PALMDALE – Before a standing-room-only audience Wednesday night, the Palmdale City Council added its voice to the chorus of growing support for immigration reform.
“We need to retain our families, we need to bring our community together, we need to quit separating, we need to unite,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. “I think a strong message coming out of our city may encourage our Congress to do exactly that.”
The Council voted to adopt Resolution No. CC 2013-063, expressing support for Comprehensive Federal Immigration Reform and urging the 113th Congress to enact reforms that secure our borders, ensure economic strength and promote stronger communities.
The unanimous vote was followed by rousing standing applause from the audience, many of whom were Latino rights activists who had spoken passionately for the cause.
“This issue is paramount because the face of our community has changed drastically in the last 10 to 20 years,” said Palmdale School District Board President Sandy Corrales-Eneix, adding that Hispanics now represent 70 percent of the student population in her district.
“The United States is a country built, since its origins, by immigrants. Let’s accept this comprehensive immigration reform as an opportunity and not as a threat,” said Lilia Galinda, Café Con Leche radio show host and Vice President of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). “The immigrant community continues growing, let’s embrace them and work together to make this country great,” Galindo continued.
The resolution expressing Palmdale’s support for comprehensive immigration reform was placed on the council agenda at the request of LULAC.
Nearly two dozen people spoke in favor of the resolution Wednesday night, and there were no opposing speakers. Several of the supporters were part of the Antelope Valley Dream Team, a local group of undocumented students, workers and allies.
“Our families pay the social costs of deportations, of robbed wages, of not being able to advance our educations or employments, but it is city councils, it is school boards, it is hospital boards that pay the fiscal costs of an idiosyncratic and anachronistic immigration system,” said AV Dream Team member Cesar Vega Magallon. “It’s time to fix this… because my community needs this.”
“When I graduated high school I was pursuing a career in law enforcement to be a deputy, I couldn’t do that because I wasn’t a resident. I wanted to join the military, I couldn’t because I wasn’t a U.S. citizen,” said AV Dream Team Marisol Chavez. “My status has been a big setback in my future.”
“On behalf of the Antelope Valley Dream Team, I ask you to please get us one step closer to having that American dream become a reality for everyone,” said AV Dream Team member Maria Molina. “By supporting the resolution for immigration reform, you will send a message to our congressman and our community that we as the city of Palmdale understand the need for comprehensive immigration reform and we need it now.”
One of the most emotional speakers of the night was America Vega, who tearfully explained that while she was an American citizen, her mother and brother were not.
“My family can be deported at any time… it bothers me,” said Vega, her voice shaking.
“That is the heartbreaking part of what’s been happening in America,” said Palmdale Council Member Laura Bettencourt, after Vega’s emotional testimony. “Here she is with her family and look how distressed she is. That is not what America is about, it’s just not. We need to fix it.”
The Council approved an amended version of the resolution in support of comprehensive immigration reform, striking a portion that called on Congress to include specific principles in its immigration reform.
Resolution No. CC 2013-063 expressing Palmdale’s support for comprehensive immigration reform will be sent to the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, and the members of the 113th Congress representing Palmdale.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also supports immigration reforms and has prepared a pamphlet to refute seven of the most common myths about undocumented immigrants. Read the document, titled Immigration Myths and Facts, here.
The S.744 bill (Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act), a bipartisan immigration reform bill with a path to citizenship, passed the U.S. Senate in June with a vote of 68-32. View the full text of the comprehensive immigration reform bill as passed here.
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James Hux says
Immigration Reform = Amnesty and what that does is encourage others to come to the USA,the USA now spends 117 billion dollars on social benefits for illegal aliens,Los Angeles county alone spends one billion dollars to provide welfare food stamps etc to illegal aliens. Factor in wage depression unemployment for americans and the higher crime rate because of uncheck legal and illegal immigration and its no wonder the nation is in debt. I’ve research and lived though in several communities to where once hispanics became the majority of the population the area becomes a dump which causes a higher rate of crime go to immigrationcounters.com and see the facts yourself or numbersusa.com.
Doc Rivers says
To all Palmdale Hispanics the wolf is under sheep clothing and his name is Richard Loa. This trial lawyer is backed by Rex Parris and would have never supported the action passed by the palmdale city council. He is far right and past president of AVRA. His buddies in Lancaster supported and passed the Arizona law to round up Hispanics and deport. Richard Loa is no friend of the Hispanic community and you will find that out quickly after the election is over. BEWARE
Michael Rives says
Like everything else in this country, the Immigration policy of the US is a mess. Do we continue the same sorry mess or clean it up now? Let’s make this real simple: illegal aliens, come forward. You will get a visa and get to apply for citizenship for free. If you don’t take this offer, you will be deported. We need to know who or what is in this country that is why we are offering you this opportunity. You were lured into this country to be workers only. No one gave a darn about you personally. Also, as for the border with Mexico and Canada, use existing agents and let them do whatever is necessary to stop an individual entering this country illegally. You don’t need a fence, only a high powered rifle with a scope and the word will get out.
Up2here says
Yes have them come forward and maybe give them a green card depending on how long they’ve been here. I came here legally and followed the process. But citizenship has to be earned and be worthy otherwise my citizenship papers mean zilch and that hurts.
@@@ says
God God Michael….your answer to border security is to mimic East Germany? I got a better idea. Why not trade American’s like you, who lack such wisdom as to gleefully forget the reasons we fight wars, with immigrants who can help us retain our moral authority. The East Berlin wall was the shame of Europe left to stain our victories in WWII. And yet you would recreate it in America! Shameless! Hey, I know, maybe we copy North Korea’s border policing.
gerry says
Your mind seems to be wired backwards. North Korea and the Berlin wall are/were designed to keep people in. US border security is to keep people OUT.
Now, the locks on the door to your house, are they there to keep people in or to keep unwanted people out?
@@@ says
My mind is wired just fine. Doesn’t matter if you were coming or going regardless of the design, you would be shot.
Guess gerry is in your corner, Michael. Match made in heaven.
lulu belle says
Do you know what the Mexican government does to illegals crossing into their borders?? They shoot the people immediately….or worse, put them in prison.
Maria says
I would like to know where the money that is taking away every check as deductions go and for the people who is taking about taxes yes many illegal immigrants do taxes and instead. Of get a refund they have to pay to IRS because they don’t qualify for full credits that citizens can like the child credit,work credit ect ect please get informed before point people I know that is many people abusing from the system and others only working as ants
Up2here says
They need to work that out with their employers. They may be pocketing the money. A reputable employer wouldn’t hire an illegal!
Maria says
I know but who else would do that work if they don’t do it they are a benefit for employers that way they won’t pay to an other person . what they should have pay for or what the law said let’s put it like that they do the restaurants works they do more than one regular worker would do and who is the benefit for the employer right . And I don’t think that the employer keep the money they reported the worker as a regular employer and they let the government to take the deductions like I said we talking about millions of people working with deductions that they never know where the money goes
RIPjuju says
I would like to ask the person who said they can’t become a deputy.
If you want to become a deputy so bad, why don’t you go back to your country and do it? What is so wrong with that?
Uncle Tom says
Probably because they were brought here at a young age, know only this country and culture, and want to continue to live here and embrace their life here. I can’t fault them for it, and I freaking applaud them for wanting to go into LE. If only every child that was brought here grew up to want to be productive members (and have the ability), we would be a lot better off.
Up2here says
ABSOLUTELY!
so true says
How many times has a person asked if you speak Russian, German, Japanese, or Korean? Even the Vietnamese learned a broken english to work here. The Mexican people do not have to learn English, it’s all provided for them, either in paper work, or translators. Palmdale has the largest hispanic population in the AV so of course they are going to bend over backwards to accommodate their needs and wishes whether they are here illegal or not. My kids do not get a free ride to anything, school, medical, nothing…where is their dream?? Why should these kids come here and feel just because they can not be a police officer or in the military they deserve to be noticed? Do it legally, pay your taxes, get in line for school, pay tuition, and wave the AMERICAN Flag proudly!!!!!
Stinger says
Yes, because a 2 year old being brought into the US is a criminal who should be held accountable for not stopping him/herself from being brought here by a family trying to better their lives from the poverty and deadly crime wars going on all around them in Mexico – right?
To be fair, though, you DO have a point about the language issue. English is the language of power in the United States. If you intend on being a part of the community in a country that you are going to live in, you need to learn that community’s language of power… No matter which country you go to live in.
so true says
Also, if most of the millions of people from Mexico come and reclaim the land that they say is legally and rightly theirs according to history, what California will become is another Mexico City, and that’s a wonderful lawful, productive City isn’t it? After Calif becomes a cesspool they will move on to other states they feel is theirs by right and then again become a dump. Stay at home and clean up your own country before you come to ours and ruin it.
Uncle Tom says
The 2 year old, while not technically a criminal, is not legally allowed to live here. Call if what you want. And can this child also attend school here? YEP. Can this child expect street lights to stay on, roads to be paved, parks to pay in, medical aid to respond if needed, law enforcement to show up if a crime is committed against them? YEP. And what guarantee do we have that this child and its family will be paying into the system that PROVIDES all this and more. None. Parents can work for cash (no taxes), and shop at locations with cash that hide how much they make (no taxes), don’t file tax returns for state or federal (no taxes). At most we may be able to get some gas tax if they drive a car and fill it up, but that means they are currently driving illegally, since they still can’t get insurance or a licence.
Patricia Hayden says
So its okay to support gang members, murderers, rapists, child molesters, and such in our jails but its not okay to help those who mow our lawns and even take care of our infants and elderly, I do not see drug addicts, homeless, or the above mentioned residents of our penal system even thinking of taking on menial jobs. I get very upset when I see women who shop at Walmart with 6 kids, 5 grocery carts full of low quality food then pays with an EBT card for all that junk food that is making them all as big as a car, I won’t mention race because this is not a race issue its a common sense issue, If you can’t afford more than one child then stop having them, stop putting a drain on our natural resources, our public resources, its not the illegal immigrants who drain society its the lazy people with more children than they can handle or who have no idea how to manage what they do have. My family lived on $12,000 a year and raised a child, there were 3 of us, yes, this was the early 80s till now but we never asked for food stamps, medical or housing, even when Dad lost his job in 1990, we cut corners even more this lasted 4 months till Dad got a really good job raising our income to $36,000 a year. We did not change our lifestyle or our housing, we continued to live frugally because this is how both of us were raised, taught and wanted to live. Yes you are probably saying “who cares” I care when I see so much laziness, waste and obesity in our town. Okay I will put away my soapbox. but think about what I have wrote before you blame “illegal immigrants.
soapbox journal says
I see so much trash blowing all over the AV, why not contribute to our society by picking up one piece of trash as you walk from your car to Walmart, just drop it in the trash can and help to make this a better area, this is something we can all do legal or illegal resident.
kd says
So what race of people are you talking about?Say the race racist
Checko says
California it’s bilingual because California was part of Mexico until 1848… You don’t name Los Angeles California = The Angels California, or Santa Clarita= saint Claire please read some US history and find out who owned this land before everyone came from Europe,Asia and Africa. all undocumented people already here deserve an opportunity to work and live a peaceful live but if they are bad people shouldn’t be here. I support immigration reform for the honest and hard working people.
AVGirl says
You do realize that a good portion of people from Mexico and other central and south American countries are of mixed heritage right? Many of the last names such as Lopez, Gutierrez etc are from Spain right? Even the language is.
Matt K. says
Sadly, a lot of people are uneducated about that or they choose to willfully neglect it. The people living on the continents before Columbus got here did not have Spanish names. Those Spanish names are due to interracial mixture between the Spanish and the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas that produced the “mestizo” culture.
Many of the same people who are willfully ignorant of those facts are also ignorant of the fact that a lot of white Anglo people on this side of the border also have Cherokee, Choctaw, Pawnee, Blackfoot and other “Native American” blood in them which would also make them just as “native” to North America as anyone south of the border is claiming to be.
AVGirl says
Too many people forget their history it seems. The area was under Spanish rule for over 300 years. And unless someone is claiming direct Aztec descent (which is pretty hard to prove since so many were killed during the conquest and subsequent small pox outbreak, leaving perhaps 1/2 of the original population) they are at least partially European themselves.
Uncle Tom says
All undocumented people already here…does that include the lucky few who sneaked across the border today? How about tomorrow? Wheres the cut off? If you make the deal too sweet, whats to stop the continued illegal immigration and abuse of our system and social programs? I hate bringing it up but do you have any idea how nicely we treat even illegal immigrants compared to pretty much any other nation? And yet these people DEMAND(!!) more from the country they have already taken advantage of.
I would like the good, hard working, smart, educated, dedicated and law abiding (Ya, you already messed that one up crossing the border, but were letting it slide right?) people to have a chance to make amends for their past transgressions, become documented in some manner, and prove that they can be a boon and not a burden.
Matt K. says
Just to clear something up, Santa Clarita was given its name by the Anglo majority population in the 1980s and that name was picked for two reasons:
1.) The Santa Clara River, which starts in the mountains above Acton and runs all of the way down to the Pacific Ocean at Venture.
2.) The Santa Clara River passed through the towns of “Canyon Country”, “Saugus” and Newhall before leaving the valley toward Fillmore. The people of those three towns wante to incorporate into a single city in the 1980s. Because there is already a town and county called “Santa Clara” in Northern California, the people in those three towns who wished to incorporate into a single city had to pick a different name other than “Santa Clara”, so they picked “Santa Clarita”, which, when translated is basically “little Santa Clara” to denote its smaller size (at the time) and its young existence compared to the town in Nor Cal.
AVDreamer says
It’s always shocking to read the comments on articles related to immigration, because many points of contention have been repeatedly and thoroughly debunked. Some of them date to the days before the 1986 Amnesty and it’s a travesty that communication has been so poor.
What we have is the worst of all possible worlds: an immigration system which creates social upheaval by destroying communities and breaking apart families, which also fails to deliver workers to sectors that need them desperately. How many stories of US Citizen children whose parents are deported can we stomach? How many more times do we need headlines about billions of dollars of fruit rotting on branches do we need before we realize the system is broken?
It’s a myth that immigrants burden social welfare systems—in fact they subsidize them.
It’s a myth that immigrant children cause overcrowding in schools—it’s a consequence of increasingly centralized funding and administration of schools and districts, growing populations and poor planning.
It’s a myth that this country is overcrowded—replacement rate is only kept positive because of immigration, clandestine or otherwise.
It’s a myth that undocumented immigrants don’t contribute to society—we pay taxes at all levels of government and both provide labor and own businesses which provide wages to citizens and residents.
It’s a myth that the border is porous and open—attempted and successful crossing are down across the board, apprehensions are up, which means deaths on the border rise every year as migrants are pushed to more extreme points of entry. Apparently that isn’t enough.
It’s a myth that we don’t speak English, that we don’t observe American cultural norms—I’m doing it right now.
Let’s remember that many immigrants came to this country before the days of background checks and biometrics, when the only requirement for entry was a boarding pass on a ship and a health exam which was provided without cost, gleefully. Let’s remember those people were ejected from villages and cities in Europe as war-torn and poor as many of the overexploited, war-torn nations migrants today come from.
Let’s remember the principles of this nation, chief among them fairness and dignity, before we cast disparaging remarks.
QH Resident says
It’s kind of funny how this can be shocking.
When immigration issues are upheaving and break families apart that action is done by the families themselves. Why does our government need to fix that, and how are we somehow responsible?
The only time I have read about fruit rotting on branches is when there has been a storm; there is no lack of labor. Have you seen the unemployment rate? Oh and that’s only those documented.
Myth on the burden of social welfare system, please supply statistics.
Hmmm… welfare system. Again where are your figures? I worked in a group home that housed illegals children that paid us 8000.00 a month to care for them, they also got Medical and free education. What do you kids get? Free lunch, maybe… Also, all the anchor babies born here where their birth and medical care is covered even though their parents never paid taxes.
Overcrowding in schools…again check that. Why do we have so many classes slowing down to allow ESL students to keep up? Charter schools are the wave of the future. Public school is broke and failing.
Overcrowding? Please look at this on a global scale.
Undocumented contributing to society? Yes, they contribute to crime. They came here illegally and mock those who did it the way it is supposed to be done.
Border issue? Ya, try crossing in another county and see what happens to you.
Don’t speak English, not adhering to cultural norms. Hello…you wrote this in English.
History. Those Immigrants came through Elis Island, and were documented.
J Dionne says
You’re right on one count, you are a dreamer!!
Natalie Ynocente says
AVDreamer, you statements have been so eloquently made and so poorly received by those with no clue about the situation. We would be nothing without the contributions of immigrants. I am the proud wife of an immigrant and the cost and red tape we had to go through, was daunting to say the least. Thank you for demonstrating the grace and humble desire to educate those in need. Una reforma migratoria es esencial para que seamos un país extraordinaria de nuevo. Somos lo que somos por nuestra arrogancia, no por la culpa de los inmigrantes – documentados o no. Juntos si se puede!
For those offended by my use if Spanish: I grew up in an English-only household, but one that encouraged education and the learning of other languages. My global opportunities have increased ten-fold because I am bilingual, and proud of it.
kd says
Im black and proud
gerry says
“It’s a myth that immigrant children cause overcrowding in schools—it’s a consequence of increasingly centralized funding and administration of schools and districts, growing populations and poor planning.”
Not true. In much of the Loas Angeles area, the schools have been there a long time. There has not been much in the way of “legally” increasing the housing units in the area, yet the schools have greatly increased in the number of students. This is only because larger families, and even more so because of multiple families in the same number of housing units. Instead of dad and mom and their two kids, you now see dad (maybe), mom, four kids, mom’s sister, husband (maybe), their four kids, and then a couple cousins and their kids living in the garage.
gerry says
So Palmdale wants to drive the final nail into the blue collar middle class. We all SHOULD know what happened to wages in non-union construction work. Workers that made 15 to 25 dollars an hour 25 years ago would be lucky to make 12 an hour now. This same thing happened in many low education/semi skilled fields. Simple laws of supply and demand. Got a lot of workers willing to do the job for less? There go the wages. Housing? Americans used to have one family (mother/father/children) per house. Hispanics often have several families sharing a house. This causes school overcrowding.
Too many of our federal law makers do not spend enough time in the border states to see what has happened. The undocumented worker on most of the east coast is for the most part at least high school educated, and often even college educated. They did not sneak over a border, they came legally and never left.
AVDreamer says
A very recent study has been conducted and has shown that the cumulative effect of clandestine migration on wages is, at most, a 5% reduction in wages. A 5% reduction that is dwarfed by the effects of inflation and by compounded effects of globalized competition. There is also plenty of support behind the idea that legalizing and extending workplace protections (like basic safety and a minimum wage) to those currently working in the informal labor market would improve competitiveness in sectors like construction… which would benefit the working class most of all.
One family houses are also a recent phenomenon in American history and one that is only true of a certain sector of the populace. Both Western settlers and new immigrants in the East Coast often lived in multi-family homes and did so until mid-20th century.
What you’re saying is out of touch with reality, both past and present.
gerry says
Is that depressed wages in one sector or total wages? Can you post a link to that study since you are familiar with it?
As for a “recent phenomenon”, I disagree with you on several points. As for Western settlers, my families moved to the “west” in the mid 1870’s. They did not have multi-family homes although they built their farms/ranches near each other (some actually were homesteaders.)
I am also very familiar with the northeast where many immigrants from Europe settled. The multi-family homes there were most often built as two homes for two families, either side-by-side (like a townhouse), or up and down (like an apartment.) They were not single homes split or with multiple families units in one home. The homes were built that way, not converted.
Otto says
Can we just build the fence and be done with it?!!!! And STOP employers from hiring them. So simple.
Palmdale_Steve says
Anyone know what the vote count on this was? For and against?
Pretty sure Jimbo voted for this resolution.
Letlow says
Unanimously for. I’m very proud of this Palmdale Council. Funny how Rex tried to paint them out to be racist. It’s especially funny because the Lancaster council was not too long ago backing Arizona’s anti immigration law. LOL! Very telling indeed.
Uncle Tom says
This is such a difficult touchy subject.
I mean there are a LOT of people who were brought into the country at such an early age that they don’t know anything other than their lives here, and I get how being deported can be a real mess for them. I’m sure quite a few could be very productive members of our society if given the chance to become legal, while others will be nothing but a drain. But how do we choose? Good grades, no criminal history, and pay a certain $$ amount as a fine, then go through a paperwork process? Fail that and be deported?
There are those that complain that they don’t get the discounted California citizen rates for state colleges. Didn’t we just let you get a free ride through k-12? Maybe you even received social benefits for a low income family, free or low cost health care, food? Why should those of us who actually obeyed the law, and whose families paid into the system, have to continue letting you slide?? I suffered with overcrowded schools growing up, our district was so swamped by kids who where either illegal, or whose parents and family were, and yet somehow they were given a free educations on the taxpayers dime. How is that fair? Again, I wan’t to help, but I won’t let you drain an already overwhelmed system.
I could go on for quite a while on this, arguing both sides, and that’s kind of the point. This issue is a major pain for everybody. Any reform of this will be one monster of a balancing act, but if it isn’t remotely painful (process and/or cost) of those who have already taken advantage of the system, then everybody else who has suffered by following the rules will not let it pass.
I don’t want whatever reform is passed to make it so we are giving people a free pass continue to break these laws in the future and expect the same handouts. The system can not handle the strain.
10dog says
Why don’t they support the legally. Let the illegals go to the of the end of line. This just shows how sick this state is and getting worst!!
Raptormann says
Big business want’s legalization to lower wages. Unions want legalization to puff up their numbers. Both Party’s think they’ll get voters.
Where are the black leaders to talk about 50% black youth unemployment?
Where are the Hispanic leaders who understand the illegal immigration drives down the wages of legal immigrants?
Why do I have to push a button to hear my own languages in my own country?
Palmdale needs a [removed]!
Natalie Ynocente says
Most likely you have to push a button because the United States had no constitutionally-recognized official language because we are a nation built on the backs of countless immigrants and we proudly recognize that ignoring the enclaves living amongst us. My first language is English, my second is Spanish ; if I lived in Northern California it would probably be Russian. I am the wife of an immigrant who came here legally. Maybe if you and any others who spout their uninformed opinions so freely had any clue as to what it is like to live in another country and the actual immigration process, reform would not be necessary. It is embarrassing that we as Americans so quickly jump to blame everyone else for our own issues.
Natalie Ynocente says
* sorry, it should have read, “ignoring the enclaves living amongst us would demonstrate a lack of respect for our history and principles.” Do you not realize that had it been the French colonies that had broken away and started the “American Reviolution”, we would be speaking French? Had it been the Spanish colonist broken away, we would be a Spanish-speaking country?
Bob says
“We need to retain our families, we need to bring our community together, we need to quit separating, we need to unite,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.
————
unite? I get calls to my business all day long where the caller says “Do you speak Spanish?” and when I say no i don’t they hang up.
I guess I’ll need to learn Spanish if I want to help bring our community together, because the Hapanics sure don’t want to learn English.
raptormann says
Sorry, no not really. I don’t feel the least bit sorry for people who openly break our laws, suck up my taxes and then want to be rewarded for identity theft and fraud.
We should never reward criminality.
Do we need a guest worker program, yes. But I would never reward law breakers with citizenship. Let’s have the guest worker system set up and have them pay their fines AND make right to all the people whose finances were destroyed by these criminals. No forgiveness for that which this amnesty does.
Bob says
Sorry, not me. Our ancestors came to this great country legally and learned our language and assimilated into our population. I would be in favor if they were here legally, same as my great grandparents. Our families worked hard to pass the test in English to become a citizen. To own businesses. Never spending one second looking for welfare or hand outs. Where does it say that we must feed, clothe, give them cars, give them everything to sustain life for free. Send them back to where they came from and let them earn the right to come over here. Why should the citizens of this country suffer and go without just to make them happy. The people that are here the right way deserve much more. We need jobs, good ones, not so OK ones and jobs that will feed and put roofs over their heads. I pledge to no longer purchase from companies that advertise in Spanish. Why should we learn their language.
Letlow says
Bob, You obviously did not take the time to read document in the article, because it handily debunks every tired, worn out, trumped up stereotype regarding undocumented immigrants that you just rehashed in your comment. Knowledge is power my brother. Get some. SMH!
Mr. Mister says
Can’t bother the bigots with facts, it kills them. Because somehow, some way the facts are a matter of opinion.
Jay says
It funny when they say their ancestor learned the language yaddi yadda yadda like they where there to witness it. The first generation of any immigrant group does not learn the language its always the second and third
AVGirl says
@ Jay I am 2nd generation Ukrainian and my grandparents moved here and learned the language right away. Ukrainian was never the first language in their household when my father was growing up and I rarely heard them speak it. As an adult I do wish I had learned a second language, not that I would have much of an opportunity to speak it here in the AV.
My problem with the language is that I see multigenerational families who do not speak English, even if the grandparents have been here for 50 + years and all the young ones were born here.
When a HS student who has lived their entire life here yet cannot speak English, that is a problem.
Raptormann says
It didn’t take long for some [removed] to go to the bigot/racist argument like that is supposed to be a trump card to shut up any reasoned argument.
People who come in ILLEGALY are not UNDOCUMENTED, they are ILLEGAL. To get jobs, many of the committed identity theft CRIMES making this stuff AMNESTY. If the Senate wanted a guest worker program and did it on that basis we probably wouldn’t be arguing this issue.
What they want is a path to citizenship for criminals. Most every citizen would say no to people who willing and with forethought broke the law.
Now if you want to talk about children that is a subject where they did not willing or knowingly commit a crime; we can talk about that.
Mr. Mister says
Clearly NO ONE can address the point of the ILLEGAL activity by LOCAL and CORPORATE proprietors. Stop giving the opportunity and the people will stop coming. If you won’t address that in conjucntion with the illegal entry, then there is no point for you to argue a point. After all they are coming because of the OPPORTUNITY being presented to them.
Mr. Mister says
Well look at most farms, they hire illegals all the time. Same goes for people that are too lazy to landscape their own yards. The problem is that same the people that don’t want to give citizenship, are the same ones creating financial opportunity to attract illegals through undocumented labor. This seems to be an issue that is never raised. If people are not employing them, nor getting anything more than a slap on the wrist for breaking the law themselves (U.S. citizens employing illegal immigrants), then the problem persists. And for the record, Hispanics are not the only illegals. Take New York, how many illegal Italians are hiding out there? My guess is in the upward hundreds of thousands. But no one seems to care about them or Canadians because they blend easier. And if we are not going to welcome new citizens, we need to stop the charade of the ‘Melting Pot’.
Uncle Tom says
Well, there was a time when the country has tons of open spaces, land, and actively wanted the people that other countries wanted out because it helped the US to grow and become stronger. But there is a huge difference comparing now to then. Little to no social programs existed back when the mass LEGAL immigration was taking place in the distant past. All those people passed through places like Ellis Island, there was a process to it all, and you had better learn to survive, because there was no government system to bail you out.
Now people come from all around the work, pop their anchor babies out here (IMO this is one big change we need on the books, no more automatic citizenship for babies born within our borders.) so they can reap the benefits. INS will not deport a mother is their child(anchor baby) is a US citizen, but will instead point them in the direction where they can find all the social handouts and benefits they can now collect. Stories of entire services that cater to foreign women who want to have their babies born here in the US to get the benefits, but then head home until its time to use the systems social benefits in some what, never mind that they have never paid into it. Its BS, and it needs to stop.
Mr. Mister says
I’m not comparing now to then, I’m speaking of now. The only thing I stated that can be referred to as ‘then’, would be the adoption of the name ‘Melting Pot’. Everything else I stated, still largely takes place all across the country, even right here in the AV. Go out to 50th east during the harvest and you’ll see just what I am talking about. Anybody blaming the proprietor of that farm? Nope, they are blaming the farm workers for trying to provide a better life than what their country offers. I do agree it is a HUGE problem, including natural born citizenship, but at the same time, why is Philanthropy diminishing? Why are we making out people in search of a better personal life, to be demons and terrorists? They are people like anybody else, I guess except for the fact that they are not white. If the opportunity does not present itself, then there is no reason to flock here. Illegals greatly benefit anyone who employs them. The employer doesn’t have to claim them for tax purposes, provide any sort of benefits, and can pay them what they choose as an illegal does not have many options to begin with. I think this why there is such strong opposition to making citizenship more attainable. Imagine if businesses breaking the law only hired citizens. They would not be posting profits the way they do, they would have to pay at least federal minimum wage, and would not be saving money during tax season. Something needs to be done, and deportation isn’t the answer (unless there is a criminal record).
Uncle Tom says
You are correct, people who employ undocumented/illegal workers needs to be held accountable. But I still feel deportation of some, even with no criminal record beyond being here illegally, is a valid option, likely based on metric such as time living here, ability of other family to sponsor, ability to find gainful employment and not be a leech on the system, etc.
Mr. Mister says
I do not support leeching in any form, citizen or not. And what you stated seems fair. Evaluate the situation first and then make an informed decision. I think we could greatly benefit from having more of our legislators think like you.