Let's Face It -- ILLEGALS are Part of Our Society

Orlando Sentinel ^ | February 13th, 2002 | Maria Padilla

[Sabertooth]

¡Caramba!

You let me have it after last week's column about how immigrants in Florida are under greater scrutiny when they renew their drivers licenses.

About 50 readers called or e-mailed, mostly to give me a whack on the head for being too sympathetic toward illegal immigrants, who cannot obtain licenses or state-issued identification cards under more stringently enforced procedures.

Nearly all said that illegals are entitled to nothing because they shouldn't be in the country in the first place.

OK. Now hear this.

It's very likely that many illegal immigrants -- Hispanic and otherwise -- will be deported. That's the intent of legislation at the state and national levels, and that's what the Border Patrol does each day.

But folks, let's talk about what is -- not only what should be. While many people will be deported, it's also true that an untold number will elude authorities. That's the way it has always been.

Some immigration lawyers already are advising their clients to keep a low profile and avoid contact with government.

Again, that's not the way it should be, but that's the way it is.

Why so much sympathy for illegal Mexicans or other Hispanics? Because they are horribly exploited. Contrary to popular opinion, they work hard and contribute mightily to this country's economy.

The United States wouldn't have millions of illegal immigrants were it not for the business community's voracious appetite for cheap labor.

Do not forget that before Sept. 11, business was stalking Congress to push for a new Mexican-worker program that would have brought tens of thousands of new, low-wage workers to this country.

The terrorist attacks quashed that -- for now. Like many illegal immigrants, however, the business community is laying low, waiting for the right moment to act.

The drivers licenseprocedures are going to push a lot more people underground, where they will be open to more exploitation. And they are going to place Florida's lawful drivers at risk.

The illegal immigrants who manage to elude officials have (or had) drivers licenses, and they have cars. They will continue to drive state roads and highways -- only they won't have licenses or insurance.

One e-mailer wrote that he had a collision with an unlicensed and uninsured immigrant driver, and he therefore couldn't obtain compensation for damages.

State transportation officials say that some illegal immigrants already obtain their drivers licenses in neighboring states that have lax requirements, and it's fair to say that many more will do so now.

However, the great irony of this legislation is that law enforcement was able to trace the steps of some of the Sept. 11 terrorists in part because they had Florida licenses.

I am not advocating that illegal immigrants get special treatment, but I am acknowledging reality. Push an inflated balloon in one place, and it will pop out in another.

Finally, the stepped up enforcement has placed all Hispanics -- including U.S. citizens -- under a magnifying glass. State license workers can single out Hispanics by their Spanish surnames. If workers are doing so, that is discriminatory. Most Hispanics in this country are citizens either by birth or naturalization.

The only thing that separates most Hispanics from fellow U.S. citizens is their last names.

Maria Padilla can be reached at 407-420-5162 or mpadilla@orlandosentinel.com.

[Sabertooth]

Just..

say...

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[Sabertooth]

(((ping))))

[Chad Fairbanks]

The only thing that separates most Hispanics from fellow U.S. citizens is their last names...

Sure, last names... oh, and often times legal citizenship, as well...

[Dawgsquat]

"Some immigration lawyers already are advising their clients to keep a low profile and avoid contact with government."

Love it! Lawyers that advise you to break the law.

[Allegra]

very likely that many illegal immigrants -- Hispanic and otherwise -- will be deported. That's the intent of legislation at the state and national levels, and that's what the Border Patrol does each day.

Yeah, right.

[boris]

"The only thing that separates most Hispanics from fellow U.S. citizens is their last names."

And the fact that they vote reliably Socialist.

Heck, let's think big. What are borders except imaginary lines on a map? (Well, bookstores too). Why don't we just declare every human in the hemisphere to be a 'citizen?' That way they can apply for welfare in situ and avoid the arduous trek northward.

A nation that cannot control its borders--or will not--ceases to be a nation.

--Boris

[blaze]

http://www.petitiononline.com/immiGBA/petition.html

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Is that what Jlo is gonna look like in 10 years?

[mdittmar]

yo no entiendo el español.

[mn12]

The only thing that separates most Hispanics from fellow U.S. citizens is their last names...

Sure, last names... oh, and often times legal citizenship, as well...

...And what about their refusal to learn English? Can't forget that one.

[dennisw]

I don't believe women who have crew cuts.

[Brian Allen]

"The only thing that separates most Hispanics from fellow U.S. citizens is their last names."

And the fact that they vote reliably Socialist.

A nation that cannot control its borders--or will not--ceases to be a nation.

--Boris

BORDERS!

LANGUAGE!

CULTURE!

FReegards

Brian

[FITZ]

The only thing that separates most Hispanics from fellow U.S. citizens is their last names.

This is actually true. Most Hispanic citizens speak English, obey the laws as much as anyone else. It's the non-citizens who speak a foreign language, don't follow the laws and should be sent back until they decide to apply for legal immigration like the rest of the immigrants did.

[Sabertooth]

Woman?

[FITZ]

What hurts the image of "Hispanics" is the huge number of illegals that are classified with them as a group. If you took out all the illegals and their immediate descendents, the statistics on Hispanics and image of them would jump up by miles. The word "Hispanic" is misleading because a third generation Cuban-American or 8th generation Hispanic of the SW doesn't have that much in common with an illegal from Guatemala or Mexico.

[eeriegeno]

Caramba! Maria Padilla says that we should ignore the illegal aliens in our country? That 'all that separates us from them is a name'? Maybe Bill Clinton would invite them to sneak into our country so that they could vote for him, but I sure as hell don't. For the sake of the next generation, it is past time to have all aliens register at the nearest post office (as it used to be). Illegals, whether they be hispanic, arabic, or french, need to be accounted for!!!!!!

[Sabertooth]

But they never have any hard facts to back them up.

No, I believe in polls illegals say that they work hard, pay taxes, and never take handouts.

What more proof could there be?

[kennyo]

Contrary to popular opinion, they work hard and contribute mightily to this country's economy.

Is this contrary to popular opinion?I don't think so.It must be terribly hard work just to get here illegally.It's just irrelevant.

The United States wouldn't have millions of illegal immigrants were it not for the business community's voracious appetite for cheap labor.

Yeah,it's our fault for being such a successful society.Why don't they work hard and contribute mightily to the Mexican economy???

State license workers can single out Hispanics by their Spanish surnames. If workers are doing so, that is discriminatory.

Not even in Mexico is "discrimination" against the law.Only in a country infected with today's cultural lunacy would the idea that actually using your God-given brain be against the law.