Because most don't see them as humnan..only illegal.

I think that is an unfair judgement...

I see all people as people. I am a compassionate person but I am also a strong believer in fairness. Humans are all people is too simplistic a philosophy to apply to this situation though. IF we just see everyone as equally human, y do we not let just ANYONE walk through our front door? Y do we not let just anyone watch our kids?

Because, although humans are people, it is still possible they may not be safe, or stable, or dependable or any other number of things we usually want in our roommates and neighbors. The same is true of our country, there is no reason to just let everyone who wants to come come. It makes sense to screen for criminal history, work history, medical history and assess their potential value or drain on the community. It also makes sense for those to be counted so that they can be on equal legal footing with everyone else in receiving their rights. My loved one , who we waited three years to get an answer for, went through the immigration process. He is human. Why shouldnt ALL humans have the same requirement he did?

That is not hateful, that is reasonable and fair.

The problem stems from not enforcing the immigration laws in the first place. But it comes down to they are human and they are here now. What should be and what is is often different. In this case we have to deal with them here now. Correcting the problem is bigger than deportation or prevention now.

The legal entries just need to get over themselves and go on about their lives here. Worrying about the Joneses is what gets alot of people in trouble anyway.

And just like my earlier post we need to get something done about the immigration laws, either enforce the ones we have, adjust them and then enforce them or disregard them all together and stop bitching about it.

I just got home, I just read through this entire thread...
I'm not referring this any particular post. Just the flavor of the entire thread. As a single mom..I would pack up my children and get them out of a dangerous, corrupt, sickening place and attempt at building a better life.
Those I know..that is what they are trying to do..have a better life for themselves and their children. Everyone deserves that.

Who responded hatefully to you?

That is what MILLIONS of immigrants are trying to do each year and they go through the immigration process. It is not an inexpensive process but I would be willing to pay a few more hundred per petition to go towards the plane ticket of someone here illegally.

The beginning of prejudice is to dehumanize people and then make them "evil" so you can get more people to treat them badly without realizing it is hate that drove it in the first place.

This is why it is so important to never lose sight of the fact they (whoever is the target) is human and deserves human rights and consideration.

I agree, humans deserve rights. Starting with the right to be treated FAIRLY. The laws are the laws for everyone or they arent the laws for anyone,,cant have it in the middle.

Is it fair that employers help to get them here illegally? Is it fair that employers exploit them here and use them as almost slave labor? Is it fair that they have no protection from these abusors while here? Etc....

The issue is far more complex than just because some legal immigrants feel put out over the illegals, which is petty of them and really none of their business. If they worry about their life and their survival they won't have to think about others survival.

I live in a place with lots and lots of Mexican immigrants. I don't know who is legal and who isn't, but I do know that I really don't fit in here. It's my own fault for not going to their country and learning Spanish...

I'm not sure what to think. I moved down here from Northern California and it isn't that bad there. I want to be open-minded but there's something about this community that bothers me. Most of the people that live here do not speak English and have no interest in our culture. My father came from another country, learned English, worked hard to get his citizenship and is proud to be an American. Most of the immigrants here seem to be opportunists. I'm moving to a neighboring city.

No, those employers should be brought to justice for breaking the laws as well. It isnt fair they have no protection but how can they when they dont bother to be COUNTED through the legal immigration process? And as far as being petty, I dont feel it is petty to be treated unfairly. I dont feel it is petty to be made to make sacrifices to receive something that others are going to have handed to them. It affects my life because I dont understand what the point was in me spending the time and money and having my daughter without a father all these years while others are allowed to sneak in and work and be with their families,,,and make demands on top.


It would be like spending tuition and time and effort to earn a masters degree for your career, and then finding out others are having them handed to them to work the same position, without being required to earn it as you did. It is not a petty injustice to the person who bothered to sacrifice. It is a slap in the face.

Back to worry about your own life and well being and stop worrying about others.
What harm does it do the legal immigrants that there are illegal immigrants here? NONE

So they are being nosy and petty to worry about others lives.

Dishing out judgement to others is really a waste of time for people and the sooner they realize it the better off they will be.

You cannot effectively judge another human life and it's many facets and problems without living it. So judgement of them is useless.

Wow, so we should have no opinions about anything but what is happening in our personal lives? Well, in this case , immigration has been a part of my personal life. I am not judging the illegal immigrant, I am judging the process that goes out of its way to ignore that there have been laws broken. I am judging the UNEQUAL application of law not the people it is affecting. Laws affect me and my family, personally when it comes to immigration, so I feel justified in having an opinion about it.

And actually, the time and effort and man hours it takes immigration to sort through all the illegal activity actually adds on time that those following the laws have to wait to enter. So,, it does affect the 'legals' as you call them.

You know I wonder when it became the thing to do to forget your heritage and convert to "American".

I would have loved to have had more of my heritage and the languages of my ancestors. I would speak Native American (Cherokee), German, Irish (I don't think it is called that but I don't know what it is called)

Have whatever opinions you want but how constructive and postive are they for your everyday life? All that worrying about what others might or might not be doing that is different from what you did or had to do is not a positive influence to you or your family nor your properity.

You want to hear a funny story since this is getting pretty darn serious in this room!

I spent 10 years studying English in Germany. I wanted to come to the states to see what all the hype was about. So here I am learning away. I thought well Miami would be a great place to live. They have sun there, beaches, palm trees, pina coladas, and good times and hopefully employment in which they do.

So I come to Miami and realize that many of the people don't speak English. I was confused to tell you the truth. I looked at my flight ticket to make sure I landed in the US.

I thought maybe I am in Hondurus or something.

So now that I intergrated into this country, I realize that the only way I can get around here is to learn the language.

Today I speak Spanish fluently for the most part. I could work on writing it a bit more.

Nevertheless, I am now better off knowing a few languages.

Now is that expected of an American to learn the language in this country. I don't know. I think there are mix emotions about that.

Some believe the language should be English and only English.


I know the early settlers did try to learn English, but there were many communities (especially in big cities and maybe still today) to where Italian or German is only spoken.

America is a big melting pot with various cultures that do not hold up to English or Irish colonial standards and expectations, yet should they???

Why?

If it is truly a melting pot, maybe we should learn from other cultures and have a more open mind.

Concerning the immigration problem today. These people traveled to this country to have a better life. Illegal or not.

Was it different for the Irish when they had their potato famine and crops didn't yield bringing forth starvation to where they had to come to ths states for a better life.

Was it different for Germans when they had employments problems and consistent eternal conflicts and wars.

It didn't seem like the forefathers had a problem with new immigrants that where not English speaking such as the Swedish, Norwegien, Russians, Italians, French, Polish, Czecks, .... you get my point.

Did they all learn English! No they didn't. Many only spoke their mother language, but their children did learn.

It is no different today. I see many of the older Latin generations that don't speak English, but their children do speak it.


Prejudice and Racism continues today, but maybe we need to dig into the true problem of this country and its people and that is to look into yourself first.

I agree. Racism and bigotry are still issues to deal with and peoople have worked hard to come to the USA which should be aknowledged. I will remain activein the voting booth when it comes to illegal immigration though. On the grounds that it dimishes the hard work immigrants go through to come here legally. Id prefer to work on a national level to give our neighboring immigrants the resources and tools to make THEIR homes better instead of breaking immigration rules to come into America.

When there is a will there is a way!

I hope that there will be a solution to the problem and that this country remains a melting pot for diverse cultures showing the world that it can be possible to live amongst each other in peace.

I agree again, except I will add that I hope we lead by example in showing other countries how to fix their own backyards so there isnt such a need to sneak to someone elses. I hope we continue to have open travel and interaction with all cultures and all countries without having to dilute any of them with too many differences and not enough similarities to build upon. It would be great if more americans had passports and got out to see the rest of the world too.