Furor grows over Arizona's illegal immigration law (page 21)

bluesapphire

I just noticed you said it took you longer and cost more to become "LEGAL".

I'm talking about becoming a citizen. I was always legal.

Sam Whiskey

Hey guys, thanks for your responses. I haven't visited for a couple of days....eleven pages! I'm going to have to review your comments...but it might take a while.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

sammielee24

As you said though - you came as a child and one must assume there is a difference.

I married a US citizen and the cost of applying for a green card, medical for the application, biometrics for the application, travel to the specified immigration center, additional paperwork needed for the hearing, costs for applying for a work permit - etc - was in the thousands. There are most likely many other differences in your situation and others - the FBI clearances alone for some people, because of a backlog in processing, can take a few years. There are also rules that might be different. Could you leave the country and travel? Could you work? Could you apply for social services if you needed it? Those are things that I could not do until processing was complete - I could not leave to get home to see my mother while she was dying and could not attend the funeral.

There are things I gave up, including those things, to become a permanent legal resident of the USA. I am not complaining about the immigration process, however, don't think for a moment that people who are trying to become legal, have a smooth ride and when an applicant is trying to become legal and can't work, but an illegal get's a free pass to do so, there is something vastly skewed about the system. I'm a white person - I would be labelled lazy because I couldn't work legally despite the hardship it was causing financially and yet, the justification for allowing a Mexican to work illegally is because he is suffering hardship.

The system could be fixed and I don't have the answers but in the case of Arizona, the State does have an obligation to the people living there and if crime, rising costs and fraud are affecting the ability of the State to operate, then the State must do something. Had the federal government made it a priority many years ago, the issue would not be causing the uproar it is today. sammieswife.

sammielee24

I know of NO ONE who was already a resident who has said becoming a citizen is difficult.

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That is the difference.

When we talk of a resident - you mean a legal resident. You can't be a legal resident until you have a residency card as a rule. In order to get one of those, we had to have TB testing, FBI clearance, support information, a hearing, documentation and so on. After all that, we are legal and a permanent resident, usually with conditions that will end after the 2 year renewal of the green card. The citizenship is different. After 3 years as a rule, one became a resident without a problem.

We are talking however about illegals. These are people who are in the country and not here legally - if they were in the process of applying for legality, they would not be subject to deportation unless they broke the rules according to the immigration process. The illegals we speak of, are not residents and not in the process of becoming residents and thus remain illegal, some for 20 years - all the while having children and working.

The system needs to be reformed - more agriculture visa's issued if needed - but totally reformed to ensure that there is a reason people will choose the legal route and not the illegal. sammieswife.

bluesapphire

There are things I gave up, including those things, to become a permanent legal resident of the USA. I am not complaining about the immigration process, however, don't think for a moment that people who are trying to become legal, have a smooth ride and when an applicant is trying to become legal and can't work, but an illegal get's a free pass to do so, there is something vastly skewed about the system.

Sammie, your sitch is completely different from mine and most anyone's who came here legally to begin with. But I HAVE had many family members go through it too from start to finish, like yourself. It wasn't easy but it was do-able. There are things people sacrifice. My dad sacrificed to bring us here too. I commend you for doing it legally. Once you are legal for 5 years you can apply for citizenship and it will be MUCH easier than what you've already had to accomplish.

I don't think illegal people should get a "free pass". I think they shouldn't be practically recruited to be here and be exploited and then blamed for the country's problems. The abundance of cheap labor jobs for them is what draws them here. Employers should face the collapse of their businesses and jail time and the problem would be solved. Arizona is trying to blame everything on the illegals themselves when all they are doing is filling the demand for their labor. If Arizona was truly interested in correcting the problem, they would make a law against hiring these people with stiff penalties for doing so. Instead of throwing illegals in jail, throw their employers in jail.

Cut the demand for cheap labor. Without the demand we would find it much easier to patrol the borders because the only ones trying to cross it would be for shady purposes. No one else would find it appealing.

B-Rock

I'm talking about becoming a citizen. I was always legal.

You look a little to brown and south of the borderish to me. I'm calling la migra.

Robdar

And you look pink and uncircumcized to me. I'm calling a rabbi.

bluesapphire

ROFLMAO!

sammielee24

I expect zero accolades for doing what was right and I harbor no illusion that my journey was any different nor difficult than millions of others have been.

The only point I was making was that those who are doing what is right, are also placed in hardship by the very rules that others do not feel obligated to follow.

This is the same problem the world over and is probably going to be the hot topic for the coming 2010 elections. sammieswife.

Sam Whiskey

beksbks - "Oh Woods, I suspect you've been listening to some right wing talking heads. What was Reagan's reason for the largest amnesty to date? And don't fool yourself about the racism issue, read up on the Senator who presented this and his neo nazi buddies. Again, why aren't we hitting the employers hard? That is where this thing could really be squashed if it was indeed the goal. Illegal immigration is a problem, one that seriously needs to be addressed. But this law has one huge problem. And frankly out4good3 hit the nail on the head. How can you tell the difference between an illegal immigrant and a legal immigrant OR Mexican American (or any other brown American), without asking for papers? One nit wit advocate in California said the way they dress, their shoes, but mostly behavior. What the hell does that mean??? The problem is not how this law will effect illegals, it's how it will effect Americans and legal immigrants."

As one Arizona Police officer put it on television, "If I see a car designed to carry six people and I see twelve people in the car, it's a sign that there is something suspicious going on here." I don't think I'd call that racial profiling. If that were happening in my area and it was a bunch of White, Black, Yellow or Green people traveling like that, I'd think it was suspicious too. It appears that some have the "Racial Profiling" card has gone a little too far. On the other hand....just think, if you're a LEGAL immigrant of dark skin why would you need to worry??? We all carry a mandatory I.D. card anyway that is to be produced to a peace officer upon request...again...White, Black or any other color.

Furor grows over Arizona's illegal immigration law

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