Do you really think that it's fair to make coming into this country illegally a FELONY?
415068
As well as a Spanish Major, I'm a Criminal Justice Major too.  We get told every day about how every part of the Criminal Justice system is overbooked. First, an arrest takes 1-3 hours, and this takes up much of a law enforcement officer's day. This time could definitely be better spent.  Second, the courts are horribly overworked.  As the way it is now, it already takes months or over a year to get a case heard.  Prosecutors take on huge caseloads, as well as public defenders.  Public Defenders would have to spend more of their time on the "border jumpers" rather than Americans who commit offenses. Fourth, prison overcrowding is a widespread problem. It would cost thousands of dollars to construct new facilites, and it already costs over $20,000 a year to hold a single prisoner.  Many state budgets spend more on corrections than on education.  Fifth, parole and probation officers already have a typical caseload of 100 clients per officer.\n\nI'm not even going to go into prison life and this environment can be detrimental to someone who does not belong there.\n\nNow, somebody tell me why it would be a benefit to anyone if we make this a felony? Learn your facts before you make an opinion.
666609
NO, I do NOT agree, because then thats not fair to the immigrants who are actually trying to go through the system LEGALLY and paying the money that they are supposed to so they can get their greencards and such.
370467
The key word here is "illegal". I have no problem with people coming over here to try and make a better life for themselves, but they need to do so legally. Any other way makes them criminals and as such they should be deported.
644487
Your point being? The reason they patrol the boarder so heavily is because they have agreements with the U.S. to do so.  To prevent narco-trafficking.  Your argument however is a reasoned one I respect that. Your right this nation is very open to immigration its part of what made it great.  But, the question is whether it is just to felonize behavior simply because another nation does.  Just because a law exists in another country does not make it just.  \n\nYou are using a circular argument.  We should do this because they do this, so we should do this.  Circular arguments may sound rational but they rest on false premises.
401867
I think they should be sent back and come back here LEGALLY.. it's not that hard... unless you are a criminal. Then you don't belong here anyways.
208793
In my opinion its not fair at all. This is America, and in order to be a American you should have to go through the procedures required to become one. I believe that it should not be legal to stay in the USA unless you plan on learning the language, learning the culture and have a plan for you future here. It should be the same all over the world. If you love your home country so much that you want to send money back to them all the time or eventually go back there and your just here to work and take up American jobs, that's no acceptable to me at all. If you love were your from them perhaps you should stay there. In the end no its not fair, maybe people come to this country every day with good intention and they do it the legal way, no one should be allowed over our borders without first proving that they really want to be here and love this country.
675945
It is a difficult question, but many of them could probably qualify for resident alien status, if not outright citizenship.  The fact is that their parents put them in this unfair situation by bringing them here illegally.  Perhaps there should be an easier way to enter the country legally, but if you enter as a criminal, you should be treated as a criminal.
605083
From the above comment...\n\n"you have a mental problem, your sick in your mind, get a life, your an immigrant too,so stop whining. illegals arent doin anything to you, they actually help you, they werent here, you might as well say goodbye to anything they pick on the field."\n\nHe actually does have the write to voice his opinions, and that my friend, that right there is perfectly fine on a WWW site like this. But, should I tell Yahoo! that you're trying to rid him of his voice? I don't think so!\n\nAnd, I too agree with you on this (I also have a say). Unlike illegals (which are also known as NON-AMERICAN CITIZENS, they don't have a say), as rude and cruel as that seems, it's true. But if someone like an illegal wants to become American, they MUST do it legally, just like my father, and his father had to wait TEN years before they could enter this country in the 50s. Now why is it that someone just underneath the US is allowed to come here illegally? It's not fair.\n\nAnd it's not something that just pisses off citizens of this fair country, it also pisses off legal immigrants, those who waited years, maybe even decades to enter this country. It's NOT FAIR.
832380
Yes I do because it's disgustingly unfair for the immigrants who go through the pain in the aѕѕ legal process to get to America legally.\n\nBoth of my parents are legal immigrants, My mother has been in America for over 20 years and she's STILL trying to get all of her siblings into America legally. Allowing legal immigrants would be a big slap in the face for people like my mom's siblings.\n\nIt's ridiculous that people break the law and then demand that we give them shіt. It's like someone raping you and then asking you to pay for dinner.\n\n[edit]\nWe ALL came over here illegally? How UNeducated are you? We did not all descend from the Pilgrims,  there aren't many of them left anyway. My family has only LEGALLY been in America for a little over 20 years, it's not possible.
418608
I get what you're saying..I understand that the people coming here illegally are desperate and in dire circumstances, I don't doubt that at all. However, as someone who grew up in dire circumstances myself (yes, I know what it's like to go to bed hungry for weeks on end, to not have heat in the winter and to face the uncertainty of whether or not you're going to have a roof over your head), I still believe that breaking the law is unacceptable. That doesn't mean that I don't understand the motivation behind it, but it is what it is. After all, we have hundreds of thousands of legal American citizens who are homeless, who are hungry, who are in desperate situations and who are crying for an opportunity to support their families. However, should one of these people choose to rob a bank or sell drugs in an attempt to support their family, we don't see protests in the streets to exonorate them of their crimes. We may understand the motivation behind their actions, but the truth is that they've broken the law, regardless of the reasons/circumstances and in this country, there are consequences for breaking the law.  If there aren't, then what's the point of even having a legal system?\n\nOh, and for the participant who said that this is a 'racial' thing...for me, it's not. Come here legally and I don't have a problem with it. Come here from whatever country, make a life for yourself, send your kids to college, make yourself a millionaire, win the lottery, start a fortune 500 company. I. DON'T. CARE. That's the sort of thing that this country was built on. I, myself, have relatives who immigrated to this country legally and who have been very successful in building their lives and their fortunes. Great for them! Certainly there are those who are racist, but don't make this a racial thing, that's the easy cop-out.
527357
Fair or unfair, it is logistically impossible.  What we need to do if we want to stop illegal immigration is start throwing CEO's and Rich people who hire them to work for their companies, take care of their kids or mow their lawns.  Only then will you reduce the incentive for people to come here for a better life.  Cut off the jobs, you will cut off most of the desire to come here.
1114490
They should all go back with their children in tow! If you aren't here legally when you have your kid, it should NOT become a citizen.\n\nNo one else is allowed to legally profit from their illegal activities. For example, when they bust a drug dealer, they take everything he owns whether or not they can prove that it was bought with drug profits. Criminals can not write books or do interviews about their crime for money.\n\nSo, why is it that someone who is in this country ILLEGALLY can have a kid and then leech off of the taxpayers' wallets indefinitely through welfare and other social programs? They are benefiting from their crime when they should be made to pay!\n\nIf I make less money than you, and I just want a better life, can I come and live in your home without your permission? I'll have my baby, and you'll be responsible for its welfare as well as mine. Also, your taxes will go up to cover the costs of schooling my baby (and the dozen more that I'll have). Does that sound fair to you? Who is really being mean - the people who work hard for what they have, or those who steal from the working people?
1105244
Well, you have actually made an interesting point.  But I am not sure that would even satisfy the bigots on this board. \n\nThat is a fair and reasonably request to make of someone who came here and broke the law.  You want to live here? Then it comes with a price. I am not sure how you would implement it though..\n\nI think making it volunteer is right as well.  You cant force someone to join the military, if they want to stay here legally, they have the choice to join military, as sortof a consequence for coming here illegally.\n\nAs far as bush and the illegals, I think it is a diversion from the real problem of the war in Iraq.  A smokescreen to draw attention away from that issue.  This problem of illegals is NOT new to this country.  Its been going on for years and it will continue.  \n\nThe American government isn't going to do anything about it.  It profits them to keep the status quo.  The economy is helped in many ways due to illegals, even though some will never admit that.  Living on the border I see if first hand. .
570217
Because it becoming Politically Incorrect to do the right thing nowadays.You and I have to obey the laws or get punished. But if you enter country illegally its become "the thing to do"to let you escape prosecution.Shhhh this line of thinking gets you called a Racist.............
351697
i don't agree with coming here illegally. it is hard to get visas because people all around the world are applying for visas. so it is unfair to others to come here illegally.
617594
wow - that's an overgeneralized statement, don't ya think?\n\nHate is a very strong word...\n\nI believe it's the ILLEGAL part of immigration that most people have a problem with - not the immigration itself.\n\nLast time I checked the US was a FREE, Democratic society - you can't just throw someone out - unless they are here ILLEGALLY that is... \n\nThank God for that!
396432
If people obtain legal documents saying that they will pay taxes to the USA then to me they can do anything they want to as long as it doesn't do anything bad. But if they're here illegally then they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The option to come over here legally is always open but unfortunately some people would rather live in fear than knowing they did something right unlike millions of other people.