What is your honest opinion on undocumented immigrants?

[Anonymous]

Specifically how do you feel about people sneaking into your country, not paying taxes, using the healthcare system for free,their children getting ESL, free meals and other Amazing programs in public schools, committing crimes against Americans, drug running, babies of undocumented immigrants getting citizenship, etc,etc. I think it is a serious problem. I just visited Yakima WA, and the city is under HUGE strain because of the influx not of legal immigrants, but illegal, undocumented immigrants.

[Anonymous]

You won't like my answer, but here goes:

They do pay taxes.

They only use the ER for "free." To the extent they are stabilized and released. Many try to pay for their care. They aren't eligible for other health programs.

Children should be held harmless for the "sins" of their parents, so I'm fine with their going to school.

I personally think they are very brave for coming here to find a better life. I'm sure I'd try the same if my family were suffering so badly. I am very lucky to have been born here, to a family that made it up to middle class. My grandparents were immigrants from Scotland who worked as groundskeepers and maids. Very poor. They had been desperate to leave Scotland, too. But it was simple for them to get here. Buy the boat ticket and done.

[Anonymous]

You are wrong that your grandparents just bought a ticket and here they were. Study immigration and you will know that statement is inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

I feel bad for them. It usually means life is so awful that they are willing to risk their own lives and sometimes the lives of their family to try to better their situation. And then they are demonized here by people who get to buy houses and fruit for less money due to their cheap labor (work that no American would want to do).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Specifically how do you feel about people sneaking into your country, not paying taxes, using the healthcare system for free,their children getting ESL, free meals and other Amazing programs in public schools, committing crimes against Americans, drug running, babies of undocumented immigrants getting citizenship, etc,etc. I think it is a serious problem. I just visited Yakima WA, and the city is under HUGE strain because of the influx not of legal immigrants, but illegal, undocumented immigrants.

My completely honest answer is I just can't force myself to feel even 1% of the indignation at illegal immigrants that a third of the country can muster up. I see the majority of them as people that are desperately looking for better lives for themselves and their families. And I recognize that my family's own immigration to the U.S. had more to do with historical accident and luck than any merit on our part. Though my family came over legally through skilled immigrant visas, we were essentially refugees and were leaving our country one way or another. I would do anything to make a better life for my children, so, while I can intellectualize why we need immigration caps, I just can't work up anger at someone who is making a difficult sacrifice for their family that I would wish I had the strength to do if I were in a similar situation.

Since you've asked for my feelings, I won't get in a detailed tit-for-tat about a lot of the assumptions you threw out as given. Many illegals do pay taxes, they don't commit crimes at a higher rate, the best economic evidence suggests they are generally good for the economy, etc., because at the end of the day, those facts won't change your opinion or mine; if I thought they were a major drain on the economy, I still wouldn't hate them for making the choices they did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are wrong that your grandparents just bought a ticket and here they were. Study immigration and you will know that statement is inaccurate.

Nope. That's all they had to do. Had a health screening here, but that was it. We used to talk about it a lot when they were alive.

[Anonymous]

Ever seen the movie "A Day without a Mexican"? I think illegal immigrants to a large extent, and recent immigrants legal or otherwise, are the foundation of our way of life. They build our homes, prepare and serve our food, deliver our goods, install and fix our appliances, babysit our children and clean up after us everywhere we go.

Without them, we would want to immigrate somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

My honest opinion is that I admire them. Just like a PP, I admire the fact that they are trying, desperately, to make a better life for themselves and/or their children despite unwelcoming, discriminatory, degrading, rude and ungrateful people in our country making the road to that better life really hard. The majority of undocumented immigrants do pay taxes, they don't commit voter fraud, they don't use the health care system, and they don't qualify for welfare-programs such as food stamps. I'm totally fine with birthright citizenship. Our country has experienced higher rates of immigration in our history, and we, as a country, survived and thrived.

For those worried about cities such as Yakima, WA, you should truly lobby the federal government for comprehensive immigration reform. The federal government benefits from immigration due to the payments into the system that immigrant workers make, among other types of benefits. It is the state and local governments that bear the brunt of the cost. Comprehensive immigration reform could lift some of that burden off the states, but since the federal government benefits under the current system, it doesn't have too much incentive to make big changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for them. It usually means life is so awful that they are willing to risk their own lives and sometimes the lives of their family to try to better their situation. And then they are demonized here by people who get to buy houses and fruit for less money due to their cheap labor (work that no American would want to do).

My DH is in law enforcement and so many are here purely to make money from drugs. They bring it here, find saps to sell it and kill people with heroin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My honest opinion is that I admire them. Just like a PP, I admire the fact that they are trying, desperately, to make a better life for themselves and/or their children despite unwelcoming, discriminatory, degrading, rude and ungrateful people in our country making the road to that better life really hard. The majority of undocumented immigrants do pay taxes, they don't commit voter fraud, they don't use the health care system, and they don't qualify for welfare-programs such as food stamps. I'm totally fine with birthright citizenship. Our country has experienced higher rates of immigration in our history, and we, as a country, survived and thrived.

For those worried about cities such as Yakima, WA, you should truly lobby the federal government for comprehensive immigration reform. The federal government benefits from immigration due to the payments into the system that immigrant workers make, among other types of benefits. It is the state and local governments that bear the brunt of the cost. Comprehensive immigration reform could lift some of that burden off the states, but since the federal government benefits under the current system, it doesn't have too much incentive to make big changes.[/quote

I wish your bleeding heart lecture was true. However, there is a legal way into our country. My parents did it and they became naturalized citizens. It isn't easy, but my parents were poor and truly wanted to be Americans. I don't sense this from most illegal immigrants. They are here for themselves and send much of their money home. They could care less about thus country.

[Anonymous]

So they steal someone's social security number to pay taxes under that person's name? Identity fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ever seen the movie "A Day without a Mexican"? I think illegal immigrants to a large extent, and recent immigrants legal or otherwise, are the foundation of our way of life. They build our homes, prepare and serve our food, deliver our goods, install and fix our appliances, babysit our children and clean up after us everywhere we go.

Without them, we would want to immigrate somewhere else.

I'm only talking about illegal immigrants. You people should live somewhere that this is a huge problem. My good friend's DH came here illegally, went back, did it legally and now has a home and great job. He doesn't need to make $.80 an hour picking strawberries.

[Anonymous]

My honest answer is that I am really disappointed in the immigration system. I do believe we should accept refugees for asylum who are in critical danger and who have risked their lives in their country to speak out against injustice.

I also think that there is room in this country for many hardworking ambitious people who aren't highly skilled. But as someone who works in a field where people from all over the world come here to learn and can't work, it boils my blood that by not properly regulating employment of people we have allowed immigration to default to who comes and stays rather than having a sane system to make sure we can accept as many of the most deserving people we can, but not more.

I don't buy your stereotypes of illegal immigrants as parasites. Most of them are trying to do the right thing, work hard and get the best for their families, abide by laws and live as part of society. But we have failed the whole community of people who would like to come here by not regulating things and allowing a huge huge class of people living in the shadows for many years.

I'd like to see much more honest legal immigation of skilled workers, immigrants sponsored by citizen relatives and legitimate refugees and lots of space for a diverse set of people from all over the world who are aspiring to arrive here and do good things. I'd like our immigration bureaucracy to work well enough that people don't cheat hte system out of mere frustration. I'd like employers who hire illegal immigrants either via fake SSNs or under the table to be penalized for real. I don't see penalizing the immigrants themselves as useful. I don't know what to do about the kids of illegal immigrants who got dragged into this mess against their volition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So they steal someone's social security number to pay taxes under that person's name? Identity fraud.

No. They can get an ID number to pay taxes. IRS wants its money, even from undocumented workers. It's been that way since Clinton.

[Anonymous]

It is going to drastically change the US picture Brazil. The great accomplishments will end - butt life's a beach will increase