What do you know about the illegal immigrant community in your area?

[Peikko 1,575]

The point of this thread is to discuss what you know about the illegal immigrant community in your area, not to debate politics, etc. If you don't know or pretend it doesn't exist, just say so. To everyone else, please share your knowledge.

This is not in the political forum? My bad.

What is the point of 'discussing' the illegal immigrant community in your area exactly? I know there are bound to be those present within my community who don't have proper papers but as they don't advertise who they are, I have no idea who they are and I am not going to poke my nose into places it has no business in trying to find out. Nor am I going to start worrying about every person who looks or talks funny and ponder their status and get mad about how high my taxes are and that it must all be down to pesky illegals.

A solution to the 'illegal immigrant' problem would be to grant a LOT more temporary work visas to those seeking agricultural and manual labour jobs in the US and simultaneously enforce minimum wage laws currently on the books. Most of those 'nasty' illegal immigrants who come to the US to find a 'better life' are not here because they want to live int he US, they end up living in the US because they come to make money working and choose to stay until they have made enough money working because traveling back and forth is not an option. Most would travel back and forth if they could. A proper work visa program would eliminate all that. Of course at that point those who bemoan the expense of illegal immigrants would bemoan the sudden hike in prices most notably in produce.

The most problematic illegal immigrants are the drug runners and that's another problem that is better addressed by tackling the source of the problem, drug use and drug laws than trying to prevent drug traffickers from crossing borders.

Mind you, being pragmatic isn't nearly so much fun as curtain twitching, now is it?

Edited April 20, 2011 by The Truth™

[_Simpson_ 250]

The point of this thread is to discuss what you know about the illegal immigrant community in your area, not to debate politics, etc. If you don't know or pretend it doesn't exist, just say so. To everyone else, please share your knowledge.

Know your audience.

[Peikko 1,575]

thats where i stopped reading & now call BS.

do you honestly think people are paying coyotes or people at shipping ports to help them bypass immigration officers, obtain fake ids, and find paid 'under the table' employment do not know they are doing something wrong?

Comprehension fail then, the point of that post was that there are are all types of people in the US without documentation. As I have just posted, that specific issue is best addressed by creating more work visas.

Edited April 20, 2011 by The Truth™

[The Dude 206]

I agree. I just hope one day that he grows the balls to come out and admit it.

And we can only hope that one day you will be able to understand it.

[^_^ 5,021]

I'm guessing that many of you live in are area where there is some type of illegal immigrant presence, be it large or small. What do you know about it- how they get jobs, register cars and insure them, make their way into and thru the immigration process etc. Some came on a legal visa and overstayed even though working was supposedly prohibited. Others came across the border, some on their own along with many who used the services of a coyote.

Do you know or have you heard of any who married a US citizen just to get papers, paying the US citizen for services rendered?

Discuss.

I live in New Jersey. The answer to this question would require writing a freaking paper. I don't have that kind of patience. Sorry.

[Zero Sum 305]

so how do you feel about everyone here that tries to portray the anti illegal immiration crowd as racist xenophobes?

I am anti-illegal immigration and certainly not a xenophobe. I do support rational avenues to legalization in certain cases that are beneficial to the nation.

This does not mean that some attitudes in the anti-illegal crusade are eerily reminiscent of racism and xenophobia.

I know in the north illegal Mexicans get hired by companies and they pay them half what they would pay to a legal immigrant, so i think this is encouraging for them to stay illegal, I've always asked my wife how did they get all the way up from Mexico to Michigan or Wisconsin to work, almost look like the companies themselves helped them cross the border illegally.

Well if they turn legal, they could get employed at double the wage then. I think what you may mean is that it is the employers that are pressing the wage market lower by preferring illegal labor.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

This is not in the political forum? My bad.

What is the point of 'discussing' the illegal immigrant community in your area exactly? I know there are bound to be those present within my community who don't have proper papers but as they don't advertise who they are, I have no idea who they are and I am not going to poke my nose into places it has no business in trying to find out. Nor am I going to start worrying about every person who looks or talks funny and ponder their status and get mad about how high my taxes are and that it must all be down to pesky illegals.

A solution to the 'illegal immigrant' problem would be to grant a LOT more temporary work visas to those seeking agricultural and manual labour jobs in the US and simultaneously enforce minimum wage laws currently on the books. Most of those 'nasty' illegal immigrants who come to the US to find a 'better life' are not here because they want to live int he US, they end up living in the US because they come to make money working and choose to stay until they have made enough money working because traveling back and forth is not an option. Most would travel back and forth if they could. A proper work visa program would eliminate all that. Of course at that point those who bemoan the expense of illegal immigrants would bemoan the sudden hike in prices most notably in produce.

The most problematic illegal immigrants are the drug runners and that's another problem that is better addressed by tackling the source of the problem, drug use and drug laws than trying to prevent drug traffickers from crossing borders.

Mind you, being pragmatic isn't nearly so much fun as curtain twitching, now is it?

I'm asking people for their knowledge. I don't need to provide a reason for discussing it. It's obvious you have no idea what I'm talking about as does most of the general population. I don't care about solutions etc. I'm interested in what you know and you've answered that.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I live in New Jersey. The answer to this question would require writing a freaking paper. I don't have that kind of patience. Sorry.

The sad thing is, I live in the Boston suburbs and I could write a book too. But I'm probably exposed to that community more than those who have posted here. Most of you don't have a spouse from a country where you would be exposed on the level I am speaking of.

[Peikko 1,575]

I'm asking people for their knowledge. I don't need to provide a reason for discussing it. It's obvious you have no idea what I'm talking about as does most of the general population. I don't care about solutions etc. I'm interested in what you know and you've answered that.

No, you don't have to, but if the result of such a question is a bunch of xenophobic nonsense (which is quite likely) then it has no place on an immigration forum that is supposed to cater to everyone, INCLUDING those who are in the US without proper documentation but have a means to rectify their situation.

As to whether someone has married someone 'just for the green card' that's highly speculative - unless it's a business venture. A business venture should indeed by investigated by the proper authorities, but just because someone says "I only married him for a green card' doesn't actually mean that what they have done is fraudulent, it may be, and then again it may not.

[Zero Sum 305]

The point of this thread is to discuss what you know about the illegal immigrant community in your area, not to debate politics, etc. If you don't know or pretend it doesn't exist, just say so. To everyone else, please share your knowledge.

The people that I know are illegal work (as far as I know) many more hours on average than those that I assume to be legals. They are not felons, and they contribute positively to their communities by reporting crime when they see it, they have taxes withheld from their paychecks as far as I know, and they do not go to the ER to get health care.

I did know one family of illegals (mom and dad only) that were from Argentina. The father was a carpenter, mom was a homemaker. He made enough to be able to purchase a brand new house, 50% down cash, 50% mortgaged. When they decided to return to Argentina, they left the home in the care of a US citizen relative that is renting it out.

The people that I know that are felons, on the other hand, are not illegals.

[^_^ 5,021]

The sad thing is, I live in the Boston suburbs and I could write a book too. But I'm probably exposed to that community more than those who have posted here. Most of you don't have a spouse from a country where you would be exposed on the level I am speaking of.

I'm quite familiar with it. Indian and Bangladeshi overstays, Mexican/Central/South American EWIs... they're all here. I like 'em. I wouldn't want to see them leave. They effectively drown out and dilute the poor American population who are much more criminal and disruptive. They've taken ####### neighborhoods which were warzones thank to certain American demographics and turned them into nice livable areas with good eats and hot women.

[_Simpson_ 250]

And we can only hope that one day you will be able to understand it.

I understand that getting far left people to answer a question is a very difficult task.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I'm mainly exposed to the Brazilian community, with a few here and there from Central and South America. I was amazed at how much of this has spread to the small towns in the area.

[Samoray 165]

Well if they turn legal, they could get employed at double the wage then. I think what you may mean is that it is the employers that are pressing the wage market lower by preferring illegal labor.

Yeah and what's sad also is after hiring these illegals, and then an audit comes on the company, they will say you have to provide legal papers or we gonna have to let you go.

[Peikko 1,575]

Here's a question for you Spooks. If a women from say, Belarus marries a man from the US because he is likely to be a better provider than a man from Belarus is that marriage a green card fraud?