This is the human side of separating families due to immigration status. Who takes care of the children if we deport the parents?
This article by Linda Chavez sheds new light on this very complicated issue.
A new report out last week from the Pew Hispanic Center confirms what many observers already suspected about the illegal immigrant population in the United States: It is made up increasingly of intact families and their American-born children. Nearly half of illegal immigrant households consist of two-parent families with children, and 73 percent of these children were born here and are therefore U.S. citizens.
How does the new population of immigrants hearken to your ancestors and mine? Although the immigrants who graduate high school strive to attain some college education, the reality is that their long term earning “prognosis” is poor indeed.
The greater concern for some opponents of immigration – legal and illegal – is the fear that these newcomers will never fully adapt, won’t learn English, will remain poor and uneducated, and transform the United States into a replica of Mexico or some other Latin American country. The same fears led Americans of the mid-19th century to fear German and Irish immigrants, and in the early 20th century to fear Italians, Jews, Poles, and others from Eastern and Southern Europe.
Such worries are no more rational today – or born out of actual evidence – than they were a hundred years ago. It is true that Hispanic immigrants today take awhile to catch up with the native born just as their European predecessors did, and illegal immigrants never fully do so in terms of education or earnings.
Given the reality of this population, how do we deal with their presence in a humane and fiscally responsible manner?
The fact that so many illegal immigrants are intertwined with American citizens or legal residents, either as spouses or parents, should give pause to those who’d like to see all illegal immigrants rounded up and deported or their lives made so miserable they leave on their own. A better approach would allow those who have made their lives here, established families, bought homes, worked continuously and paid taxes to remain after paying fines, demonstrating English fluency, and proving they have no criminal record. Such an approach is as much about supporting family values as it is granting amnesty.
michael,
Honestly, you speak with such conviction but your assertions aren’t based on anything except your beliefs. If back in the 90’s, INS had required my husband to leave the country for an extended period of time, I NEVER would have gone with him!
Michael you said:
“When that day comes I will reluctantly be forced to become a soldier (again) protecting my family, my American ideology and my nation from INTERNAL rather than EXTERNAL political warfare and destruction.”
This is the kind of extreme mantra that makes people do crazy stuff.
You also said:
“I have only to look at the lessons of history to see how this will unfold.”
On that we agree, but I imagine we are suggesting different sides of history. I am concerned about the latino group being scapegoated for all our “ills” as a nation. Now THAT is a dangerous precedent!
Moon, your TOPIC is about immigration. I have not talked about it on any of you other threads of the past few days, because for the most part I agree with your views in those threads.
“illegal” immigrants and what to do about are really the only major areas where you and I (from my perspective) disagree.
Elena, you don’t get it.
What did Patrick Henry mean when he said…
paraphrased) we all rise up to defend this ideal of a government for the people, ruled by the people and against the tyranny of a government set up to control the people on behalf of an aristocracy… we are all individuals together, creating the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…I am NOT a Virginian….I AM AN AMERICAN…
He did not mean a Hyphenated-American (Hispanic-American, Black-American, White-American, Catholic-American, Muslim American, Asian American, etc.
He meant united individuals under a soverign constitution of UNITED STATES, not United LA RAZA, or United ATZLAN, or TEXAS the sovereign nation…
Or the concepts of Thomas Jefferson to separate Church and State, to uphold the rights of individuals and to decry the tyranny of government as a result of “religious group oppression” and “aristocratic” self-interest doctrine.
Or of James Madison who warned of the power of groups, and group issues (he called them FACTIONS) that can and will destroy the concept of democracy.
I’m telling you that “illegal” immigrants are a FACTION, LA RAZA is a FACTION, GANGS such as MS-13 and SU-13, and militant Mafias are FACTIONS, the KKK is a Faction, White power, Black power, Hispanic power, Asian power, Muslim power, Christian power ARE FACTIONS, the radical muslim or other religious group elements in the country represent FACTIONS, and the Taliban, HAMAS, IRISH IRA army is a FACTION. When any of these factions obtain sufficient political power in the US as a result of a FLOOD of “illegal” immigrants that support such FACTIONS, of such magnitude as to undermine “law”, “oppress US citizens”, spread militant, anarchic or socialist ideologies, destroy democracy and undermine and ignore the US constitution, then like our fore-fathers before us, it will become necessary to rise up as a unified voice of the people, the “unified” United States and the “unified” soverign nation of free individuals called the United States of America, and field a military force against it.
If you or anyone else takes part in supporting such groups that undermine democracy, ignore law, or subvert the US constitution in the interest of FOREIGN FACTIONS or against the best interests of the majority of US citizens, then those who are so involved become part of the radical target groups identified in Janet Nepolitano’s reports on fringe terrorists and dangwerous groups in our society.
THAT is what I am saying….go read some history before you support “illegal” groups.
Elena, you don’t get it.
What did Patrick Henry mean when he said…
paraphrased) we all rise up to defend this ideal of a government for the people, ruled by the people and against the tyranny of a government set up to control the people on behalf of an aristocracy… we are all individuals together, creating the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…I am NOT a Virginian….I AM AN AMERICAN…
He did not mean a Hyphenated-American (Hispanic-American, Black-American, White-American, Catholic-American, Muslim American, Asian American, etc.
He meant united individuals under a soverign constitution of UNITED STATES, not United LA RAZA, or United ATZLAN, or TEXAS the sovereign nation…
Or of James Madison who warned of the power of groups, and group issues (he called them FACTIONS) that can and will destroy the concept of democracy.
I’m telling you that “illegal” immigrants are a FACTION, LA RAZA is a FACTION, GANGS such as MS-13 and SU-13, and militant Mafias are FACTIONS, the KKK is a Faction, White power, Black power, Hispanic power, Asian power, Muslim power, Christian power ARE FACTIONS, the radical muslim or other religious group elements in the country represent FACTIONS, and the Taliban, HAMAS, IRISH IRA army is a FACTION. When any of these factions obtain sufficient political power in the US as a result of a FLOOD of “illegal” immigrants that support such FACTIONS, of such magnitude as to undermine “law”, “oppress US citizens”, spread militant, anarchic or socialist ideologies, destroy democracy and undermine and ignore the US constitution, then like our fore-fathers before us, it will become necessary to rise up as a unified voice of the people, the “unified” United States and the “unified” soverign nation of free individuals called the United States of America, and field a military force against it.
Or of James Madison who warned of the power of groups, and group issues (he called them FACTIONS) that can and will destroy the concept of democracy.
Moon, your moderation filter is retarded, it doesn’t like the word f.a.c.t.i.o.n.s…so before I make efforts to drill around it to make my point I’ll give you an opprotunity to remove it.
so I can tell the rest of the story.
“illegal” immigration creating f.a.c.t.i.o.n.s of such magnitude as to undermine “law”, “oppress US citizens”, spread militant, anarchic or socialist ideologies, destroy democracy and undermine and ignore the US constitution, then like our fore-fathers before us, it will become necessary to rise up as a unified voice of the people, the “unified” United States and the “unified” soverign nation of free individuals called the United States of America, and field a military force against it.
Elena, you still don’t GET it.
you say “On that we agree, but I imagine we are suggesting different sides of history. I am concerned about the latino group being scapegoated for all our “ills” as a nation. Now THAT is a dangerous precedent!”
Why are you so obviously not concerned for ANYONE ELSE? I think THAT is a dangerous precedent for all of the reasons about F.a.c.t.i.o.n.s. I mentioned above.
You support racial, gender, ethnic and religious group f.a.c.t.i.o.n.s and support allowing “illegal” immigrant f.a.c.t.i.o.n.s to remain in the US, which is clearly detrimental to the rest of us US CITIZENS.
I too am concerned that “latino groups” are being scapegoated for our ills as a nation, BUT I NEVER SAID THAT IT WAS JUST LATINOS THAT ARE THE PROBLEM OR THE ONLY ONES NEEDING SUPPORT. I have always said the problem is “illegal” immigrants and NOT ANY OTHER LEGAL individual coming into the US.
I say illegal immigrant you hear “latino” This is a consequence of your racist beliefs.
I OPPOSE ANY “illegal” individual coming into the US, or remaining in the US, and I support that all LEGAL ethnic, gender, religious or racial groups be treated the same, INCLUDING groups you don’t like and oppose you when you display evidence of your own racial bias against others, but who are also legal US citizens.
You may not have Alanna, but many would. Most families will go whever the main wage earner goes. If the main wage earner is deported, because he is “illegal”, most families would not choose to remain behind and starve just to oppose “illegal” immigrant law.
As I have said many times before, Moon, you and elena, have personal reasons that bias your viewpoint to support “illegal” immigrants (family members, friends etc).
It is your personal relationships that cloud and bias your judgement on what is best for the rest of the US CITIZENS in this nation who are sufferring under negative effects of “illegal” immigration and for whom, you, elena, and moon never write articles supporting. Your lack of concern for the REST OF AMERICA, your FOCUS on FOREIGERS and helping “illegals” and your concern for only your own self-interests is why I oppose what the three of you say on this blog. I do not believe the three of you have the best interests of the citizens of the US in your hearts, as you support the self interests of only a small foreign f.a.c.t.i.o.n. on this web-site.
Actually Michael, I don’t have a bunch of illegal friends, as in people I would go out and have a beer with. In fact, all my friends who are illegal or who would have been illegal at one time, I have met directly through this blog.
Now, do I know people who are illegal who I would not classify as friends, yes. I know quite a few and that is what I am basing much of my opinion on. I have put a face on many of the ‘illegals’ who some have referred to in such uncomplementary terms.
Let me ask you a question, how many illegal immigrants have you come in personal contact with where you know them by name, or recognize them?
I highly resent you saying that I have lack of concern for the rest of America and that I focus on foreigners and am concerned for my own self-interest. Screw you. You don’t know me or what my level of contact is.
DITTO from me too M-H. Because I have concern for my country Michael, I have become involved in this issue, and the take the POLAR opposite approach of you. @Moon-howler
What I find interesting Michael is you have NEVER called the dark screen on their obsession with Mexico or other latin cultures that they highlight as degenerate. Hmmmm, for one so pious, I find that odd. I guess it’s o.k., by your omission of any commentary to the focus on latino “crime” on the dark screen, you must approve of the scapegoating?
k- nobody answered any of my questions or disproved any o my facts-so im out- nice dialog SODIER- peace
oh sorry if i made u uncomfortable. giggle