Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Retaking the Immigration Debate

Update: A Legal Immigrant's view of the situation

The Senate is due back, and the debate should pick up where it left off. Now we are left to wonder if the Senate is coming back with their priorities in order, instead of in reverse. At least a Senator for Georgia has the priorities in the CORRECT order:

The Georgia Republican said deciding whether to allow illegal immigrants already in the United States any sort of guest worker privileges should come after it’s proven the tougher enforcement has stopped the surge of new illegal immigrants.
Let's see if he is able to get the rest of the Senate to se the light in this issue, and point in the right direction and in the right order: BORDER SECURITY first, then immigration debate.

Another issue is the May 1st "Day without an immigrant" boycott which is looking more and more like a national strike of everyone - immigrants and non immigrants. So it really will not be "Day without an immigrant". In addition, they are attempting to paralyze the nation, shutting down ports and airports while they are at it. This is not the best strategy to gain respect. Remember the New York transit workers strike? Did they derive any sympathy? No. And they were American Citizens.

People affected by the strike, not being able to get to work because the kids have no school, not having transportation available, not being able to travel, are going to be UPSET instead of sympathetic. I come from an entire family of immigrants, married one too, and NONE of them support this boycott.

There is a chance for a large group of people to lose their jobs, in particular in "at will" states. I don't believe many illegal immigrants would risk losing their job, on top of a day's pay. The illegals I know, are not partaking in this boycott. Additionally, businesses affected just might take it out on the immigrants they employ and lay them off.

This is NOT the right attitude. RESPECT berates respect. This is blackmail; this is an act of aggressionn that seeks to purposefully and without regard inflict harm on others. First were the protests that had and underlying sentiment of ENTITLEMENT, of the United States owing them something. They are here, they are working, they have kids going to school, they are sending money home. It seems they have all they need.

Yes I know they are UNDERPAID, and ABUSED and treated as SLAVES. Blame the employers that are hiring them. Everyone forgets these are ILLEGAL immigrants - that means they shouldn't be here in the first place.

NO ONE, I say this with the conviction of experience, NO ONE absolutely NO ONE is INDISPENSABLE. NO ONE. If they want to make inroads with the American people they need to remember that. This action they are planning can undo in an instant the sympathy they may have gained with the protests.

And the instances of violence at the protests don't help either. The latest was a rock and egg throwing incident against the house of an elderly couple whose last name, ironically, is GOMEZ.

Deporting them is not practical; it is probably impossible. Then you have the situations of families where parents are illegals but the children are citizens. There is no easy way out of this. There is not a way that will leave everyone happy. I don't have a solution, but I know AMNESTY is not the answer. They are already camping at the border in record numbers. And I also know that this boycott is not the right way of asking.

, , , , , , , , , , ,

InterCasino