What political changes can Latinos promote regarding immigration?
369473
(1) Make the process of immigrating legally more secure.  As it is now, for example, the different offices within the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services do not have a good means of communicating with one another.  Whenever I moved, I had to send letters to the different offices processing different aspects of my immigration process, letting them know of my change of address.  This is clearly a problem.  If the BCIS is supposed to monitor the comings and goings of immigrants before granting the permanent residency (and this is something that most Americans would agree should happen, given the heightened concerns about national security in recent times), then the BCIS should have some sort of computerized information system that allows it to share information among its different offices.  As a future citizen, it does not make me feel safe in the least bit that the BCIS relies on applicants to send letters to different offices to let them know of their whereabouts, simply because they do not have the technology to share that information.  By stressing the weaknesses--on matters of national security--of immigration procedure, we can make sure that Congress takes a hard look at the other inefficiencies of the system.\n\n(2) Make the immigration procedure more humane: After I got married to an American citizen, I applied for permanent residence.  Had I known what I was going to be subjected to, I probably would have simply extended my F-1 student visa (I came to study a PhD).  Instead, I got treated like a pseudo-criminal for two and a half years: I had to apply for 'advanced parole' (with five months in advance) in order to visit ailing relatives back home.  Obviously, this didn't work out all that well, since I had to anticipate when my relatives would have ailments in order to visit them.  I also had to renounce three different invitations to conferences in Europe that would have bolstered my curriculum vitae extraordinarily, simply because the invitations came within three months of the events, and I didn't have the time to apply for said 'advanced parole.'\n\n(3) We can vote for the party that shows less contempt for our common background.  I may have more reasons to resent illegal immigration than many Americans (since I actually had to go through a painful and humilliating process to become a legal permanent resident), but I do not resent them at all, and this is largely the case because I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the educational and economic opportunities to get to where I am, and I know how difficult it is for ordinary hard-working, low-wage people to get here legally (if you ask me, it is nearly impossible).  I also detect a remarkable degree of hypocrisy on the part of the nativists, whose ancestors at some point came to the US, and they did so most likely without an education, without money, the beneficiaries of a laxer immigration policy that by and large didn't turn away people because of their social class (think of Ellis island).  So by acquiring the American citizenship, we can help tone down the rhetoric, hopefully bring back the US to a more open system of legal immigration, all the while joining efforts with those who would like to secure the American southern border.\n\n(4) We can also tone down our own rhetoric, where it is excessive and ludicrous.  Americans have a right to want to protect their middle and lower classes from the effects of globalization, and we have to understand and embrace this.  While illegal immigration is not the cause of the economic woes of the lower and middle classes here, it is true nonetheless that illegal immigrants bring down wages on average.  (One may argue that they also offer more competition to low-wage American workers, and that competition is indeed a useful remedy to economic stagnation, but this argument only goes so far.)  So let us be responsible, and let us not see bigotry in every corner of American polit
526517
great question?  We need to get involved in helping to reform the Mexicans political system and get involved in helping them to find a better way of life in their own country!
571343
What one's political leanings are doesn't really matter here.  Of course the immigration issue is a smokescreen to distract from any number of issues that make the GOP look bad or weak ahead of the all important mid-term elections.  Immigration is a hot button in states that have key elections coming up.  It's brilliant when you think about it, because the democrats can't really come out against it without appearing soft, and if the embrace the issue, they might as well concede right now.  \n\nUlitmately, all politics comes down to this; winning elections.  Only when you win elections can you create policy.  If Bush loses Congress, he becomes a lame duck and puts the GOP at risk of not winning the Presidency in 2008.  This year's midterm election is incredibly important to the GOP and they are going to play to their traditional strengths like tax cuts and security (i.e. immigration).
494808
-Labor to do work that not american would do.\n-Improvement in the birth rate.\n-Keep the racists happy because the undocumented workers don't get legalization.
1114465
NOTHING will change. \n\nThe reason it was even brought up was so it can look like Bush is doing something.\n\nNothing will change because us rich americans want someone who will mow our lawns for cheap and work in our restaraunts for cheap.    The majority of people in office benefit from illegals so it wont change.\n\nI get my car washed inside and out, completely polished for $5 right outside of NYC thanks to illegals.  Viva Mexico!
757353
I'm not an inmigration lawyer, but I can probably advise you a little bit:  COntact an action league for your ethnicity.  For instance, if you are latino, contact a Latino/Mexican/political action group.  They will probably have someone on staff taht can answer inmigration questions.
508953
Current proposals include English fluency for citizenship.\n\nSimilar objections are raised with every new wave of immigrants, but they will be absorbed as was the preceeding wave. \n\nI lived in a multicultural environment as a child, and enjoyed it all.  Many Italian mothers and grandmothers spoke only their native language, but my Irish grandparents came with English and Gaelic. Those Italians who were not home-bound by culture quickly learned English on the streets, and in school. At home they spoke to their elders in Italian. My Russian Polish Jewish stepfather, born in the U.S., could communicate in many languages, but most often Yiddish.\n\nWe all learned and experienced ceremonies, holidays, customs, foods, dances and songs from one another.  When we spent our summers at the seashore - no A/C in those days - we performed those songs and dances with and for one another.  \n\nToday, all of us feel assimilated, and appreciate the many gifts passed down from those who braved the unknown to come to America.  None of us are terrorists or criminals, nor are any that I still know xenophobic or racist.  We are mostly tolerant, socially progressive and fiscally conservative.  Politically we are split 50/50.\n\nJust as in the late 1800's when our grandparent's lived in the Irish, Italian and Jewish ghettos of NYC today's immigrant finds comfort and safety in being with "his own kind."  Over time many diverse interests replace language and skin color as reasons to be neighbors.  Today my neighbors' lineages are: a Dane with an Irish wife, a German with a Portuguese wife, a Norwegian with an Irish husband, an English pair, and the Irish in my home.  So too will it be for the wave now arriving.
681889
First of all, keep in mind that there are no changes to the immigration laws yet. There still needs to be a consensus bill bewteen the Senate and House which the President would need to sign.\n\nAside from that, if the Senate bill were to pass in its current form, it will not have any effect on the status of those who are here legally. The proposed legislation offers legalization, and, in some respects, will put the illegals on a path to residency/citizenship faster than those who have followed the rules (no matter what their status). It is a definite slap in the face to all those who followed the letter of the law, but that's the U.S. government for you....to the politicians in Washington, its not about what's right, its about getting re-elected.
1112201
I won't jump on you.  Consider me a friend.  You may be right.  I don't know if the government has that goal.  My perception though is that the government, which in this case I'm mainly referring to our elected representatives that make policy, doesn't have a history of making decisions based on the best thing to do or the most sensible.  Votes speak loudly.  Immigrants, especially Mexican, are very influential in elections.  Candidates spend alot of time catering to the Spanish vote.  A politician who wants to be elected or re-elected would be foolish in a state that has a high population of voting immigrants, to not promise them things to win votes.  The President does the same thing.  We'll never know what a president or other politician really thinks or what he says behind the walls of his own home.  If we did, we wouldn't elect them.  Regarding your question, I think the government does send a message that we want to be sensitive to our immigrants and we tout how important they are to the work force.  And at the same time the same officials talk as though they want border control, strict enforcement, etc etc.  It's an art of catering to both sides of an issue without we the voters figuring out what's going on.\n\nAt least that's the way I see it in a thumbnail sketch form.
322505
STAY IN SCHOOL.  As a retired teacher, I know that Latinos are exposed to the same opportunities for obtaining an education as any other race.  They will be better represented in government when they pursue their education and stay informed.
815818
Well, I think your facts are reversed.  As you know, many conservative Republicans are not in favor of making helping an illegal alien from another country, for example Mexico, a crime.  As you probably also know, in spring and summer of this year, there were nation-wide protests relating to this hot-button issue.  However, at his press conference the other morning, President Bush proclaimed that he could pass his agenda as far as immigration goes.  Therefore, Dem's are more likely to help President Bush pass a law making assisting illegal aliens a felony.  Therefore, I believe that you have your facts reversed. Wouldn't you want to help your own people?  Unless many of the Mexican-Americans were uninformed of the Dem's stand on this issue, then I would have to say that they would not vote Dem's into office because of their stand on this issue.
1049886
I would suggest reading a good article on immigration, titled "Immigration Has Different Impacts". You can view it at:\n\nhttp://www.sandiegolawyerforyou.com/san-diego-immigration-lawyer.htm\nhttp://www.sacramento-ca-lawyers-attorneys-directory.com/articles.html\nhttp://www.la-orange-county-lawyers-attorney-directory.com/los_angeles_orange-county-legal-services.htm\nhttp://www.dallas-fort-worth-texas-lawyers-attorneys-directory.com/dallas-legal-services.htm\nhttp://legal-advice-library.info/blog\nhttp://www.san-antonio-texas-lawyers-attorneys-directory.com\nhttp://www.las-vegas-nevada-lawyer-attorney-legal-injury-defense-directory.com
658759
great thanks got my new car its fabulous went to a anti immigration rally it was beautiful but i kept seeing latinos mexicans everywhere i went? what did i miss wasnt it today?
383617
People who are Spanish come from Spain, and they are not part of the campaign you speak of (almost all Spanish people come to the US with visas and proper immigration papers). Perhaps you are thinking of MEXICANS and other Latinos who insist on making the immigration issue one based on race.
444284
beacuse cali has  mostly immigrants and if they r against or for having more immigrants or border control then they could change the future...
775537
This is a hard question. It is a lot easier to identify those doing GOOD hispanic outreach - there are a lot fewer of these. In essence, no outreach is bad outreach.\n\ncc
225045
Harder. \nTake it from a Hispanic with a college degree. For those who think we have it easier, don't make opinions until you've been in someone elses shoes.