What should be done about illegal immigration?

Where is your proof that minority citizens are losing out to the illegals?

The facts are these: a) under Bush's NCLB, more minorities (Hispanics and blacks) are dropping out of high school; b) high school graduates earn more than drop outs; and c) discrimination in the work place can be prosecuted by both federal and state laws. Did I miss anything?

Here's another case in point about immigration - legal or illegal. Many of the developed countries in Europe will have a huge problem with their aging population.

Quote:
Europe needs immigrants, report finds

Expatica
27 September 2007

If they send the fare the people of the US I am sure will gladly ablige and send them a few million.

Did your ancestors buy a return ticket?

What your problem. Don't you want help? :wink:

And by the way my ancestors entered the US legally.

So what's your point? Ours did too! You see, most Americans are immigrant stock.

Impostor
If you don't know the difference between legal and illegal. I can't help you.

I also can't help you if you don't understand 1) it's the federal governments responsibility to control illegal immigration, and 2) those coming into our country are not taking jobs away from legal immigrants or Americans. Americans are needed on our farms and restaurants, but they do not apply for those jobs.

CI

Where and when did I say it wasn't the responsibility of the federal government to control our borders? Of course it's their responsibility, a responsibility where among others they are failing. You will note that there is movement in some states to take it upon their own by placing restrictions on hiring and housing illegals in hope that will force them to leave.
As to my reply to Walter I was just offering a solution to their need for immigrants by offering our excess.wink:

That's right; some states and many communities are establishing their own laws concerning illegal immigrants. I see nothing wrong with those actions, because I'm not in a position to influence their actions one way or another.

However, we must also realize that many communities welcome illegal immigrants, because they need those workers on their farms and business establishments. I also agree with those who welcome them.

I often wonder about those who are adamantly against illegal immigrants, but fail to do anything constructive to solve the myriad of problems concerning the labor shortage in farming and other industries that American citizens fail to work in.

Most Americans are the result of legal or illegal immigrants; many suffered discrimination including the Irish, Germans, Italians, and blacks.

Our economy benefits from immigrants; it brings both the skilled and unskilled to fill jobs to sustain our economic growth. Our country represents only five percent of the world population, but have been successful economically during our generation because of immigrants.

Most of our parents and forefathers didn't speak English, but they were the ones who had the foresight to come to the US.

Our country represents most countries of the world; and we are richer for it.

Illegals target of strict new law
By Stephen Dinan and Jerry Seper
November 3, 2007





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The nation's strictest immigration crackdown went into effect this week in Oklahoma after a federal judge refused Hispanic and immigrants rights groups' attempt to block it.



The new law prevents illegal aliens from getting driver's licenses, denies them every possible public service or benefit not required by federal law, gives state and local police the ability to enforce immigration laws and, beginning next year, requires employers to check new employees' identities through a federal database.



"It is the toughest state-level immigration reform bill in the nation," said state Rep. Randy Terrill, the Republican who wrote House Bill 1804, which became law on Thursday. "The judge has effectively validated this approach, and he has effectively given the green light to other states to begin to proceed with measures that are similar to House Bill 1804."



As important as the new law was this week's decision by U.S. District Judge James H. Payne, who rejected immigrants rights groups' request for an injunction. In his ruling on Wednesday, Judge Payne said the groups didn't have any evidence to support their claims of harm.



The judge allowed the law to take effect while the case proceeds. The parties will be back in court next week.



It was the second time Judge Payne rejected a challenge, and Mr. Terrill said that's a testament to how carefully the law was drafted not to step on federal agencies' toes or to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.



"Opponents to House Bill 1804 have now had more than six months to plaintiff-shop, forum-shop and judge-shop to try to find someone who's sympathetic to their cause. They haven't had much success," Mr. Terrill said.



Juan Miret, a spokesman for the United Front Task Force, a group fighting the law, said opponents are putting together other cases to challenge the law.

"The problem with 1804 is it was a wrong answer for a very complex matter," he said. "We're talking about human rights and civil rights."



Mr. Miret said the failures of federal immigration agencies have created problems that could end up with legal immigrants being detained.



He said that could happen to someone who is a green-card holder, or who applied on time for a renewed card, but whose application is delayed by a backlog of cases. If that person is pulled over, he said, police have a dilemma.



"Probably they will be deporting somebody who has the right to live and work in the United States. This is the kind of mess we're dealing with," Mr. Miret said.



About 500 protesters, most of them Hispanic, came to the state Capitol this week to protest the law, which has drawn fire from religious leaders and immigrants rights groups.



Other states ?- notably Arizona and Georgia ?- also have passed laws cracking down on illegal entry, as have some localities. Rulings on those regulations have been mixed, including a judge who overturned an effort in Hazleton, Pa., to try to prevent landlords from renting to illegal aliens.



The adverse rulings have said immigration is a responsibility of the federal government, not states.



But the Oklahoma law was written carefully to get around those prohibitions by weaving together places where the state has a right to act in such a way that can "functionally criminalize" illegal entry, Mr. Terrill said.



Some states are going the other direction. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has announced his state will issue driver's licenses to some illegal aliens, while Illinois passed a law blocking companies from using federal databases to check employees' work eligibility.



But in Oklahoma, the crackdown is extremely popular.



The law passed with bipartisan veto-proof majorities in the state's House and Senate and was signed by Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat. Mr. Terrill said polls show it has the support of three-quarters of state voters.



He said he expects dozens of other states to follow Oklahoma's lead.



"The states have always been the great laboratories of democracy. Whether it was welfare reform in the mid- to late-1990s or whether it's immigration in 2007, people shouldn't be surprised that when the federal government can't or won't act, people of the state of Oklahoma will step up to the plate and hit the home run," Mr. Terrill said. "States have always filled that policy vacuum."



CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGALS



A federal judge this week allowed Oklahoma's law cracking down on illegal aliens to go into effect. As the toughest law in the nation, it would:



•Eliminate illegal aliens' ability to get an official government identification card, such as a driver's or occupational license.



•Prevent illegal aliens from obtaining public benefits or assistance other than what is required by federal law, such as education and emergency medical care.



•Create a state felony offense for persons who knowingly harbor, transport, conceal or shelter illegal aliens. Each offense is punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.



•Make illegal aliens arrested for felonies or alcohol-related misdemeanors generally ineligible for parole, meaning they must be held until federal authorities come to pick them up.



•As of July 2008, businesses will have to check new employees' work authorization with federal databases.



•Create incentives for businesses not to hire illegal aliens, including creating a private cause of action for anyone who is fired from a position that later is given to an illegal alien.



Source: Oklahoma House Bill 1840 sponsor state Rep. Randy Terrill

Oklahoma has every right to impose immigration laws when the federal government fails to do so. I have no problem with that. There are also states like California where illegal immigrants provide necessary labor. I doubt very much our state will ever impose laws and restrictions similar to Oklahomas'.

CI, I understand that the citizens of CA are paying a lot in taxes to support the welfare, schooling, and other benefits that go to illegals and their children. But the farmers, who have a powerful lobby, keep the illegals coming.

Again, farmers can switch to crops that are amenable to mechanization, and they can invest more funds into the latter. But they have it great when they can pay slave wages.

Not slave labor wages; California has one of the highest minimum wage laws in the US; higher than the federal minimum. Ever hear of the name Chavez? He was instrumental in improving the conditions of farm workers for everybody.

According to the following UC San Diego study, California farm workers earn $7.27/hour.

http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg37.PDF

Wow, $7.27 for stoop labor in the hot fields, breathing pesticides. Admit it, it is slave labor.

Huckabee has the solution for illegal immigrants...


All those aborted babies coulda been stooped over working in the fields!

Shame on the Supreme Court for allowing abortions and forcing us to accept illegal immigrant labor!

Huckabee also believes in the rapture, in which all believers will fly up to heaven (and the rest of us will rot in hell). Thus, the USA and the rest of earth may get overcrowded with immigrants and others, with polluted rivers and lakes, etc., because earth will be a distant memory.

Well, Former VP candidate Joe Lieberman believes that Jews are the chosen people, more favored by God than any other. Is that any more realistic?