Do you believe that there has been a backlash for illegals?
612615
Congratulations in firing the first salvo.\n\nThe government should have paid very close attention to not just who was at the rallies, but which businesses were closed yesterday due to the rallies.  There should be an INS agent at every business that closed yesterday checking for illegals.  In addition, they should have an entire cadre of IRS agents with them as well, checking how many of these businesses are paying illegals under the table and avoiding all those lovely little taxes the rest of us get nailed for on April 15.
515953
No.  We were both prior to this travesty.  It's obvious politicians from both sides are just trying to win votes from the immigrants, both legal and illegal.  \n\nWe have always accepted, if not always been welcoming to, legal immigrants.  I think it's a severe miscarriage of justice to grant amnesty to 11,000,000 law breakers.  It makes a mockery of the effort the legal immigrants put into earning their citizenship.\n\nAnd why is it incumbent upon us to accept these illegals? Have you familiarized yourself with Mexico's laws? They have made it illegal for anyone not a native of Mexico to have a job there.  What do you think the reaction would be if the US did the same thing?\n\nBy the way, is Mrs. Jeb Bush related to El Presidente Fox? It's a rumor I heard, but don't know if it's true.  (Serious question, not an accusation or statement of fact.)
676552
Actually, there are a whole slew of states that have passed or are passing new laws against illegal immigration, as well.  This week has been amazing in that regard.  Query what will happen when the laws make their way up to the Supreme Court on a federal supremacy attack, but the states say they are tired of waiting for the federal government.\n\nSome place called Herndon had an election where illegal immigration was made the main issue, and the incumbants were kicked out too.  It was in all the press.  Herndon said the whole country was watching, including Congress.
315098
yes\n\n   i am not against immigration just illegal immigration i once said on here this kind of stuff has been going on since the start of time and i was told i didnt know what i was talking about heres a example \n\n:With the onset of hard economic times in the 1870s, other immigrants and European Americans began to compete for the jobs traditionally reserved for the Chinese. With economic competition came dislike and even racial suspicion and hatred. Such feelings were accompanied by anti-Chinese riots and pressure, especially in California, for the exclusion of Chinese immigrants from the United States. The result of this pressure was the Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by Congress in 1882. This Act virtually ended Chinese immigration for nearly a century. \n\n\nCurrently, millions illegal aliens commandeer jobs away from American citizens. If they don't steal those jobs, they depress the wages to the point of legalized slavery. We have an estimated one million illegal alien Chinese in this country (Source: March 2005 Forbes Magazine). At the same time, we outsource jobs to China where a billion people can't wait to make 50 cents an hour. Human smugglers bringing illegals into America make $7 billion annually according to the report. \n\nDo they work the jobs Americans won't do? False! If American doctors were paid $5.00 an hour they wouldn't be working those hospital jobs either. \n\nYou have to ask yourself if you want illegal immigrant doctors working at minimum wage to perform a by-pass heart surgery on you? Would you like an illegal immigrant lawyer defending you in court for $5.00 an hour? How about a $5.00 an hour illegal immigrant college professor teaching your kids calculus? How about an illegal alien truck driver driving down the road at 70 MPH with 80,000 pounds of steel, no ability to read English and a fifth grade education-from Mexico's educational system? \n\nMeanwhile, profits soar for corporations while the middle class of America plummets into worsening unemployment. Will America drop into Third World conditions as economist Paul Roberts predicts? At the current rate of 4.1 million legal and illegal newcomers imported into the United States annually, it's only a matter of time before, we too, manifest conditions of the Third World. You can't drown the labor market with millions of people and expect to keep your wages high when immigrants will undercut you. \n\nThat's why the pay in China or India is less than $10.00 per day. They have 2.4 billion people in those two countries. That's why they live subsistence lives. In time, that reality will manifest itself in America as the middle class vanishes. It's already happening. You need look no further than California as an example of the first Third World State of America. \n\nCall your representatives
378815
Oh I see you decided to speak English again. Good for you. \n\nTo answer your question: I think this illegal immigrant situation became a monster slowly. In other words, at first only a few hundred people were sneaking across the border daily. But over time, it has progressed, kind of inconspicuously, into a few thousand or more per day. It is one of those things that most people don't notice until one day we wake up and see that our world has totally changed and we didn't see it coming because it happened so slowly over time.\n\nBut once it was brought to our attention, we found that we needed to do something about it. No double morality here.\nIllegal is illegal,whether it be drugs, underage drinking, or a parking ticket. If it is illegal, then I am having a problem understanding what the big misunderstanding is.
1080927
The Illegals are going home. The Illegals are going home.   More and more everyday.  Now maybe they can come the right way.  And To those with sob stories--we have plenty here-who have been waiting longer,\n\nLooks like some-are afraid so they won't address this.
362531
I tend to agree.  This crap is pissing people off...and it's squandering any good will many of us may have had in regard to the plight of illegals.
871826
What an informative article...but I am already against illegals in our country so this only reinforces not changes my stance.\n\nthanks!
444508
I think that it's an unnecessary strain on race relations.  I believe they would have been more successful at getting reform by doing this quietly.  The president, who is a conservative, had just pushed a bill to allow illegals to become eligible to apply for citizenship.  So, if a conservative is for it, it will probably pass since most of his party will follow him and the liberal would vote in favor of it.\n\nBut then it got ugly and there were marches demanding AMNESTY (instantly legal), not just the ability to apply for citizenship, and the race issue came up.  They accused whites of being racists, and a BIG backlash is brewing among american citizens.\n\nI've been raised around the hispanic culture and they're fine people.  I work with them daily, and my company has a center in MX City.  Actually, race has never been an issue around here, for the most part.  But this whole May 1st walkout is brewing some serious anger among Americans because they are demanding when they, quite honestly, should be humbly asking.  I've never seen anything like it.  I'm not racist, and even I'm getting dragged into the melee because I refuse to allow an illegal any latitude for their illegal entry.  And instantly people call me a racist or an "arrogant American."\n\nWe gave an amnesty in the 80's and everybody was ok with it.  The idea was that we're going to clear up the illegal issue and keep the new illegals out.  Well, now we have an illegal population of about 10 million...so amnesty is a big POS.  Enforcement is the answer.
110145
not too much......some are trying to justify illegal immigration with history.......-----it is funny how history repeats itself!!!!
1027478
Yes, I love it!  I look on the internet news daily for more stories like the one about the mayor of Hazelton, PA, or Sheriff Joe in Arizona, or big unexpected roundups of illegals in different cities.  It does my heart proud to see the citizens of the USA standing up against this injustice that the government has allowed to occur and get out of hand - illegal immigration.  I believe the power of the American citizens is now snowballing against illegal immigration and whether the Federal Government wants to or not, they are going to have to listen to the people whom they work for, and act accordingly.  The days of the freebies and handouts for illegal immigrants are quickly coming to an end and the smart ones will start planning their own voluntary self-deportations now, rather than wait until they are found and shipped out, possibly leaving family members behind in the USA.  Better they start planning and get themselves organized for an orderly return to their home countries before they get caught by immigration officials or the police or their landlord or their employer.  This way, if they have lived cleanly in the USA so far, without committing further offences since they first illegally came over the border, they have a hope of returning legally one day, if they go home now and apply to immigrate to the USA through the proper procedures.  WAKE UP ILLEGALS!  Do yourselves and your families a favour and return yourselves in an orderly fashion now, while you still can.  Otherwise, don't cry and whine when you get caught and shipped out on a moment's notice, when you aren't ready.  The jig is up!  Amnesty is NOT coming!!  Wake up and smell the coffee!
437907
Absolutely not - I think if the present illegal immigrants are given amnesty or a cheap or free route to a work visa or legal citizenship, I think all the immigrants who did it the right way should be entitled to some form of reimbursement of the fees that they paid.  Not only did they pay, but they waited the probably almost unendurable amounts of time to be given legal access to the US, either as permanent residents, temporary residents, or even legal citizens.  I would be some choked, if I were them!  Let's hear it from some of these people - how do they feel about this situation?  They went about it the right way and now others are able to bypass the right way and jump ahead of them in the line?  I think those people need to stand up and be heard.  At least, they have a right to march and protest in the USA!
678369
Obviuosly you are one of those who think only rich housewives benefit from immigrant labor. Agribusiness and a lot of manufacturers in the south rely heavily on illegal immigrants. Why would it not go up? I'm surprised it didn't go up more, but I guess the big guys waited to see what the backlash was.
612428
I don't hate anyone, and not the illegals either.  I can honestly say that I never had a problem with them until they began to protest for rights for something that was against the law....This came across as crazy to me....If someone is breaking the law, they are breaking the law.  That's it.
386914
most probably haven't been or have yet to feel the effects of this problem most don't understand economics ,sociology, etc. we are labeled as racists but i think we have treated them pretty well. we just want everyone to come according to our laws. when you go to a friends house you just don't go in there and demand things, same thing here. they have a big country but expect us to change laws let more come in all the while doing nothing to improve their own land.and its ok if they run their country the way they want.\n\nNo other group has refused to become American more than Mexican illegals. I'm sure when we had a flood of LEGAL Italian and German immigrants nobody had to "press 2 for Italian" or "press 3 for German". I'm so sick of pressing 1 to hear my native language. Come here legally and become an American and learn English. I want people here who truly want to be here. For those of you who have come legally (like my great-grandparents), welcome and God bless you. Those of you who couldn't careless about our laws, you should be treated as law breakers and sent back to your native land.\n\n\n"Immigrants in past centuries came here to become Americans, not to remain foreigners, much less to proclaim the rights of their homelands to reclaim American soil, as some of the Mexican activist groups have done.... Today, immigrant spokesmen promote grievances, not gratitude, much less patriotism.
698021
Yes I am for massive deportation and Texas is taking the firsr step!!!!\n\nTexas lawmakers preparing for the next legislative session in January filed bills this week to block state assistance to illegal immigrants and their children and to tax money transfers to Mexico, according to the bills.
391830
On March 17, 2006, an estimated 25,000 illegals from Ireland marched boldly in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in NY without fear of any enforcement of our immigration laws. I told my friends at the time: this unchecked in-your-face, "we demand respect" display by illegals will embolden them to demand they be given a free pass and when that doesn't happen, it will reach the point of violence.\n\nOn March 24, 2006, hundreds of high school students in LA walked out of their classrooms to protest the newest piece of completely unnecessary immigration legislation by the incompetent fools in Congress. Within hours 15,000 criminals (illegals) were marching in Phoenix and roughly 10,000 in Georgia.\n(Seems Fairly ORGANIZED)\n On March 25, 2006, waving their Mexican flags chanting the same worn out "racist" garbage and demanding their "rights" 50,000 of these criminals marched in Denver, thousands in North Carolina and here in Sacramento. All because the House of Representatives has passed legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border.\n\n(AGAIN Seems Fairly ORGANIZED On A NATIONAL Level)\n \nThe counterfeit Senate is to begin their bickering on March 28, 2006.\n\nOur economy will not fail by rounding up illegals and deporting them. \nOn ABC This Week, March 26, 2006, weasel Arlen Specter, hauled out the other big lie, "We have created a need for these workers who will do the work Americans won't." \n\nBull. Once we begin to deport these criminals, Americans \nwill step in and do the jobs - jobs that have been taken away from them because employers have turned a blind eye to the law and are looking for cheap labor. As for Arlen Specter: why is he still sitting on his backside doing nothing while banks in this country are knowingly and aggressively violating federal law by giving home mortgages to criminals (illegals). Congress and the Department of Justice are simply ignoring this outrage, yet Specter blathers on the stupid tube that these 15 million plus criminals should be given a free pass.\n\n According to Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who is head of the \nCongressional Immigration Reform Caucus, \n  \n"Massive immigration of low-skilled, low-wage workers ... \ndepresses wage rates for people who are at the low economic end of the scale. ... \nThe overall effect will be the decline of the living standard of every American, \nor most Americans."\n\nIllegal immigration cuts into the wages of American workers. \nAccording to Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who is head of the \nCongressional Immigration Reform Caucus, \n  \n"Massive immigration of low-skilled, low-wage workers ... \ndepresses wage rates for people who are at the low economic end of the scale. ... \nThe overall effect will be the decline of the living standard of every American, \nor most Americans."\n\nAccording to TNRIP, the financial cost of this foreign invasion to U.S. taxpayers \nis staggering! Here is a break down of the annual costs: \n\nEducation: $22.5 billion \nBi-lingual Education: $3.3 billion \nAFDC: $2.4 billion \nSSI: $2.9 billion \nSocial Security: $24.8 billion \nHousing Assistance: $2.6 billion \nCriminal Justice: $2.6 billion \nJobs Lost by Americans: $10.8 billion \nOther Programs: $51.4 billion \nFood Stamps: $7 billion \nHealth Care: $1.4 billion \n\nTom Tancredo was the other guest on the aforementioned show and he said it right: We don't need any new laws, enforce the immigration laws that are already on the books.\n\nThis IS what's coming right to your neighborhood: One of these days in the near future, these millions of illegals are going to become berserkers. It is the intention of Mexicans to "reclaim" the four border states and merge them back with Mexico and they are willing to do it with violence. These 15 million