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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am so tired of the charge that if you support measures to curb illegal immigrants that automatically makes you racist.

America is a land of immigrants and that has been one of its greatest strengths.  However, unless you are ready to issue an open invitation to the world, there must be some restrictions on the flow of immigration.  This means the greater our tolerance for illegal immigrants, the less opportunities we can offer legal immigrants.

Yes, I'll grant you most of them are hard-working, tax-paying people who just want a better life for their families.  Do we think their fellow countrymen who wait years to immigrate, following the lawful process would do less?  What about the Chinese who live in a politically restrictive country?  What about the North Koreans who not only live under communist restrictions, but one where the head of the government is generally acknowledged around the world as unstable, whose policies have caused food shortages?  What about the Syrians whose country has been so wracked with war that the flood of immigrants is de-stabilizing the EU?  What about the countries in Africa where young boys are forced to be soldiers, or the countries in the  Middle East where girls are forbidden to go to school?  I bet their parents would be happy to pay taxes to keep their children safe?  What about the Sudanese who have been undergoing a genocide for years?  Something tells me they would embrace the opportunity to work and pay taxes just for the chance to survive.

No, I don't want anybody to suffer, least of all children.  Unfortunately there is suffering, great suffering, in this world.  I don't blame the illegal immigrants for trying to make better lives for their children - in their shoes I might do the same.  I don't know what the answer is to curtailing illegal immigration, but I don't think it racist to say that other Latinos (and Africans, Asians, Arabs, etc.) are just as deserving (more so if they follow the rules that we give them for immigration) and would be just as productive contributing to our society.[/quote]

I would add regarding the difficult question of how to handle the illegally-present parents of children born here, that this was never the intended consequence of birthright citizenship. The purpose of birthright citizenship, as I understand it, was to ensure that all former slaves had citizenship. If the drafters of that amendment could have foreseen our current problems then I am sure they would have added a caveat. There are very few OECD countries that allow citizenship by birth regardless of the status of the parents. I believe Canada does, and the UK does or it used to. No continental European country grants citizenship to the children of people who are in the country illegally. It is kind of insane if you think about it.

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I'm sorry, just SHOCKED that this is posted by a DC resident.

For what it's worth, I am a US Citizen. I guess since I'm not poor and uneducated like the racist and xenophobic pps, it might explain my attitude.

This country needs immigrants. 
By limiting birthright citizenship to only those who can prove the parents are here legally, you create an underclass of second tier citizens. Even though YOUR family might have come here illegally, you are somehow given rights that more recent immigrants won't be able to enjoy.

Finally, idiot, the framers of the constitution did not do birthright citizenship to give slaves citizenship. They were slave owners themselves and considered blacks to be chattel. Might want to crack a book for once. They allowed for birthright citizenship because THEY needed it. They showed up and took the land from others.

Come to think of it as an American Indian (don't care if this outs me) only I am here legally. The rest of you xenophobes are not. So if you want to kick out the Mexicans, see yourself out the door as well. [/quote]

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