009 18:05:05 GMT -4
Our government does absolutely nothing, as far as I can tell, to slow down immigrant labor on fruit plantations. The companies employ illegals because they don't want to pay a fair wage. They wouldn't hire joe smoe because he'd want to be treated fairly. The companies wouldn't have a choice if the Illegals weren't here. Barb
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Post by falgar25 on Jan 29, 2009 20:26:38 GMT -4
As bchevy wrote, it's a start. To me, if I were in her position, I would be embarrassed to admit that even this little bit wasn't yet being done. It's one thing to not know the guy down the street is illegal, it's just plain stupid to not check out the guy who you have in a cell!
The illegal immigrant worker situation is a big problem. I don't know why we don't severely penalize the businesses, deport the illegals just as soon as we know they are illegal, and let the rest of the chips fall where they may.
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Post by moosie on Jan 29, 2009 20:29:34 GMT -4
And yet, if a whole industry is based on the labor of illegal immigrants, who are often underpaid or not paid at all, that's somehow totally acceptable. Its not acceptable...the part about the "whole industry based on the labor of illegal immigrants". If they weren't here..then maybe..just maybe...joe smoe who lives down the road who was born in this country would have a job. The companies who employ these people should be closed down...period. Barb barb, i'm sure you didn't mean it the way it sounds, but there are joe shmoes who were not born in this country who are legal.
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Post by linda712 on Jan 29, 2009 21:18:52 GMT -4
That's true, however, the operative word here is "legal" -- followed by a definite period.
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Post by mcbeth on Jan 29, 2009 21:40:07 GMT -4
It depends on what your definition of "is" is.... ;D Our entire government has completely abandoned all responsibility on this one. Both sides have been more worried about getting re-elected than pick up the hot potato that is "illegal immigration". I know people who would accuse me of being anti-immigrant, or whatever. However, I am proud to say that my sister-in-law is a former citizen of Cuba. She, her parents, and two siblings fled the Castro regime in 1959. They went through whatever channels they needed to to become legal residents, worked their tails off (her father held down 5 jobs at one point, to support his family) and are an American success story. I have worked with MANY immigrants through my work in education, and have cheered their success as much as anyone born here. They have all done it legally, and if you knew 1/10 of the stories I've heard, you'd know how tough it is for anyone to do that legally. I guess that's why I get so outraged and bent out of shape over this issue. I agree that poverty is a hideous thing, and I totally understand why many people sneak into the US. But, then we need to hold those countries responsible for creating the mess instead of bleeding our resources. Either that, or find a "legal" way to do this whole thing because what is currently happening is ridiculous. (Plus, we don't need anyone else's criminals - have enough of our own as it is....). Sorry for the rant....it's been a long week.
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Post by linda712 on Jan 29, 2009 21:54:17 GMT -4
See.....it IS that word.....LEGAL! ;D
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Post by AquaHolic on Jan 30, 2009 8:17:33 GMT -4
Its not acceptable...the part about the "whole industry based on the labor of illegal immigrants". If they weren't here..then maybe..just maybe...joe smoe who lives down the road who was born in this country would have a job. The companies who employ these people should be closed down...period. Barb barb, i'm sure you didn't mean it the way it sounds, but there are joe shmoes who were not born in this country who are legal. I am not sure what you mean. But I am not talking about Legal people...I never mentioned Legal..only Illegal. And Illegal anyway you look at it is a criminal... Barb
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Post by moosie on Jan 30, 2009 9:38:11 GMT -4
i meant this part. joe shmoe who was born in this country.
just maybe...joe smoe who lives down the road who was born in this country would have a job.
what about joe shmoski, shmokovitch, shmokolini, etc., who might be legal and are apparently excluded by that statement. you don't have to be born in this country to be an american. it just sounded weird.
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Post by funnel101 on Jan 30, 2009 13:06:57 GMT -4
Three ways in order of effectiveness to stop illegal immigration (from the Cultural Geography course I took at Chesapeake last fall):
1. Stop the push: i.e., make the countries the illegal immigrants are coming from better for them to live in.
2. Stop the pull: i.e., remove the incentives for would-be illegal immigrants to come here.
3. Increase intervening obstacles: i.e., make it harder for them to get in and for them to be able to stay.
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Post by shadow1 on Jan 30, 2009 13:55:34 GMT -4
Three ways in order of effectiveness to stop illegal immigration (from the Cultural Geography course I took at Chesapeake last fall): 1. Stop the push: i.e., make the countries the illegal immigrants are coming from better for them to live in. 2. Stop the pull: i.e., remove the incentives for would-be illegal immigrants to come here. 3. Increase intervening obstacles: i.e., make it harder for them to get in and for them to be able to stay. 1. Why should we be responsible for making their country better for them to live in - look what it gets us - another war or the US being bad-mouthed for intruding on them, not to mention them wanting more and more money. 2. I take it we should do away with employment that they might seek or healthcare (free), etc. - yes, if they are illegal they should not be permitted access to any of that, however, you can't do away with the legal residents need. 3. No argument there.
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Post by funnel101 on Jan 30, 2009 14:15:58 GMT -4
#1 is the most effective if you truly want to stop illegal immigration. Otherwise, there will always be people desperate enough to find a way, legal or otherwise, to come here.
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Post by shoreterp on Jan 30, 2009 16:06:20 GMT -4
You could stop illegal immigration in a second and we don't need a big wall to do it. Unfortunately our Congress is so tied to the cheap labor that illegals provided that they will never have the balls to do it.
Here it is: Make it a Federal crime punishable by a mandatory six month prison term to house or employ an illegal alien.
If they have no place to work and no place to live, they go back home. Simple as that.
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Post by funnel101 on Jan 30, 2009 16:23:55 GMT -4
It's not just our Congress tied to the cheap labor. We Americans like our cheap prices, too.
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Post by shoreterp on Jan 30, 2009 16:29:54 GMT -4
Yeah but it's Congress who's in the pockets of the lobyists for industries that exploit cheap illegal labor.
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Post by funnel101 on Jan 30, 2009 17:12:07 GMT -4
And who buys the products of that cheap labor? It's not just Congress. I'm not saying Congress doesn't have responsibility here, but we deny ourselves the opportunity for change if we deny our own responsibility and complicity in cheap labor.
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Post by RobMoore on Jan 30, 2009 18:23:33 GMT -4
I agree that the only way to stop illegal immigration is to take the desire for them to come here away.
Two ways to do it. Give them jobs at home, or take the jobs here away.
We have hard enough time keeping ourselves afloat. So the later is the only way.
Start making the hiring of illegals unprofitable, undesirable, and uncomfortable.
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