It's estimated that there's 8-12 million illegal immigrants in the USA.   How did they get here?   The border has fences, cameras, and long desert walks where people die in the heat.   \n\nBut it can't be that difficult if so many people did it.  Fake documents?  Or do they hide in the trunks of cars? How did they do it?
213581
There is a huge incentive for poor people in a desperately corrupt country to face almost certain death to come to a place where there are far too many short-sighted employers who are willing to sabotage our country by circumventing the whole idea of supply and demand for labor. The problem is not that Americans will not do the jobs that are needed, but that they are not willing to do the jobs for the wages that are offered. Supply and demand says that if you want labor in a tight market, you have to pay what it is worth. By purposefully recruiting desperate people who are entering illegal, and thus cannot defend any human rights they have, the employers are able to pay slave wages, charge for mimimum wage, and pocket the difference.\n\nWe the people are the losers. Instead of building a wall to keep out immigrants, we should deport criminal employers.
559962
Mendi if you open your yahoo browser and put in 'immigration' and 'border security' it will come up.  I saw it on the main stream press.  They are trying to get help from their government.  It was such a problem the US started spending more to drop people further into the interior, to make it easier.\n\nhere: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060617/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_no_way_home_3
191226
I recently read this article in the Chicago Sun Times.  It is both enlightening and scary.  I am living overseas temporarily, but I often wonder what I'll return to when I do come home.  The US is not what it used to be.  Here's the article:\n\nNo easy answers on immigration conundrum \nApril 9, 2006 \nBY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST  \n \nHere's my immigration "compromise": We need to regularize the situation of the 298 million non-undocumented residents of the United States. Right now, we get a lousy deal compared with the 15 million fine upstanding members of the Undocumented American community. I think the 298 million of us in the overdocumented segment of the population should get the chance to be undocumented. You know when President Bush talks about all those undocumented people "living in the shadows"? Doesn't that sound kinda nice? Living in the shadows, no government agencies harassing you for taxes and numbers and paperwork. \nGo ahead, try it. In Michelle Malkin's book Invasion, she recounts the tale of two fellows who in August 2001 pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot in Falls Church, Va., in search of fake ID from the illegal-alien assistance network that hangs around there. Luis Martinez-Flores, who'd been living here illegally since 1994, took them along to the local DMV, supplied them with a fake address and falsely certified they lived there. The very next day, the two guys returned with two pals of their own, and used their own brand-new state ID on which the ink was not yet dry to obtain in turn brand-new state ID for their buddies. A couple of weeks later, all four of them used their Virginia ID to board American Airlines Flight 77 at Dulles Airport and plowed it into the Pentagon. \nThink about that. From undocumented illegal alien in the 7-Eleven parking lot to lawful resident of the State of Virginia in just a couple of hours. Wow. Say what you like about Luis Martinez-Flores, but he runs one efficient operation. \nBy comparison, say you've got two kids under 5, and you'd like to bring over a nice English nanny to look after them. Name of Mary Poppins. Good references, impeccable character. If you apply now, there's a sporting chance the process may be completed before your children's children are in college. \nGiven that the new immigration "compromise" bill retrospectively approves all the millions of people who've been through the super-efficient Luis Martinez-Flores immigration system but without doing anything to improve the sclerotic U.S. government immigration system, maybe it would be better just to subcontract the entire operation to Senor Martinez-Flores and his colleagues. It would certainly be cheaper. The extensive Undocumented American support network manages to run it out of the back of the car from a parking lot without a lot of air-conditioned offices full of lifetime employees on government pensions, and given that the net result is exactly the same people who'd be living here anyway, why not go with the lowball bid? Legal immigrants to the United States can only envy the swift efficient service Messrs. Hani Hanjour and Khalid Almihdhar received outside that 7-Eleven. \nAll developed countries have immigration issues, but few conduct the entire debate as disingenuously as America does: The president himself has contributed a whole barrelful of weaselly platitudes, beginning with his line that "family values don't stop at the Rio Grande." True. They don't stop at the 49th parallel either. Or the Atlantic shore. Or the Pacific. So where do family values stop? At the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. If you're an American and you marry a Canadian or Belgian or Fijian, the U.S. government can take years to process what's supposed to be a non-discretionary immigration application, in the course of which your spouse will be dependent on various transitional-status forms like
662849
The borders are actually very secure.  The real problem there is smugglers, whether of drugs, other goods, or people.  They are very creative, and always have been.  Here in the northwest corner of Washington we are fortunate in that all the border agencies, the DEA, local police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have an unheard-of level of cooperation.\n\nFor instance, Canadian authorities were watching certain suspicious characters and learned that they were digging a tunnel under the border (a short distance from a border crossing!) and placed a simple phone call to our side.  They were allowed to complete the tunnel; we bugged it with electronic devices, and once the DEA had identifed the smugglers' contacts, swooped down and arrested them all.  In another incident, Border Patrol cameras spotted three men exiting a van and walking across the border.  They called the RCMP and the Mounties caught the three men, who were carrying diamonds, $100,000 cash and some 41 handguns.  We picked up the van and its driver.\n\nAnd the one terrorist who tried the border here thought a sleepy ferry crossing was just the ticket.  He fooled nobody and was arrested after a short chase.  (This was that Ressam character.)  He is still in prison.\n\nBefore 9/11 the United States had been working toward borders that were open to most of the world.  We were even letting people from certain countries like the U.K. come in with basic identification, not even visas.  And of course the borders with Canada and Mexico had been unpatrolled by the military for decades (bases on the border were from older eras, particularly those on the Canadian border).  In the Northeast there are many communities which straddle the border and people think nothing of going from one side to the other.  Customs officials are not too concerned about small purchases by ordinary people, and NAFTA was sweeping away a lot of customs duties among the U.S., Canada and Mexico.\n\nThe only real difficulty with open borders here is the immigration problem with Mexico.  The root of the problem is poverty and it is a regional problem (Mexico faces the same immigration difficulties on her southern border), requiring a regional solution.  However, the Republican Party is traditionally loath to tackle poverty directly - they really are the party of the arrogant rich - and the Democrats rarely have workable solutions (the Marshall Plan is a major exception, and please note that George C. Marshall was not really a  politician).\n\nAs for legal immigrants, I think they deserve some breaks, especially since a new amnesty program for illegals has been mooted.\n\nI haven't said much about terrorists here.  That is because they aren't exploiting the open borders.  The borders may be open, but they are watched and guarded.  No, terrorists are exploiting what isn't carefully watched, and that is "the rules."  Every single one of the 9/11 terrorists, and the previous attackers of the World Trade Center too, had a vaild passport.  All had obtained visas or green cards: where they got away with it was in avoiding the follow-up procedures.  They, and half of all illegal immigrants besides, simply overstayed their visas and ignored the reporting requirements (I remember the government used to pay for TV messages advising aliens that they had to send in their address information every January 1).  And they were allowed to get away with it!  On the border, the government is doing its job.  Once inside the border, the government isn't.\n\nMost of the border security measures being proposed will have the effect of closing the open borders and stifling both trade and tourism, especially casual visits that generate a heck of a lot of money on both sides of either border.  They will not have any effect on terrorists and little on smugglers and illegal immigrants.  Increased vigilance helps, and improving cargo inspection methods will help too.  But we need to be addressing th
153303
The border policy is bull. And honestly, it's in the news and all, but the people I talk to in Southern California.. we don't care! It's just the media hype making it out to be a bigger deal than it is (I hope). To get a little stereotypical, what would we possibly do without Mexicans?? Honestly, who would cook, clean, cut grass, wash the dishes, and do all the other jobs that nobody else wants?? And they are not stealing our jobs, because nobody wants them! And if a Mexican is smart enough to compete with us for jobs (not saying they aren't, many many are!) then that is great! Who are we to decide who gets what? Honestly, the crimes that some of them commit aren't enough to deport an entire group of people. And finally, for the kicker.. WE ALL ENTERED THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY! I hate that argument, but honestly, it is true.
364857
The Border Patrol in AZ have already noticed an increase in apprehensions and attempted crossing in my state.\nI think it was 5 years they had to prove they had been in the US.It wont be that easy to fabricate because there is also the fine and payment of back taxes that must be paid,along with a clean police back ground check.\nI'm sure many are coming here already in anticipation of it but they may be in for a rude awaking.There were a lot of conservative Democrats that were elected or retained their seats so,don't expect this to happen any time soon.There are far too many variables for elation of the illegal aliens...just yet.
233681
They have caught many people coming across the Mexican border who are from numerous middle eastern countries as well as North Korea and other countries who wish us harm,a wall would go a long way towards stopping that.Another reason to build the wall is the drug problem,and when you have Mexican police and/or army helping the drug smugglers it kind of becomes a no brainer.I just have one question,why don't all the people who came here for whatever reason and then decided to protest,go back to their countrys,that they love so much and that they hate it here so much and protest THERE and try to change the way things are THERE so they can\nstay with their friends and family where they actually want to be rather then taking it out on us and telling us what dirt bags we are for wanting to protect our borders and maybe lessen the risk of another 9/11.I forgot to mention the gang problem coming across the border also as well as all the other things
231038
Most people don't know what goes on at the border with Mexico. Minutemen nor fences are going to deter coyotes from trafficking people. The corruption is overwhelming,it has been a profitable business for Mexican Customs officials and even some of our own that participate in blowing the whistle where to cross. You are right, our government is attacking this problem all backwards, and just spending tax money fruitlessly. If these people can't find work, for sure they will return home. But as long as we give them a piece of the cake, or even some crumbs, they will still be coming in droves.
196957
I don't know how an illegal can do that! It's the ones who come here with bags of cash, and buy a house and a car and get a business that freak me out. Are these people checked out or what? I've lived here all my life, worked hard and all I own Is a house and an old car.....Got to be something wrong!
254842
The government needs to make damn sure that they don't make the same mistakes they did last time they gave amnesty as obviously the problem only grew worse by now.  I don't agree with amnesty, myself, but I believe the borders need to be locked down very tightly to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and go from there.  Lock the doors and then deal with what is already in the country, but make sure no more come in without going through the correct immigration procedures.  \n\nAs for this forum, I would say that there is some pretty strong racism from both sides of the issue - the illegal immigrants can be as bad in this aspect and worse at times than the other side. I feel that the ones who are often screaming "racism" are often the worst racists, themselves, but they are too emotionally charged and/or ignorant to recognize that.
408922
Illegals are ILLEGAL.  Those folks came into the country illegally.  They're breaking the law by being here.  What's hard to understand about that?'
379825
Either some troops on the border or hurry up and beef up the border patrol the way we were promised, and with firearms.  Someone here said that the illegals are not armed - I beg to differ with that statement - we hear all the time about the illegals coming in with coyotes who are often armed, as well as the drug runners who are armed, and at times even the Mexican Military and Mexican Border Patrol, armed, escorting the drug runners over the border into the USA!  I have heard many times about these people firing on the US Border Patrol.  Whether or not your statistics are 100% accurate, I agree that the largest number of illegal immigrants DO cross into the USA from Mexico, either sneaking over the border or overstaying visitor visas.  These, of course, are not ALL Mexicans; however, as there are many from Central American countries coming over this way, as well as terrorists from the Middle East who are learning Spanish and mixing in with the Mexicans and Central Americans, crossing over illegally while pretending to be Mexican.  \n\nAs well, I laugh when I see people on here correcting other people's spelling and grammar and then, in their own posts, they make spelling and/or grammar errors!  Don't correct others here, unless you are 100% CERTAIN that your postings are 100% error-free!
263270
No. It's the present!\n\nThat article was written poorly!  After reading it three times, I still haven't figured out if it's the American police or Mexican police!   Anyways, it doesn't matter regarding your question.  It sounds like one criminal group is fighting another for an illegal smuggling route.  What does the immigration law have to do with that? \n\nBreaking the law is just that!  We are finally trying to enforce some of our immigration laws. Our Southern border is our weakest link in our national security. It's about time we're doing something about it!
276432
Amen!  It's NOT a MEXICAN ISSUE..it's not just an IMMIGRATION ISSUE...it's an ILLEGAL ISSUE.  NO OTHER COUNTRY WOULD ALLOW IT EITHER...no, not even Mexico.  I have NO problem with anyone who comes here legally.\n\nThere is a process to get here legally.  Yes, this may be a long process, but it's LEGAL and you won't LOSE YOUR LIFE if you do it the way that's LEGAL.  \n\nI really think it's a shame that the protests yesterday really put all of the immigrants in one category..but it was their own fault.
620941
I totally agree with you.  I live in one of those states.  The city I live in is now 96% hispanic.\nI don't have to tell you what that means.\nAs far as the comment that you are not illegal and don't have to go through what they are going through is crap.  No one forces them to cross the border.  I am tried of all the complaining about the American people and our government.  They need to do something about their own government.  By the way, my city now looks like Tijuana.  The very kind of city they are trying to get away from.  And for all you bleeding hearts in other areas that are not being affected by this yet.  Sit tight.  Coming soon to a city near you.l
194518
80% of the illegals that are coming across the border are not even Mexicans. They are from Guatamala and El Salvador , Panama, China and so on. Its not the Mexicans that are crossing over the border except for maybe a few. Now 1000's cross everyday with a Visa to go shopping in San Diego and in doing so are paying mega cash into state tax which who is benifiting from? They arent because they are go back home.  Yeah the government in Mexico sucks but things are changing slowly and thats because who ever tries to change things to fast and are noticed those people disappear. A few years back Colossio who was running for President came to Tijuana to speak and since he was wanting to change things for the people he was shot. In your question you said " it will take some Blood , sweat and tears . and thats how we made this country what it is.  Now I ask you Whos blood sweat and tears  made this country? Yours?  Whos blood and sweat do you think made The US?  AMericans?   American is not a race, it is a name given to a country in which every race of the world came together to build the country.
570714
It really sucks, doesn't it!?!   It infuriates me that these people are able to sneak into our country in the first place. I have seen the videos showing the coyote layup sites (where they meet up with their smugglers).  What a huge mess.  It is a real shame!\n\nI have joined the Minuteman project (National as well as my state chapter). They are at least trying to make a dent in it.  Check out the videos and other information at their website.\n\nI love the new motto "National Citizen Neighborhood Crime Watch - Securing America's Border"