I dunno, OP. I gotta kind of admire the tenacity and daring of people who go through hell in search of a better life. I mean, I suspect a good chunk of undocumented immigrants have a whole lot better work ethic and chase-those-opportunities attitude than, say, the unemployed opioid addicts in rural Ohio. Maybe send those people back to the home countries of the illegal aliens came from and have them struggle to get their way back, and it will help them learn to persevere like someone who spent weeks walking through a dessert without water.

I know my ancestors came here without any papers and I've always admired their chutzpah of trading a situation they knew for the unknown. I think it's those people that have given America it's 'can-do' attitude.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is kind of a straw man. I don't support illegal immigration. But it happens and we have to deal with it in a rational and proportional way. And if we want to get serious about it, go after the employers who hire people who are undocumented. Instead of making undocumented people out to be the boogeyman. Sorry. You aren't unemployed because some undocumented worker took your job.

This is how I feel about it too.

I met an undocumented family years ago. The parents came here to leave a desperate situation back home and have taken terrible jobs (including poultry industry) to try to make ends meet. The dad has been sent home a few times. Their lives are very precarious. Despite all of their troubles they are very kind and very hard working. I have a great amount of sympathy for them even though I don't think they should have come here illegally. But they were in a bad situation - not sure what I would have done differently myself if I were in their shoes.

The poultry factory where they work is terrible. They seem to be blatantly breaking the law and going unpunished. Plus the working conditions are terrible. Seems unjust that this family and others are being prosecuted but this company goes unscathed.

Agree with both PPs. A woman who used to care for a neighbor's daughter was here illegally and she fled her home country after her entire immediate family, including a younger brother, was killed by gang warfare. She came to the US as a 17 year old girl - no family at home and only a distant relative in the DC area. People like this woman are fleeing terror at home and while I don't think entering the country illegally is okay, now that she's here she should be treated humanely and with a path to citizenship. She is hardworking, two jobs (both menial but nevertheless she works them) and she has taught herself English.

So you both agree, that it is not ok to enter and stay in a country illegally. And the consequence for this is....?

The grand coveted price for so many in the world: US citizenship?

Seriously? Don't you see, how nonsensical this is, and how unfair?

Do you know, how many people in the world want US citizenship?
Do you know, how many millions of people in this world are in a "bad situation" as you put it?

Do you take the illegally entering and staying people for stupid? They know that there is no consequence, and they know that there is citizenship for their children. And lots of other benefits other countries cannot offer!

Do you know, how many countries they pass through, that are perfectly ok to live in, after they have escaped their untenable situation?

Oh, and : The poultry farm might seem horrible to your naive mind, but there are many jobs that you'd view as "disgusting", or dangerous, that are carried out by Legal US residents every day, imagine that! ...and the entire world has people working "disgusting" jobs in every country, jobs, that are difficult, jobs that are dangerous.

If there were more legal workers there some of the dangerous and abusive policies would change. There are not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When (not “if”) we have a major terror attack caused by someone who entered our country illegally, I think some liberals will change their tune.
Not all of them, but some.

Liberals LOVE to pull at the heartstrings of the American people and tell stories about the people who entered here illegally to escape crime/poverty/other horrors. And, tell about how these are such hardworking people who deserve to stay.

They forget about the people who enter illegally and rape our daughters, kill our citizens, and take advantage of our system.

I'm worried more about my white, gun nut neighbor who might take his road rage a little too far.

Sorry you have a crappy neighbor.
You can also be worried about the fact that as long as illegal immigration continues, and there is no real consequence for it, people with bad intent will enter unnoticed. And, cause harm to the citizens of our country.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is kind of a straw man. I don't support illegal immigration. But it happens and we have to deal with it in a rational and proportional way. And if we want to get serious about it, go after the employers who hire people who are undocumented. Instead of making undocumented people out to be the boogeyman. Sorry. You aren't unemployed because some undocumented worker took your job.

This is how I feel about it too.

I met an undocumented family years ago. The parents came here to leave a desperate situation back home and have taken terrible jobs (including poultry industry) to try to make ends meet. The dad has been sent home a few times. Their lives are very precarious. Despite all of their troubles they are very kind and very hard working. I have a great amount of sympathy for them even though I don't think they should have come here illegally. But they were in a bad situation - not sure what I would have done differently myself if I were in their shoes.

The poultry factory where they work is terrible. They seem to be blatantly breaking the law and going unpunished. Plus the working conditions are terrible. Seems unjust that this family and others are being prosecuted but this company goes unscathed.

The way our politics are divided up, I would be considered leaning left. I just don't understand the bolded. There are no repercussions for illegal entry. As long as employers are allowed to get away with hiring illegal immigrants ,the practice will continue. There is no wall that will keep the illegals out. Tunnels will be built and let's not forget the ones who come in by air and sea.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is kind of a straw man. I don't support illegal immigration. But it happens and we have to deal with it in a rational and proportional way. And if we want to get serious about it, go after the employers who hire people who are undocumented. Instead of making undocumented people out to be the boogeyman. Sorry. You aren't unemployed because some undocumented worker took your job.

This is how I feel about it too.

I met an undocumented family years ago. The parents came here to leave a desperate situation back home and have taken terrible jobs (including poultry industry) to try to make ends meet. The dad has been sent home a few times. Their lives are very precarious. Despite all of their troubles they are very kind and very hard working. I have a great amount of sympathy for them even though I don't think they should have come here illegally. But they were in a bad situation - not sure what I would have done differently myself if I were in their shoes.

The poultry factory where they work is terrible. They seem to be blatantly breaking the law and going unpunished. Plus the working conditions are terrible. Seems unjust that this family and others are being prosecuted but this company goes unscathed.

Agree with both PPs. A woman who used to care for a neighbor's daughter was here illegally and she fled her home country after her entire immediate family, including a younger brother, was killed by gang warfare. She came to the US as a 17 year old girl - no family at home and only a distant relative in the DC area. People like this woman are fleeing terror at home and while I don't think entering the country illegally is okay, now that she's here she should be treated humanely and with a path to citizenship. She is hardworking, two jobs (both menial but nevertheless she works them) and she has taught herself English.

So you both agree, that it is not ok to enter and stay in a country illegally. And the consequence for this is....?

The grand coveted price for so many in the world: US citizenship?

Seriously? Don't you see, how nonsensical this is, and how unfair?

Do you know, how many people in the world want US citizenship?
Do you know, how many millions of people in this world are in a "bad situation" as you put it?

Do you take the illegally entering and staying people for stupid? They know that there is no consequence, and they know that there is citizenship for their children. And lots of other benefits other countries cannot offer!

Do you know, how many countries they pass through, that are perfectly ok to live in, after they have escaped their untenable situation?

Oh, and : The poultry farm might seem horrible to your naive mind, but there are many jobs that you'd view as "disgusting", or dangerous, that are carried out by Legal US residents every day, imagine that! ...and the entire world has people working "disgusting" jobs in every country, jobs, that are difficult, jobs that are dangerous.

Because my faith tells me to support them

Deuteronomy 10: 19 You shall love the stranger, for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19:34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.

Matt. 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.

Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.”

3 John 1:5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that they may become co-workers with the truth.

Hebrews 13: 1 Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Collossians 3:11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

Matthew 25: 35 I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

Matt. 25:40 Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me.

OP, you did NOTHING to become an American citizen besides being born in the country, right?

The truth is we don't have a comprehensive immigration plan in this country, so it creates all sorts of problems. It's also in the interests of Republicans to keep it this way: first, see how riled up it gets you? Second, those coming into the country are more likely to vote Democratic.

Why don't you go back to your family tree, and see if your family didn't indeed come here illegally. This has often been the case in history. Do we get to deport you?

Anonymous wrote:I do not support illegal immigration or illegal aliens. That said, I believe that the issue with E-verify is that there are problems with the database to the extent that it includes legal residents and citizens. I don't know the details, but I believe that this is the argument against its use.

Those kinds of issues could be easily and quickly dealt with after it rolled out. We have illegal immigration because: 1) Republicans like cheap labor, and 2) 70% of Hispanics vote democratic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because there are horrible places to live that make getting here legally nearly impossible and I have sympathy for people who flee for their lives with very little.

I've always wondered why we couldn't get many of these people some type of refugee status. And then some path to citizenship.

That would be the humane thing to do.

Might as well make Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala territories! Any other countries you want to add to the territory list?

FYI Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans, and US Virgin Islands need the USA, are part of the USA, and are devastated. My priority is our own people. Not citizens of other countries. A month ago we were in rough planning stages of a winter warm vacation. I decided Puerto Rico would get my travel money instead of Mexico.

Do they want to become territories?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because there are horrible places to live that make getting here legally nearly impossible and I have sympathy for people who flee for their lives with very little.

I've always wondered why we couldn't get many of these people some type of refugee status. And then some path to citizenship.

That would be the humane thing to do.

Might as well make Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala territories! Any other countries you want to add to the territory list?

FYI Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans, and US Virgin Islands need the USA, are part of the USA, and are devastated. My priority is our own people. Not citizens of other countries. A month ago we were in rough planning stages of a winter warm vacation. I decided Puerto Rico would get my travel money instead of Mexico.

Anonymous wrote:When (not “if”) we have a major terror attack caused by someone who entered our country illegally, I think some liberals will change their tune.
Not all of them, but some.

Liberals LOVE to pull at the heartstrings of the American people and tell stories about the people who entered here illegally to escape crime/poverty/other horrors. And, tell about how these are such hardworking people who deserve to stay.

They forget about the people who enter illegally and rape our daughters, kill our citizens, and take advantage of our system.

I'm worried more about my white, gun nut neighbor who might take his road rage a little too far.

Okay, I'll bite. While I don't "support" illegal immigration I am sympathetic to those who feel they have no other choice and I recognize that they are people who shouldn't be talked about as though they are pests who need to be eliminated. While of course it would be better if everyone took the legal path that legal path to citizenship is more difficult than most can even conceive.

Regardless, here is why I can at least sympathize with people who can't wait for that.

1) I have traveled to a number of the countries they are coming from. There are children dying in those places from starvation and malnutrition. There are small children who have to go out alone to sell goods in the street because literally everyone in the family must work to survive. There are 10 and 12 year old girls forced to work as prostitutes and 10 year old boys who are killed if they refuse to join drug running gangs. So while I don't encourage illegal immigration, I understand that there are very real reasons for it, and if My darling daughter was starving there is nothing short of murder that I wouldn't do to save her. If I am honest with myself I know that my placement (and my daughter's) in this country was a happy accident of birth, and not because I did anything to earn it.

2) I understand that this has been used by Republicans to scare people or make them think that this is why they are struggling economically. Illegal immigrants are largely doing jobs Americans won't take--bussing tables, cleaning hotel rooms, picking fruit, etc. Automation and technological innovation have taken most of the jobs Americans have lost, not immigrants.

3) And finally, I am a Christian and the Bible is very clear, in multiple references, about how we are to treat strangers who come to our land.

So that is why I don't "support" it, but I refuse to treat it as the most important problem we're facing--not by a long shot.

Anonymous wrote:Left leaning moderate here. I don't support illegals and no one I know supports illegals.

The DACA folks are a special case, and I am comfortable giving them legal, but not citizen status. They can get in line if they want to become fully legal American citizens.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

They forget about the people who enter illegally and rape our daughters, kill our citizens, and take advantage of our system.

We have plenty of our own who do this. Heck, even our First Lady worked before she had a visa and our President has been accused of rape. And you elected him.

When (not “if”) we have a major terror attack caused by someone who entered our country illegally, I think some liberals will change their tune.
Not all of them, but some.

Liberals LOVE to pull at the heartstrings of the American people and tell stories about the people who entered here illegally to escape crime/poverty/other horrors. And, tell about how these are such hardworking people who deserve to stay.

They forget about the people who enter illegally and rape our daughters, kill our citizens, and take advantage of our system.