To grant these people citizenship would be a gross devaluation of our birthright and an outright stupidity. I've had illegal immigrants tell me so. The vast majority we grant citizenship to would not renounce the nation of their birth, but would hold on to their cedulas, matriculas and original passports.
We would be granting US citizenship to people who feel no special love or allegiance to our nation. The vast majority would thank us very much, but they would remain voting Mexican citizens and property owners who happen to have the extra bennie of a US citizenship in their back pocket.
Visas Now -- Decide the Citizenship Question Later when We have More Information
We do need to humanely address what we do with the illegal immigrants we've invited in. Yes, we did invite them in. Uncle Sam not only purposely left the doors and windows wide open, he adorned them with blazing neon Welcome signs. He also gave not a care about ID theft or workplace enforcement beyond a few token raids apparently designed principally to turn America’s hearts against rounding up illegals.
And We The People employed them to roof our houses, install carpets, do our landscaping and other work we Americans just won't do anymore. So we must shoulder our share of the blame.
I am for giving citizenship to people who were brought here as children and who have known no other country, but a blanket amnesty only empowers leftwing agitation groups and then encourages more people to flock here illegally, increasing the leftwing ranks even more.
We could immediately regularize the millions here by issuing multiple entry and exit visas that also gave them permission to work. This also would give us a clearer picture and allow us to expedite the cases of those who truly want citizenship and who are most deserving, and it would immediately improve the material position of all.
Public Agenda: A Place to Call Home
I am for giving citizenship to people who were brought here as children and who have known no other country, but a blanket amnesty only empowers leftwing agitation groups and then encourages more people to flock here illegally, increasing the leftwing ranks even more.
We could immediately regularize the millions here by issuing multiple entry and exit visas that also gave them permission to work. This also would give us a clearer picture and allow us to expedite the cases of those who truly want citizenship and who are most deserving, and it would immediately improve the material position of all.
Public Agenda: A Place to Call Home
Time to Cut a Deal on Immigration
* For an interesting and different spin, read Reuben Navarette's article My Mexican-American Identity Crisis
* For an interesting and different spin, read Reuben Navarette's article My Mexican-American Identity Crisis
I happen to know the following things to be fact:
ReplyDelete1. Illegal immigrants from Mexico can and do own property, pay property taxes, and maintain their homes with more care and more pride than many native-born Americans.
2. Illegal immigrants from Mexico can and do purchase vehicles. They can and do get these vehicles properly registered and insured.
3. Paradoxically, Illegal immigrants from Mexico can NOT legally obtain a valid drivers license. HOWVER, when they are stopped occasionally by police, as all of us have been at one time or other, they may be fined for minor infractions of traffic laws, but they are NOT detained, their citizenship is NEVER questioned, and INS is NEVER called in.
4. Illegal immigrants from Mexico can and do open checking and savings accounts in American banks.
5. Illegal immigrants from Mexico pay utility bills
6. IIlegal immigrants from Mexico may live here under what-we-native-born Americans-might-think-of-as "substandard" conditions, but most of them are happy and grateful to be here at all, and most would rather die than be forced to go back to live and work in Mexico. They would like to be able to travel back and forth to visit parents and other family members, but they do NOT want to LIVE in Mexico.
It is the socialistic, busybody, do-gooder mindset of the Democrats that spoils the distinct advantages illegal immigrant labor has provided both the American citizens who gratefully employ them and the illegal immigrants, themselves, who are more-than-willing, and ever-so-grateful to work here under any conditions.
The Democrats have screwed up this neat, informal, naturally-occurring system of mutual benefit and satisfaction by dangling access to FREE healthcare, FREE education, FREE food stamps, FREE aid to dependent children, FREE housing in front of these people. This naturally attracts the most undesirable elements who do NOT want to work, but only to take advantage of these seductive, weakening, corrupting "resources."
~ FreeThinke
FT said: Illegal immigrants from Mexico can and do purchase vehicles. They can and do get these vehicles properly registered and insured.
ReplyDeleteAs I know from personal experience, that is technically true.
However, let one hit you in an accident that is his fault and not yours, and the court may say to you at settlement (settlement being greatly reduced): "The sympathies of the court lie with the poor immigrant. If the situation were reversed, he'd be taking you to the cleaners."
Now, there is a clause in every insurance policy that allows the insurance company not to pay "if the vehicle is driven illegally or the operator is committing a crime." I suppose that being an illegal immigrant is technically a crime. Typically, insurance companies do not invoke that clause.
FT rightly points out some of the good qualities of illegal immigrants. However, I want to point out that we do have a significant problem with gang crime, much of which is perpetrated by MS-13. Are these gang members the children of legals or illegals? I don't know.
I do not favor dual citizenship. As Silverfiddle said, We would be granting US citizenship to people who feel no special love or allegiance to our nation.
ReplyDeleteIn many schools in Northern Virginia, school classrooms no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance because so many immigrants don't feel that they owe any allegiance to our flag or our nation.
Yesterday on the news, I heard about a special kind of hotel in California. See
Chinese 'maternity hotel' sparks outrage in California suburb.
You could offer them all Visa's, but only 20% would take the bother to fill them out. And why should they, as we won't enforce our laws, regardless.
ReplyDeleteA@ FJ: "And why should they, as we won't enforce our laws, regardless."
ReplyDeleteTherein lies the heart of the problem, which is why I do not blame people for coming here illegally.
"We could immediately regularize the millions here by issuing multiple entry and exit visas that also gave them permission to work."
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that also provide incentive for more illegal immigration. II don;t have a better answer. I;m just saying...
For the second straight year California has been voted the "worst run state" by 24/7 Wall St.
ReplyDeletePlease, feel free to draw your own conclusions. I have.
In agreement with much of what you say, but to say that we don't have workers to do many jobs of what you suggest is false IMO. Agriculture yes, but not so much the othe occupations.
ReplyDelete@KP --- For the second straight year California has been voted the "worst run state" by 24/7 Wall St.
ReplyDelete----
You beat Rhode Island? Stunning.
"You beat Rhode Island? Stunning."
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing progressives cannot wreck when they put their feeble minds to it.
Us Surtino's don't need no stinkin' papers!
ReplyDelete"There is nothing progressives cannot wreck when they put their feeble minds to it."
ReplyDeleteTheir minds are anything but feeble, my friend. Rather, they have inordinate strength, but it's applied always to perverse ends. Their energy is DEMONIC -- and I don't use that term lightly.
How hard can it be to run Rhode Island? It's like half the size of El Paso County.
ReplyDeleteAnnex Mexico.
ReplyDeleteMexicans could work in the United States without ever crossing the Rio Grande, and a smaller southern border with Guatemala would be easier to defend.