Posted on 02/07/2013 4:57:02 AM PST by shoff
Friend --
I was brought to this country from Mexico when I was 2 years old.
I am an undocumented immigrant -- and I am living proof that our immigration system is broken.
For the first 17 years of my life, I slept on a couch. My mom worked three jobs to support our family.
I worked hard, too. I did my homework, participated in class, and earned the opportunity go to college. But after I enrolled, state law changed and many undocumented immigrants were forced to drop out. Suddenly they could no longer afford the education they were eager to work for.
We started organizing. We'd go up to people on campus, and ask them if they'd heard about the DREAM Act, which would allow hard-working immigrants who grew up in the U.S. to earn a path to citizenship. For those who opposed it, we'd tell them what happened to us.
It was amazing: Just telling our stories would change people's minds.
This is exactly how we're going to persuade people across the country to get behind President Obama's plan for comprehensive immigration reform.
Everyone has a story -- I'm sure you do, too. As the President said last week, "Unless you're one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from someplace else. Somebody brought you."
At this critical moment, will you share your immigration story? Organizing for Action will use these stories to move the conversation forward.
Now, almost six years later, I've completed law school and was fortunate to receive deferred action. I consider myself an American, and I want to play by the same rules as everyone else. But, as it stands, I can never become a citizen. I can't adjust my status. For most of my life, I could have been arrested, detained, and deported.
I'm not alone. Millions of undocumented immigrants like me live in fear of being deported permanently to a country we may have never even visited. Our entire lives could be erased.
You might not live under the same shadow. But the best thing about this country is that we are more alike than we are different. We all have a story of a mother, or grandfather, or great-great grandparent who came here to find opportunity or safety.
Through this grassroots movement, we can raise our voices, tell our stories, and make sure Congress and all Americans better understand the ties that bind us. Our stories can drive our organizing. Share your own story today, and help Organizing for Action get the word out on why this matters:
http://my.barackobama.com/Share-Your-Immigration-Story
The majority of Americans agree we need to fix our badly broken system, and we saw major progress last week. But it's on us to keep up the momentum and make sure it gets done.
Thanks for speaking up.
Jose
Jose Magana
kick his and every other illegal alien out!!!
They forced me to shut down a 57 year old business started in 1936.
I either had to get rid of my employees that were getting $23.86 plus $7.80 in fringes and hire illegal aliens at $12 cash with no deductions or go out of business.
Instead of violating all the labor and tax laws I closed the business in 1992.
I hate the gad damn bastards!!!!!
WWMD? What Would Mexico DO...to an illegal alien residing within it’s borders?
I’m related to William Bradford. I’m also related to American Indians (who didn’t, as the President apparently believes, spring up from the ground here). I guess I’m not “American”, according to the Idiot-In-Chief.
My biggest problem with all of this is there are many people in many countries that choose to come here legally from the beginning, and put in a lot of time and money to attempt to do so. Each and every one of them deserve to become citizens before anyone that came here illegally in my opinion.
Another issue is we did amnesty before, and were promised the border would be secured and laws would be enforced against future illegals. This did not happen and here we are again being promised a secure border and enforcement. Fool me once...
All somebody has to say is that all we are asking is to have the same immigration policy as Mexico.
“Just found out, through my mother’s estate, that I’m 1/16 Cherokee.”
We may be distant relatives. lol!
At least I KNOW that I am here LEGALLY (unlike this jerk)!!!
So did you immediately break into singing Paul Revere and the Raiders' "Indian Reservation"?
I have a nice box of beads for any guns you have.
My earliest ancestor stepped off an unnamed ship about 1650 onto the coast of what later became Virginia. It took them almost 200 years to make it to Texas.
Post about the truth in numbers of illegal’s
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2986286/posts
I agree that borders need to be secured and that everyone who is following the law is first in line for citizenship. I have friends and family who came in legally, expensively, and with promise that they could not be burden to our government.
But some illegals work so hard, don’t collect food stamps or welfare, and have no one to go back to in their country of origin. I’d rather have them than the food-stamp-collecting, free-cellphones welfare class that’s here legally!
I was brought to the US by my family when I was 8. I have not once had to look over my shoulder, sleep on a couch or worry about my education. My family worked as hard as this whiner's, perhaps harder. As did I.
And I am NOT a hyphenated American. As soon as I was of legal age, I became a citizen. My children are all legal citizens and not a single whiner in the bunch.
Seems like going the legal route has its advantages, small though they may be.
From where is my family?
Why here, the United States. My ancestors 11 generations or so back immigrated here from the British Isles.
I was bought as a baby by a mormon couple from a mormon doctor who supplied falsified birth certificates showing them as the birth parents. So I have no idea of my heritage and no way to obtain that information.
I once ran into an elderly couple from Norway who began addressing me as someone they knew from their home village, they said I was such a twin of this man they genuinely thought they were running into him here in the U.S. ...so I adopt the Norse as my ancestors.
I hate to be the one to tell you, but in many areas of our country it is the illegals that are the biggest burden. Most of those that are working do not make enough to live on and have to rely on welfare, food stamps, free medical, etc. Not to mention those that are just here for the handouts and the many criminals that came here to be criminals clogging our courts and filling our jails.
NPR did a program about 5 years ago about immigration from the Phillipines.
Man works at Subic Bay for 30 years, and is allowed to ask for a visa for himself, wife, and son (15yrsold).
After 3 years, son turns eighteen - has to reapply from scratch- he can no longer piggy back on his father’s visa.
After 5 years, man gets a visa, he and his wife go to US. Son gets married - he either re-applies for his family (start process all over again), or he goes to the US, then applies to bring over his family.
After 8 years, son gets a visa to travel to US. He sets up an internet link so he can see his wife and children, and they can see him. Son applies to bring family over.
His family is expected to arrive in US in another 5 years.
MEANWHILE this yahoo has jumped the line, and cries in his beer about how hard he has it.
I hadn’t heard this as I cannot stand to hear his voice, but this is got to be a top ten Obama inanity.
Is he saying that America is the centerpoint of creation? I thought it was Africa. So we’re all descended from American Indians.
Of course, how is he certain they were the first?
Officer of the Court? We’re quickly losing our moral grounding. The guys a liar and a cheat and that he was a child when it happened doesn’t change the facts.
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