If you break the law, no matter how nice or hard working you are, why should you not be punished for breaking the law? Does working hard and raising a family make it ok to break the law? If this was true, I could rob stores or steal money as long as I was nice and cleaned toilets. Does this make sense? Please, only illegal immigrants respond (or people who sympathize with them).
199417
***In Response To parrotjohn2001\n\nThe problem is that this (Fourteenth Amendment)has been misinterpreted in recent years to mean simply that anyone born in the U.S, under any circumstances, is an American citizen.\nThis is neither the original intent of the law nor the way it was interpreted by the courts in subsequent decades. Some Americans speak of birthright citizenship as if it were an immutable law of nature. \nIt is not, and most other nations do not, in fact, recognize it. It is only a BAD HABIT that could be broken with a simple Executive Order. \n\nAccording to estimates, some 200,000 so-called anchor babies are born in the United States every year. \nOnce a mother has birthed a child on American soil, she can then seek to obtain citizenship for herself on the strength of the family-reunification laws. \nEven before this happens, she is very hard to deport, as the mother of an American, and the full panoply of welfare benefits is available to her, as is affirmative action if she is a member of a racial minority. \n"The situation we have today is absurd," alleges Craig Nelsen, director of Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement, \na group of attorneys and immigration experts that is trying to do something about the problem. \n"There is a huge and growing industry in Asia that arranges tourist visas for pregnant women so they can fly to the United States and give birth to an American. \nThis was not the intent of the Fourteenth Amendment; it makes a mockery of citizenship."\n\nThe key to undoing the current misinterpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment is this odd phrase \n"AND SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION THEREOF." \nThe whole problem is caused by the fact that the meaning of this phrase, which was clear to anyone versed in legal language in 1868, has slipped with changes in usage. Fortunately, there is a large group of court precedents that make clear what the phrase actually means: \n\nThe Fourteenth Amendment excludes the children of aliens. (The Slaughterhouse Cases (83 U.S. 36 (1873)) \n\nThe Fourteenth Amendment draws a distinction between the children of aliens and children of citizens. (Minor v. Happersett (88 U.S. 162 (1874)) \nThe phrase "subject to the jurisdiction" requires "direct and immediate allegiance" to the United States, not just physical presence. \n(Elk v. Wilkins 112 U.S. 94 (1884)) \n\nThere is no automatic birthright citizenship in a particular case. (Wong Kim Ark Case, 169 U.S. 649 (1898)) \n\nThe Supreme Court has never confirmed birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens, temporary workers, and tourists. \n(Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202, 211 n.10 (1982)) \n\nThere are other cases referring to minor details of the question.\n\n the so-called 14th amendment was never properly ratified either.  In the case of Dyett v. Turner, 439 P.2d  266, 270 (1968), the Utah Supreme Court recited numerous historical facts proving, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the so‑called 14th amendment was likewise a major fraud upon the American People.\n\nThose facts, in many cases, were Acts of the several State Legislatures voting for or against that proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution.  The Supreme Law Library has a collection of references detailing this major fraud.\n\n The U.S. Constitution requires that constitutional amendments be ratified by three-fourths of the several States.  As such, their Acts are governed by the Full Faith and Credit Clause in the U.S. Constitution.  See Article IV, Section 1.\n\n Judging by the sheer amount of litigation its various sections have generated, particularly Section 1, the so‑called 14th amendment is one of the worst pieces of legislation ever written in American history.  The phrase “subject to the jurisdiction of the United States” is properly understood to mean “subject to the municipal jurisdiction of Congress.”   \n\nFor this one reason alone, the Congressional Resolution proposing the s
202513
yes of course over the years this has happened time and time again\n\nMost of these people are really nice people and hard workers, but they are being rewarded for breaking the law.\n\nIf I was unemployed and decided , heck I will rob banks but not use any weapon so no one can get hurt, I am not hurting anyone, so why does it matter.\n\nShould I not be forgiven for breaking the law, I was merley trying to make a better life for myself and I was not hurting anyone.
313883
I don't get it.  The problem with this debate is that there are too many Squares that must follow the rules. Given how much a job in the US means to an immigrant's family I feel that it is okay to look the other way.   Plus anything that makes it illegal for Children here in the United States to get an Education or go to the hospital because they'd get arrested is complete BS.
227884
Most of the Hispanic people I have met are hard-working, relatively honest people who simply want a better life for their families. It's hard to fault a person for that. However, strating a new life by breaking the law is not the best way to begin again. I favor a "Green Card" system which allows "guest workers," and a serious crackdown on those who flout the law by illegally crossing the border.
329511
i believe we need to secure our borders,but criminalizing a group of hardworking people trying to escape poverty for their family's sake is not right.is anyone aware of the hardships and living conditions these people put up with so they can send extra money to their faMILIES.hell these are the type of people that should be americans.
629743
If you are an immigrant and have not become a naturalized citizen and commit a crime, you can be deported. This has been in the immigration laws since the 1880s. You're father sounds like a very ignorant bastard and so do you.
631538
Illegal immigration is not a crime.\n\nHe would serve the same sentence as a citizen. Upon completion, he would be deported.\n\nResponse to comment following this one:\n\nIllegal immigration is a minor offense and is not considered a "crime." It is equivalent to a traffic ticket.
160239
To Bryan:\n\nCriminals you said? for what? Because they come here to work? You would do the same if you were in that position, would it make you a criminal to want to give a better life to your family So stupid of you! lucky to be born here huh?
236529
Thats funny,Some of these responses r even funnier though.People just dont get it.If you break the law in this country you get punished for it.Saying that certain people should be immune to punishment because of "Fellings of the Heart"is just plain nonsense.If you do allow some to get away with breaking the law,when others are punished, We all might as well give up and have total Anarchy because this is how it starts.
466304
may be the question should now be, why do we hate illegal immigrants so much, cause they broke a law? or cause they are poorer to be legal? so does every one here think being illegal is a choice? how dumb is that, it is not a salad dressing, if they were giving a chance to be legal, they would definitely would, but we are so ready to toss judgment at the poor or the incapable, maybe ask dear old bush to make a bet easier for them, so they would come out of the ditches they live in and be a "good citizen"
497970
Why does everybody think its better to hit the person who has more harder for the same thing? You committed the crime you suffer the punishment, whatever it is. It's the same mentality as these people who claim that rich people get off light on crimes. I think its all a matter of resenting those who have money and a desire to take it away from them. Go out and earn it yourself if you want to be rich.\n\nWhy should the penalty for speeding be a monetary fine? Why shouldn't it be something more appropriate like picking up litter along the highway? Seems a lot more sensible to me. The reason its money is so the government has another excuse to reach into your pocket. Why are you so eager to take money from one group to give to the government?
499409
That depends on HOW you were raised.. For many people, it would be OK to steal for any reason because that is/was t he way they were raised.. It might also be OK to kill someone for a dime... Civilized people were not brought up under such corrupt morals.. Thus, I would NOT find it OK to do anything like what you just talked about.
170866
I did all those things at some point in my life... plus other things like pulling the heads off shrimp, picking berries, doing child care, cleaning people's houses, and a lot more. It isn't only minorities who do these things.\n\nBut illegal is illegal. I have no problem with foreigh-born people coming to the US legally. And when I've gone to other countries (including Mexico), I've always gone in legally and obeyed their laws. I am definitely not a conservative -- I'm a political moderate. But it makes sense that anyone in this country should be here legally.\n\nAnd I think we should compel American employers not to hire people who are not here legally. As long as these companies can have cheap labor, they can take advantage of people who are here illegally. When the fines are large enough, then they will stop and there will be little reason to come here without the proper documents.
356195
You are absolutely correct...  If these people are so "hard working" then why do they take the first opportunity they see to not work?\n\nTo krystal_75034:  Your argument does not hold water.  I don't care if they "want what we have because they don't have it in their poverty stricken country," they are getting it illegally.  Are you telling me that if some guy rapes my wife, that's okay because he just wanted what I have and can't get it in his sexless marriage?  No!  It's illegal.  I don't understand why people can't understand the concept of laws.  Breaking the law makes you a criminal.  End of story.
172776
Oh, my dear PANCHA...  You already know my stand on this,... but we'll 'dance' again...\n\nIt may very well be that many illegal immigrants don't understand the severity of their crime.  But that doesn't matter:\n\nIGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE...Period!  Without the 'Rule of Law', society would degrade into utter chaos.  \n\nImagine that I go into a parking lot and find your car, unlocked, and with the keys in it.  Does that mean that I'm suppose to drive it?  And if I take your car, get caught, and am charged with a crime,... would it be okay with you if I claim that I didn't understand how severe the crime was?;  that I decided to take the car because I wanted to get somewhere faster than walking, and the opportunity just presented itself? (...and yes, that IS a fair comparison).\n\nNo one should enter another STATE, much less another country, without being knowledgeable of the laws which apply to them.\n\nOne would think, given the overwhelming opinions against your rhetoric on this issue, that you would have 'seen the light' by now.\n\nBut PANCHA must, indeed, live in a  very dark and lonely place...
253680
It's the same with any crime, should a counterfitter be allowed to keep making money simply because he did it for so long and got away with it that it should be considered legal for him?  Just because they have been here for 2, 5, or 10 years, bought a house, had kids (along with the ones they brought in) have a job, does this make them legal now?\nIf that's the case, I'm going to start printing up some bills right now, if I get away with it long enough, i'll be a millionaire by the time I'm 40!
558139
NO NO NO!!\n\n  I am a Native American, so don't preach to me that my ancestors were illegal immigrants. Illegal is illegal, no matter who they are, or where they came from.\n\n Why punish those who have applied for and are waiting for LEGAL citizenship? They are being pushed to the end of the line because they did it legally. I do not believe in rewarding illegals in any way. If they had kids born here, that's too bad. They should go back to their own country anyway, and apply for legal citizenship, so those who have waited for years, aren't punished.\n\nIt is a gross miscarriage of justice to reward these law breakers. Send them to the end of the line and reward those who have done it correctly. The labor force will NOT suffer, because the LEGAL immigrants will fill the gaps left by the illegals.