I can't discuss immigration without getting upset. There are times that the topic makes me want to cry and/or flip a table over. When people refer to "illegal immigrants," they are referring to my family, so it's much more than a political issue for me. And I'm not ashamed to appear "too emotional." My parents left their hometown to escape poverty. Growing up in desolate rural Mexico, they were only able to obtain a sixth grade education, and when they got married, there were very few jobs available. My paternal grandmother told me that my family was so poor that sometimes they would eat nothing but beans for weeks at a time. Out of desperation, my parents crossed the border in the trunk of a Cadillac in 1978.
My parents first arrived to Los Angeles where an aunt and uncle already lived. My father worked as a bus boy at the Brown Derby in Hollywood. My older brother was born soon after they arrived. Life in LA proved to be too hard so they quickly moved to Chicago where my mother's brothers lived. In Chicago, my parents worked as laborers. My dad worked at a cheesecake factory for many years and then later at an industrial filter factory where he is now a supervisor. My mother worked at paper packaging factory. It is repetitive, brutal, and dehumanizing work.
I remember the glue burns my dad used to get on his arms from accidents with the machines and my mom's hands covered with deep paper cuts. In the summer, there was no air conditioning. My mom said that once a rat ran up a woman's pant leg. Occasionally, "la migra" would raid these factories, rounding up all the undocumented, tearing apart families, and ruining lives. Luckily, my parents were never caught. I wonder what would have happened to us if they had been.
For many years, I hardly saw my mother because she had to work the evening shift. She left to work as soon as we got home from school and then didn't come home until midnight. My parents were perpetually tired, something I didn't really understand at the time. Despite their exhaustion and low wages, they were still able to raise us well. We didn't have much, but I remember I always had plenty of books. We never lacked food. There was always a big pot of beans on the stove. My parents, along with many illegal immigrants, were lucky enough to be granted amnesty during the Reagan administration, something that is impossible to imagine happening now. In the 90s they became citizens. Now, I would say that they're as American as they are Mexican.
My parents are the most hardworking people I know. Contrary to what many believe, immigrants aren't leeches. They never came here to take what wasn't theirs. They pay taxes. They provide cheap labor and perform jobs that no one else wants. They contribute to society. They raised highly productive and intelligent children. They taught us to work hard, harder than other people, because people like us don't succeed unless we prove ourselves tenfold.
If I could reason with those who hate immigrants, I would tell them these things. I would explain that most people don't want to leave their homeland and leave their families. I don't think my father has ever come to terms with leaving Mexico. Any person in dire circumstances would leave to survive. Unfortunately, these people don't operate with reason, logic, or compassion.
When Obama was elected, I imagined our country transforming. Though I was initially disappointed with his excessive deportations, the Obama Administration's recent immigrant reform restores my hope. A vote for Mitt Romney, a man who wants to make life so miserable for immigrants that they self-deport, is a vote against my family. Of course I can't help but take immigration issues personally. When people hate illegal immigrants, they hate many wonderful, resilient, and inspiring people I know. They hate where I come from. I wonder how so many Americans can be devoid of such basic empathy and I fear what that could mean for our future here.
Follow Erika L. Sánchez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@OhHellsNah
WELL, IF we get inundated with Hundreds of MILLIONS of impoverished, poorly educated, unskilled people, who DO use many of OUR social services & entitlements, I won't be wondering. I'll be paying 50% income tax to support them. I won't have enough money left to travel in the USA, but that won't be a major loss, since nature preserves, wildlife, national parks will be too expensive to fund, And take care of ALL those "immigrants". Air quality, water quality will be a thing of the past. So will agricultural surpluses. KISS the "wide open spaces" good by, too. OF course the RICH Progressives, like Nancy Pulosi will still have their perks, but the middle class that used to exist in this country, will be GONE forever.
I meet too many illegals who think they deserve food stamps free housing and everything else their family needs because they work . They are apparently unaware that most native borns work for years before they have enough money to support children before having children .
In fact, our nation lets in 1.4Million LEGAL immigrants a year. The most in the world. It is sad to note that the US cannot simply let everyone in who feels they are too poor in their home country. Our citizenship is one of our greatest assets and the US Govt should be selective in picking the best and brightest.
Second. Illegal immigrants take jobs from high school, college, and ex-cons. You can see in urban areas were there is a high illegal population the job rate for young people is almost ZERO. Because business in low paying service sector jobs will always hire the more exploitable illegal. When the govt tries to crack down on employers....Pro Illegal groups complain about raids. When they use silent raids Pro illegal groups complain. When the Govt moves to deport, Criminals, Fugitive Aliens, Repeat Crossers and NEWLY arrived under the Morton Memos Pro-illegal groups complain.
The US needs to expand Temporary Workforce Visa's. However we have a surplus of LEGAL Mostly MEXICAN Temporary Farm laborers....but farmers would rather hire ILLEGALS than be subject to govt review over their treatment of LEGAL Laborers, and they don't like paperwork either.
ice union dot org sign the petition
1. My solution is that there must be 100% control of our borders due to it’s a national and economic security risk and we also live in a country with finite resources and cant provide to otheres that are not citizens or permenet residents .
2. A new Bracero program in which all states that benefit from immigrant labor and Mexico pitch in millions of funding and develop and maintain a plan to bring in temporary guest workers in which we need. Provide a reasonable static wage, some form of health care for injuries, keep unions and politics out. It’s that simple
3. As for Amnesty it does not work as history has shown under Regan
In the 90s they became citizens. Now, I would say that they're as American as they are Mexican.
So WHO is the illegal immigrant in this story? Or are you confusing ILLEGAL and IMMMIGRANT? They are 2 different words.
Hotel workers used to be Black women
Fast Food workers used to be American teens
Construction workers....Blacks had JUST cracked into construction when the flood came.
Maintainence workers
Lawn Care
Painters
All were done by Black men before the flood.
Data Source - Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Report, September 7, 2012. In addition:
Construction, extraction occupations = 11.9% Unemployment
Farming, fishing, forestry occupations = 10.9% Unemployment
Transportation, material moving occupations = 10.8% Unemployment
Production occupations = 9.5% Unemployment
Service occupations = 8.5% Unemployment
Total Adjusted US Unemployed Citizens and Legal Residents = 12,544,000
This figure and the above rates exclude 6,957,000 Persons who want a job but are left out of the data for various reasons.
Total Number of Americans Looking for Work = 19,501,000
Thus real unemployment rates for the occupations above are about 55% larger when excluded people are included.
Pew Center estimates indicate 7.3 million “undocumented, non quasi-legal” Immigrants work in the USA illegally. A Pew study "estimated that illegal immigrants fill a quarter of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of office and house cleaning positions, 14 percent of construction jobs and 12 percent in food preparation." The vast majority of these jobs are done by American Workers and this is where unemployment is worst in America.
Meanwhile Management, professional, and related occupations where few Illegal Immigrants work has 4.5% Unemployment.
She studied English and American government and swore an oath to the Constitution and United States. She waited a long time. She became a U.S. citizen.
She cooked for households at age 12 and put in countless hours trying to earn money for her family.
She was not an illegal alien.
The country wasa not nearly as overpopulated in the 1920s when we had a flood of european immigrants and those immigrants did not end up on the welfare rolls unlike recnet immigrants from Mexico who only have to get pregnant to get large amounts of aid .
Could you cite ANYTHING that Romney (or any other Republican) has done or proposed that would "make life miserable" for immigrants? You know, "immigrants". ie Legal Permament Residents.
Cite one thing miserable. Just one.
B. the children are free to join the illegal immigrants who are deported.
I can't say I blame them - I would have done the same.
That's why we have the rule of law.