Why won't our government enforce current immigration laws?
477201
would like to correct toddcomish=the people who don't want them enforced are 1-bleeding heart liberals who need to get their own country, and leave this one, 2-democrats who want illegals to vote for which they should be jailed for voter fraud, 3-CORRUPT businesses who should be shut down and fined with jail time. Todd, we must be specific!
952314
80% of Americans do not want illegal immigrants here.  If government is supposed to by run by the people, why isn't this being done?  Do you understand how disturbing this is?
706612
I think first you should get it right and say Laws since they are Laws not just Policies. The fact that they are laws yes they should be enforced. Laws are made to be enforced whether good or bad and to allow people to break them makes a mockery out of the entire legal system. If we don't enforce laws designed to make us a soveriegn nation and keep us safe in general then why should we enforce any laws?
470300
Very stupid bill It is a copout. Why not enforce the laws already in place?\n\nMy issue is the fact that our borders are so insecure that this is still happening even after 911.\n\nAnd no we do not owe illegal immigrants anything
1118838
I have lived exactly what you are describing.  I began 'preaching' about this problem about 15 years ago and no one would listen. I then lived in California and worked for Social Services. You can just imagine what I experienced there.  I have since moved back to my home midwestern state and now I see it moving in here as well.  It is an invasion that people and legislators have ignored and avoided doing anything about for far too long and now we are faced with a crisis.  Do I think that amnesty will have them respecting our laws?  OF COURSE NOT!  They came here illegally. That, in itself, makes them lawbreakers, if not criminals..  none of whom respect anything or anybody.
325406
I do, I had to follow them when I entered the US.  I can not understand why everyone is up in arms about enforcing a law?  That is like the cops stopping to pull over people for speeding?
645673
I was also thinking about this today and I understand why our government is seeking to fix this problem.  What I don't understand is why they think they have a right to be here when they're here illegally.  It is sad because they are trying to improve their lives and their family's life but there is a legal way to go about it and if you're wrong, you're wrong and shouldn't be upset when the government is trying to take care of it.  \n\nIt might seem harsh especially because I have plenty of friends who are immigrants and 1 who was even illegal for a period of time.  But its not fair to those of us who live here and pay taxes, and its also not fair to those immigrants who waited and came here legally.
1125474
I think the government is to blame.  If they would enforce the law as it stands, we would not be having these issues.\nNow they want new laws.  If they aren't obeying the current laws, why should they obey new ones?  It just \ndoes not make sense.
583233
Immigration needs to be controlled, I agree.  But to do that, I think, we need to create a system in which illegal immigrants that are already here and that contribute to this society to integrate into our system through legalization.  I think that deportation or criminalization of 11+ million people would have a negative impact in our economy and society.  \n\nThere are many reasons as to why the protests are taking place. Currently there are about 625 immigrations laws that the senate is debating. Some of these laws are cruel and inhumane. Some take on very good points, and some are just ridiculous. \n\nOne of the main issues is that some senators wanted to pass a law that would make all illegals and anyone who helped/hired illegals criminals. With 11 million illegals that would make a good chunk of the population criminals (legal or illegal, citizen or not citizens). \n\nIt is not so much an uproar against law enforcement, but an uproar against injustice and inhumanity. They are not demanding to violate the law or much less. They want a chance to become legal immigrants with the right of being able to go to a hospital when sick and without being scared that they will be forced to leave their families unprotected. \n\nThese people are not illegal because they want to, they are illegal because the goverment has made it extremely tough to become legal. These people are paying taxes as everyone else, trying to be good citizens as everyone else, and working for a better future for their families, just as everyone else. If an anmisty was to be approved, it wouldn't be a free ride either. The person would have to prove that they are an asset to this country, and have to have their taxes filed, a clean criminal record, have everything in order and pay the big fines that the goverment would implement. They are not seeking immediate citizenship, but a chance to eventually become citizens. They are not fee-loading as some people might think because they do pay taxes. And they are doing jobs that Americans find degrading.\n\nDougDoug_ I hope you get to read this too.  Illegal immigrants are not choosing to ignore our right to control immigration, what is happening is that the government has already made it extremely tough to become a legal immigrant that they have no choice but to stay here illegally.  This is one of the main reasons why these people are walking into the streets and asking for a chance to become legal.  They do not want to be illegal or stay illegal, and to become legal immigrants they would have to show that they are a contribution to the US, pay taxes and prove that they are not trouble makers.  They would have to pay fines for being illegally in the US plus all the cost that inquires to apply for a green card (legal residency).  \n\nAlso, let it be clear that they are not asking for immediate citizenship, but instead a path towards citizenship.  You have to be a resident for 5 years in order to apply for citizenship.\n\nIt doesn’t make it right that they are here illegally, but that’s what they want to fix.  And  they are willing to pay the consequences of staying here illegally (read above).
384986
You always have to read inbetween the lines when it comes to politics. The Government wants to blame illegal immigration on American citizens and not the Administration who are totally responsible for losing control over this issue. It is all a strategy for coming elections.
401632
It will eventually subside after the government decides and announces what their plans are for immigration.  Yes, there are a lot of very important issues today, but this is one of them.  This issue needs to be settled in a fair and just way and the laws of the land, whatever they be, must be strictly enforced.  Giving the illegals amnesty can only encourage more illegals to come to the USA because they will see that as a tacit okay to them coming illegally and it will be encouraging to them by saying, "If you come illegally and stick it out - eventually you will get rewarded for it, just like those before you."
1093632
Because Americans have been complacent, and too trusting of elected officials for so long that they have concstructed the laws is such a way that it benefits them more than us (the non-elected citizens).\nIt is too late to do anything about certain laws they have already passed, but we need to become more watchful of our elected officials.
665704
Actually it is not a big deal to ask them for compliance, unfortunately like a virus they have positioned themselves into positions that have the equivalence of economic strength according to Washington.  They feel that 20 million is a strong number to come out and try and change the rules, however go find ONE individual or even 100 illegals and they are cowards afraid they will be deported.  They should not get a pass on this law, if that is the case then our own government is throwing away the constitution, spitting on REAL AMERICANS, and on all the immigrants that have come into this country legally!!
363148
Problem #1: Population \n\nThe first problem I see with the current state of the immigration laws is the significant rise in population that has, and will, continue to occur over the next fifty years. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an estimated 1.1 million immigrants, both legal and illegal, enter the United States every year. 700,000 of these are legal immigrants; 120,000 are refugees, and between 250,000 to 300,000 are undocumented or illegal “aliens” ( Baldwin, 1995). The United States population at the moment is roughly 288 million people. If this trend of aliens is not decreased, the population will reach 400 million by 2050. How many people can America hold? \n\nProblem #2: Benefits Illegal Aliens Recieve \n\nCurrently, under federal law, undocumented foreign citizens are eligible for emergency healthcare, free schooling from kindergarten through high school, and W.I.C. or Woman, Infants, and Children nutritional program ( Baldwin, 1995). This is important to note because there are currently between eight and ten million aliens currently living illegally in the United States. An estimated 2.5 million of these illegal aliens currently reside in the state of California alone, due to the agricultural jobs that are readily available for cheap labor (Kadetsky, 102). It should not be surprising then that the residents of California were outraged over the amount of money that they were being forced to spend, and the amount of resources that were being used to support aliens that are not “allowed” to be in the United States in the first place. \n\n \n\nProblem #3: Homeland Security\n\nIn the Fiscal year of 2002, which runs October 1 through September 30, the United States Coast Guard, which is the country’s primary maritime, or sea going, law enforcement agency, intercepted 4104 immigrants from various South American countries (USCG, Para 2). Since then, the numbers of immigrants intercepted by the Coast Guard, has continued to climb at an alarming rate; jumping to almost 11,000 in 2004, 9,500 in 2005, and currently with less than two months into the 2006 physical year, there have already been 1,000 migrants accounted for and processed through the Coast Guard (USCG, Para 1). Illegal immigration can potentially cost American tax payers billions of dollars a year. The United States Coast Guard, whose primary obligation is to prevent the loss of life at sea, can not stop this problem by its self, it is mearly the first line of defense. It is up to the rest of America to join the fight and help put an end to this awful practice.\n\n\nthanks cherokee rose i put my signature on  petition you rock
477959
We do have to secure our borders but,without fining employers hiring them we are spitting in the wind. \n1986 Amnesty is proof that just giving amnesty without enforcing employer sanctions only made the problem worse.
664015
good question  in my opinion the point is the legal or illegal aspect of this problem.  why does the US make laws and not enforce these laws.  this is why there are so many ILLEGAL immigrants in the US now.  I firmly believe in equal chances for all, but within the boundries set by the law.
585832
They should if they were to enforce the laws, but the politicians are refusing to enforce the laws and instead cater to big business who want the cheap labor. The government is sending a message to the American citizens how they really feel about our wishes. This country will become a 3rd world country if it isn't already.