Posted on 08/10/2004 6:04:26 PM PDT by neverdem
You may be right, but every single argument you just made could be addressed by increasing the number of legal immigrants into the country. We have let the liberals frame this debate: if you are against illegal immigration you are against immigrants (and at least implicitly a racist). I have no problem allowing increased immigrant labor, but lets do it without violating the law, giving up an important part of our national sovereignty and creating a huge industry of tax evasion and forgery that is going to make it a lot easier for some terrorist to pull off the next 9/11 (and yes I know most of them were in the country legally).
That's fine with me. I don't like the fact that our economy has become dependent upon immigrant labor. To me they are a necessary evil accommodation in such large numbers. But I've adjusted to many changes and no longer get upset because things can't always remain the same.
I agree. These people are invaders. We should kill 90% and send the rest back so they know what happens when they try to enter the country illegally. I'm all for imigration if done right.
Yes, I guess we can ask the Mexican government for the criminal records of any Mexican laborers that want to enter, right?
I mean, what other way is there to determine whether they're really laborers or smugglers/terrorists?
Should we polygraph them, maybe?
"More people would be driving their cars with body damage."
Funny you should say that, given the propensity of illegals to drive around without any insurance.
I think the amount of body damage might well go down, along with insurance rates.
Same way we do now. Just because they don't speak English doesn't mean they don't have fingerprints, birth certificates, driver's licenses, etc...
We check everyone at entry points, even Texan WASPs named bayourod. The ones who are smuggling are the ones who have contraband on them. The laborers are carrying weed whackers, the terrorists rocket launchers.
On the Southern border we have an average of one border guard per 1/5th mile. Divide the miles of streets in your city by the number of police officers and tell me how many you have per mile.
In addition we have fences, drones, local sheriffs and constables, infrared cameras, sensor detectors, helocopters, undercover agents, rewards for terrorists, cell phone monitors, etc...
Unfortunately too many resources are diverted to processing good employees who are just returning from visiting their families in Mexico.
"Just because they don't speak English doesn't mean they don't have fingerprints, birth certificates, driver's licenses, etc..."
Do you expect that Joe Random Border-crasher is going to bring these documents with him? (Do they even bother with birth certificates in Mexico?)
If he doesn't, how long do we detain him until we get those documents? What if we don't get them in a timely manner?
Will we accept a matricula consular in lieu of those documents?
I think any laborers who wish to enter this country need to apply well in advance. It should not be the free-for-all that it is now.
"I think any laborers who wish to enter this country need to apply well in advance."
That's the problem. It takes up to two years to get a green card. Renewals are no better. The INS is the worse bureaucracy in our government, probably because the unions don't want efficiency.
terrorists coming from Morocco thru SPAIN to learn SPANISH then sneak into USA via Mexico....?
Not a fair comparison.
The city I live in has about 5 streets which enter/exit it, and about 10 cops that can sit at those entrances to look for drunk drivers entering or leaving the city.
So make that about 2 cops for every border street in this city.
WRT to the border, I realize that you have a vested interest in ensuring that your cheap labor can pass freely.
By the way, do local sheriffs and constables really enforce federal immigration law?
"It takes up to two years to get a green card."
Well, I guess that means someone needs to plan ahead, don't they?
It takes two years to get a security clearance. Aren't the same sort of background checks done in either case?
If you're talking about interior enforcement of immigration violations--there is far more enforcement of drunk driving laws than of immigration laws.
Yes, I am enjoying the greatest period of economic prosperity in our nation's history. So are a lot of other people who are too ignorant of macro economics to realize that without immigrant labor we would be in a recession.
Yes, I am enjoying the greatest period of economic prosperity in our nation's history. So are a lot of other people who are too ignorant of macro economics to realize that without immigrant labor we would be in a recession.
Really?
I don't know if it's ever been proven that the costs of illegal immigration don't outweigh the advantages.
When you figure the costs of:
1)Emergency room care
2)20 people living in a single-family home
3)Welfare
4)Food stamps
5)Driving without insurance (car accidents)
6)25% of federal prisoners not being in the country legally
I'm not so sure that these supposed economic benefits outweigh the disadvantages. What say you?
And note that I am not talking about legal immigration, I am talking about ILLEGAL immigration.
I think the cheap-labor lobby only wants the ILLEGAL kind, because they use that as a bargaining chip for wages. Legal immigrants would likely demand just as much money for the same job as the people born here, or if not, would quickly do so after figuring out what they were worth.
Bush is in Vicente Fox's back pocket
Really?
Well, it's a start.
This is complete BS. How hard is it to understand that it shouldn't matter from what country a person is here illegally. Ship them back, and stop this catering to Mexico already. In my opinion, ff there is one area that Bush is definately weak, it is his stance regarding Mexico.
Here's the Border Patrol thread.
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