I'm an Aussie can anyone explain what is really behind the Mexican immigration debate.?
468062
There's a bill hr4437 which would make illegals felons and anyone who helps them in anyway, they would also get jail time for aiding and abedding. A wall would also be built on the US, Mexico border. \n\nI think its an illegal immigration debate, not so much a mexican one. Although many ignorant people will usually just speak of mexicans, as if all the illegals coming into the USA are mexican, which they are not. \n\nMany people say well why dont they stay in MExico and try and make it over there, why do they have to come here illegally and get rights that US citizens have. Unfortunately, agreements like NAFTa (north american free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and USA) really screwed poor mexican farmers and ma' and pa' small business owners who cant compete with large US businesses. So they have to do what they can to support a family even if it means to do it illegally. \n\nIllegals from all over the world come to the US mainly to support a family, thats it. THey get low paying jobs, work long hours, many in fields picking veggies and fruits. Jobs that most US natives would not do. If a US native would work those jobs, they wouldnt do it for minimum wage, and can you imagine what that would do to the economy, the price of veggies would go up, and most of us would not afford or like to pay that much money for vegetables. \n\nIt seems like people sometimes forget illegals are humans too. They go through a lot to cross the border, often times robbed by gangs, abandoned by the coyote's, lost in the desert with only their clothes on their back.
380307
There are many many Aussies on Anwers. I saw a story on Answers today online at the Brisbane Courier. I've ansked and answered many questions from Aussies and have seen many posts from Aussies as well.
667531
The President wants to close the borders. This has international and domestic impacts.  Internationally, Mexico is our next door neighbor and a huge source of its funding comes from the funds sent home by immigrants to the United States.  Both the Presidential candidates in Mexico are running on platforms regarding OUR immigration policies.  We like friendly relations with our neighbors. \n\nDomestically, employers want to have access to lower wage workers.  Closing the borders will limit their access to those workers.  Their opposition would make it harder for Bush to address the issue.\n\nDomestically also, there is a huge illegal immigrant population which has never been screened for diseases we have eradicated here, as legal immigrants are screened. Probably more importantly from Bush's point of view, that huge group could easily hide a multitude of terrorists, since they have never been screened for that, either.\n\nSo in building a coalition to address this issue, Bush came up with a guest worker program.  As an incentive to screening the illegal immigrants already here, and for the more human reasons a number of people have already raised on these pages, he came up with a path to citizenship within that program.  That would also bring them within society so that the hard case undesirables wouldn't be shielded by Hispanics who would normally have nothing to do with them.\n\nHe is defending the country as he sees it.\n\nWhat do I think of his approach?  I could design a program with all of those elements that I could live with. Part of it would be to make sure the employers funded the social services needed to support their work force. That would also make their wages more on par with those of our own workers which would help even the playing field. Another part of my plan would be to make the whole thing conditional on a truly secure border. Unfortunately, Bush hasn't asked me to write up the program.
640805
Mostly due to pro-illegal immigration people needing to make their view sound good.  They spin everything around to confuse the issue and try to get the debate focused on an area that gives them a better chance to win.  It is not racist to say that people immigrating from oter countries so do so legally and to demand that those who enter illegally are properly punished for doing so and held accountable.  It is just one of many tactcis they use to try and confuse and circumvent the real issue here.
476797
As a fellow Australian who do you mean by 'them'? Are we talking Labour/ Liberal? or something more extreme? because there is not a great deal of difference between our two biggest parties, and even when you vote for someone else 'preferences' help one of the two get in anyway.
273627
Ironically, Mexico is having a huge fight at its southern border with illegal immigration.  As a matter of fact, the current Kennedy-McCain bill, S-1033, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, includes a provision to "establish a program to provide needed equipment, technical assistance, and vehicles to manage, regulate, and patrol the international border between Mexico and Guatemala and between Mexico and Belize."\n\nGo to the link below (the Library of Congress site) and do a search on Senate Bill S.1033.  Look at Subtitle C--International Border Enforcement - SEC. 133. IMPROVING THE SECURITY OF MEXICO'S SOUTHERN BORDER.
528224
a civil war... over this?!  That is a melodramatic statement.  Is the issue out of hand?  yes.  People tend to complicate things before they solve them.  \n\nI've written the following into several discussions but here's a suggested solution:\n\n\nThe reality is that US immigration policy is inherently racist.  The moment you use a quota system in a lottery to figure out who can come in, you are a racist. We need to resolve this once and for all.  Amnesty won't work because we don't enforce the laws.  America tried amnesty some twenty years ago, and here we are,\n\nFor the record, it's not just Mexicans, but illegal immigrants from anywhere including Western/Eastern/Central Europe, Asia, Africa, and South/Central America.\n\nWhat we need to do is resolve our racist policies the following is an example of what I would do:\n\n1.Simplify the process\na.Charge $3000, USD.\nb.Request proof of birth, proof of no criminal record, work history and 6 references\n\n2.Give a specific time-frame say 1 year.\n\n3.No quotas, if you pass, you pass.  If you don’t pass, you are not welcome, not even to visit.\na.If you don’t pass there must be an initial review to make sure nothing was missed\nb.There should be a 1 time appeal.  The results of which can not be contested.\n\n4.Once in the US, you are on a temp status for the next 6 years.  If you want permanent status, then you must prove the following:\na.You have worked/gone to school,\nb.Paid all relevant taxes (local, state, federal),\nc.Committed no crimes, \nd.Have a minimum capacity of functional English (speak/read/write).\n\n5.Complete all of item 4 and you get your initial application fee back (less interest).\n\n6.Any illegal in the US at the time of the law would be allowed to submit their papers locally without fear of incarceration (unless other criminal issues attach)\n\n7.Make it a crime to hire illegal immigrants.  With a simple formula:  Whoever is responsible for hiring  does 5 years for each illegal hired; this could only be served sequentially, not concurrently.\n\n8.For anyone who opts to remain illegal or come here illegally after the new immigration standard:  \na.No benefits; not medical, dental, no drivers’ licenses, no emergency room visits, nothing.\nb.The same would apply for the children of illegal immigrants born here.\n\n9.The key is that immigration must be reasonable and fair.\n\nAs for the illegal immigrants here now, well they should submit the same documentation and expect no preference during the approval process.  They should be allowed to stay here during the process.  If found to be unacceptable, jail and then deportation.
388086
These are just simple truths, that for whatever reason pro-open border believers refuse to see the degradation of the "American" way of life.  \n\nProperty values are lower in predominantly Mexican / Hispanic neighborhoods. \n\nEven though it may be true that Mexicans are here to make money, they DO NOT contribute to the economy.  Much of the money made is sent back to families in Mexico.  I believe money remittance back to Mexico is a huge (if not "the) part of the Mexican economy.\n\nMexicans / Hispanics prefer their country's heritage at the expense of integration into an American one.  Two easy examples, the unbelievable amount of Mexican Flags that have been waiving at rally's all across the southern border states, and the FACT that many, yes many Hispanics refuse to learn English.\n\nEven if you allow for some sort of amnesty for the "illegal" immigrants already in the U.S., a secure border would help minimize the vast amounts of drugs coming in through Mexico.  This would seem to be indisputable, but somehow the pro open border folks don't see it.\n\nLook, Americans are a very generous people.  It's not that we hate Mexicans, or want them to starve, or through them back to the wolves.  What we DO want is a prosperous Mexico free from corrupt Government and a growing middle and upper middle class.  Where the peso is actually worth something, and more people have more of it.  Don't you realize that by giving amnesty to whoever wants to come over here HURTS their cousins, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, and grandparents back home.  Why don't the Mexicans that come over plead with the politicians here to help them clean up Mexico.  Yes, even if we had to put military preasure on them.  V. Fox is a horrible president, and does little to help his people.  In fact, he works against them, as do most officials in Mexico.\n\nPlease understand, it's NOT a racial thing, it's a matter of fact thing.
484071
I agree with you... it seems like the media likes to turn it into something more controversial than it already is.  You are right, we are not targeting Mexicans... we are targeting all ILLEGAL immigrants.  I don't get it.  Now, the Senate has reopened a bill that will allow this "guest worker program" that will grant all illegal immigrants citizenship.  It's a slap in the face for those who seek citizenship LEGALLY and had to wait in line.  \n\nCALL or email your congressman... or even the White House.  Looks like they want to pass this bill by Memorial Day.  What a tragedy for America.  This is going to lead to more illegal people coming over and eventually DEMANDING citizenship - why make laws if they are not enforced particularly ones that are meant to keep us safe?  We might as well make it a free for all and open our doors to anyone, regardless of who they are or what they have done.  I mean that is what we are doing now...
502005
A better option would be to allow the Mexican public an opportunity to vote themselves in to a negotiated merger, or essentially a referendum on the performance of their government over the past century.  Of course the Mexican Goverment would never allow that any more than US Goverment would.  A huge amount of the reason that Mexicans come to the US looking for jobs is that the PRI managed to keep Mexico's economy from developing in a normal fashion during the bulk of the 20th century.  Some of the pandering of the US goverment to Mexico could very well be explained by a desire to see the PAN remain in control of the Goverment in Mexico, however in the long run the US needs to secure it's borders, punish US employers of Illegals and do what we can in helping Mexico provide enough jobs for their own population.  Though hypothetically combining the two countries does make some sense.
751601
Nobody supports untramelled immigration.\n\nMany people have particular exceptions to put forward: farmers who need pickers http://snurl.com/pickers ; factory owners who need cheap labor (per Malthus, Marx) and know that competition from immigrants will drive down wages; small businesspeople who know they can get away with hiring undocumented workers using phony ID and social security numbers; and established firms who know they can subcontract to those smaller ones.\n\nThen there are those who accept that illegal immigration is a natural product of policies they want: farm subsidies -- paid to agribusiness; NAFTA that far from sucking jobs to Mexico as Ross Perot thought, sucked farm jobs up to America from Mexico. (US manufacturing jobs were sucked over to China; subsidized US farm crops, dumped duty free in Mexico under NAFTA, put Mexican farmers out of business. No wonder farm hands come to the US for jobs to feed their families.\n\nTraditionally, migrants once in the USA are just as happy to close the door and keep others from entering, and driving wages down further.\n\nThe present Administration is of two minds: listening to the public anxiousness over seemingly uncontrolled entry of aliens; and those who contribute most to the Party: the business and agribusiness interests mentioned above.
1142996
That would be very interesting to consider. We assume you are referring to beings from another planet, hence the word alien. The minimum wage in Mexico is roughly 56 cents per hour not 5 cents. Persons convicted of felonies can not vote. If illegals are permitted to become legal, then they have the right to vote just as you do. USA was founded on a English European model of society and now that the model is becoming more Latino this seems to bother you. Did you ever consider that Mexican culture is founded on models from Spain and Germany? So what are you afraid of really? The only thing constant is change.
1068000
Very simple...politics. All of the minority lobbies have their bases convinced immigration reform is racism. No one wants to lose any votes.
969542
In truth, McCain and Hillary both want the same thing. Mainstream politicians in the U.S. envision solving the immigration problem by erasing borders. If there is no distinction between the U.S. and Mexico, than no one is an immigrant between these two nations. The corporate elite and mainstream U.S. politicians dream of one country stretching from the North pole to the Panama canal. A significant part of that plan will begin within the next few months when amnesty will be granted to most if not all immigrants in the United States.
600101
That statement was the last line in the death threat letter sent to Mayor Villaragosa people...it's not a thought that originated with the asker of the question...HELLO..watch some damn news and quit bagging on the asker of the question.\n\nI come from a family that immigrated here LEGALLY from Latin America and I have some strong opinions about what's going on in our great nation today...however\n\nWhat I think about this statement in particular is this...\n\nIt was obviouly written by an ignorant fool who apparently failed to notice that the immigration issues facing us today involve a hell of alot more races and nationalities than just the mexican people.\n\nAnd threats and barbaric statements such as that one do nothing but create an even bigger rift between the races.\n\nLets just pray that "the patriot" doesn't breed.
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.
1050816
Look around you; who "runs" this country?  Mexicans clean, they build, they repair, they cook, they serve, they do the gardening, they pick up the trash, they work in the factories - they are an integral part of our society whether you want to admit it or not.\nThe thing is, like one other person stated, it is an "immigration" thing not Mexican....what about all the South Americans, all the Asians, all the Canadians, Russions, Iranians, Indians, that are here with expired work permits, getting free or low interest business loans to own their own business, have a better opportunity than some of us citizens to drive around in Mercedes, Porches, Bentley,s, etc.  \nIn essence, we need to concentrate on ALL illegals, close ALL the borders til we can get some of this mess straigtened out.