The crackdown on illegal immigration, combined with an economic downturn in housing and construction, appear to be reducing the numbers of Mexican immigrants entering this country, according to a Los Angeles Times article.
Among the many signs cited of a slowdown: According to a recent survey of Mexicans, about one-third fewer than a year before said they planned to seek work abroad. And in fiscal 2007, which ended in September, U.S. border officials apprehended some 877,000 illegal border crossers — down about 20 percent from the year before.
T ougher border and workplace enforcement seems to be having an impact, but some experts insist the slowdown follows a familiar pattern and is mainly about the sluggish economy.
Moreover, there are still an estimated 12 million illegals living and working here, many in complicated mixed families, with some children born here and legally U.S. citizens.
Is America willing to balance enforcement with pragmatism and compassion?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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16 Comments
12 million illegals my hairy ass. There’s that many in the South West U.S. and California alone.
Stick the baton of law enforcement up the kazoos of employers hiring illegal aliens and the flow will stop.
There is no balance of enforcement of the law.
The law is the law. Enforce it.
It is appropriate and advantageous to enforce the law.
Compassion is not a part of law enforcement.
So how do you stop employers from hiring illegals without the government interfering with business, or burying employers in mountains of paperwork and regulations ?
Go after employers. Make sure they photocopy the documents used in support of the I-9; then so spot-checks of them.
How about some compassion for legal immigrants?
How about some compassion for non Hispanic Americans who just like Hispanics want to be with their families here in America?
How about some compassion for the US taxpayer who is forking out 22,000 per year for illegal aliens who our country does not need.
How about some compassion for the millions of poor people around teh world who want to come to the USA but cannot get in illegally as they don’t live next door?
How about some compassion for Dani Countryman the 14 American girl who was brutally raped and murdered by illegals, one of whom had been picked up 4 times in a “sanctuary city”?
How about some compassion for Americans who have lost their jobs, or seen their pay reduced, because of illegals?
BOO HOO HOO.
If you want to hand out compassion- you pay for it. And you take responsiblilty for the rule of law falling apart in this country.
If there is amnesty, who is going to continue to file taxes ? take deductions? Why on earth do it? Illegals broke the law and got rewarded. Do all Americans get some get out of jail free cards to make up for the jail terms teh illegals don’t have to serve?
You want to see our society divided between citizens and amnesty citizens who got preferntial treatment? It will tear this country apart.
1. Our immigration law has a base line of family reunification with roughly proportional number of places for Americans of the various races and ethnic backgrounds.
2. Amnesty would be approximately 90% Hispanic.
3. Amnesty would give a HUGE PREFERENCE to Hispanics over other Americans with respectto family reunification and bringing in their race and ethnic group.
4. Amnesty would give a HUGE PREFERENCE ot Hispanics over other Americans re the ability to take advantage of the amnesty as Mexico is next door. Others have to get their family here on expensive flights, escape through the airport etc – Even non Mexican Latinos have trouble as they get stopped at the Mexican border.
5. Amnesty would give a HUGE PREFERENCE to Hispanics over other Americans / LEGALI MMIGRANTS who have to meet much more difficult conditions, ie medical,
learn USA history, background check, and presumably no felony. Any illegal in the USA
working is probably guilty of ID theft, a felony and should never be admitted to the USA.
6. Politicians want it in order to increase their voting block, which is RACIST AND violates the
EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW CLAUSE.
Stopping illegal employment is the key. But we need to prepare for the transition to legal employment. It will, inevitably, in the short time, produce shortages and higher prices. And greedy employers will do everything they can to keep their sweetheart deal going.
And they have clout.
We’ve had the same problem for decades, and if our economy suffers a downturn, the problem will abate as it always does. They’ve already built enough houses to last us 10 years; now kick them out. They won’t stay here without work anyway. Most of them think our country sucks, other than the wages. Too repressive, they say, and you only have one nice day a year. They’ll be back for the next building boom. No one will say a thing.
Si….the only good one is a gone one or Gone Juan if you prefer.
I am for an amnesty for illegals who are working and agree to learn English and have no trouble with the law but I also want an END to people sneaking in. No more! We need to do whatever we have to to keep more out. If that means a fence, so be it. If it means a biometric national ID card for every citizen and legal resident so be it. Whatever we have to do so that this amnesty will be the LAST amnesty forever.
“”"Stopping illegal employment is the key. But we need to prepare for the transition to legal employment. It will, inevitably, in the short time, produce shortages and higher prices. And greedy employers will do everything they can to keep their sweetheart deal going.
And they have clout.”"”
Their “clout” might wane somewhat after a few years in a federal prison.
I hope they feel repressed, they shouldn’t feel entitled to citizenry rights unless they go through the naturalization process. If shit sux down in Mexico so much, why don’t they gather up in numbers and raise hell towards their own Opressive regieme.
We need to secure our borders, place HUGE PENALTIES ON EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE ILLEGALS.
THEN AND ONLY THEN IS IT TIME TO ADDRESS THE REMAINING ILLEGALS.
If we do it now, we will be addressing these same issues again, only instead of 21 years; we will be doing it in 5-10 years.
The bush solution, make Mexico look more attractive to Mexican workers than the U.S.! It’s working! God bless Pres. bush.
Hey Ben, how good are you at spotting forged documents? What happens if you’re wrong? L-A-W-S-U-I-T, that’s what…
I can’t believe the stupidity. By forcing illegal immigrants out of employment like meat packing plants you are forcing them into working in the underground economy, where they pay no taxes, get no benefits, and thus become the burden you say they are. How much dumber can you people get?
I agree, door king. But, in the long term, that’s the only way to keep them from coming in the first place. No jobs, no reason to risk death in the desert, exploitation, and so on.
BUt extreme rhetoric aside, I understand the concerns about bringing new people into the economy when the economy is already sucking wind.
I favor giving those who are already here a chance to redeem themselves, so to speak, the much maligned “path to citizenship.”
What’s forgotten is that increased population does not automatically equal an overloaded job pool. It really depends on how it’s done. But our friends in corporate America would like us to forgot that. Scapegoat the wetbacks, but pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
If they can’t use illegal employees, they’ll find a way to outsource it.
IMHO, the real issue is ultimately dignity and respect for the working class, i.e., some recognition that purpose of a strong economy is not (only) to increase the profit margin in
someone’s portfolio.
Bill Clinton’s 1992 slogan–”Putting People First”–seemed practically a Rhorshach test, but, if you think about it, that’s basically it.