we the people

[floridaboy99 0]

received the approval notice today green card is in the mail

now we need to push for a fair immigration reform something got to give !!

what can be done ?!!

immigrants in america need a voice now

[Brit Abroad 166]

Immigration is a privilege, not a right. Immigrants have plenty of rights, but dictating how immigration law is created and policed are not among them; nor should they be. Where is your plea that the rights of Americans aren't infringed by all the illegal aliens living here? (Yes, btw, I'm the British one of this family).

[floridaboy99 0]

The immigration laws give you no rights what so ever here you just need to pay for BS (legal people)

I have been legally here since 99 and did not have any rights except paying taxes.Over the span of that time I was forced to leave over and over again cross borders just to stay legal .What a waist of time and money !And then there are the lawyers making money too on legal immigration.

But on the other hand here we have illegals running around jumping borders demonstrating and nobody does anything , just speeches for political gain .

I just want to start a discussion about fairness since I am finally a resident !! freedom of speech

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The immigration laws give you no rights what so ever here you just need to pay for BS (legal people)

I have been legally here since 99 and did not have any rights except paying taxes.Over the span of that time I was forced to leave over and over again cross borders just to stay legal .What a waist of time and money !And then there are the lawyers making money too on legal immigration.

But on the other hand here we have illegals running around jumping borders demonstrating and nobody does anything , just speeches for political gain .

I just want to start a discussion about fairness since I am finally a resident !! freedom of speech

But not yet a citizen.

In five years you get to vote. Patience, little one.

Edited July 23, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

The immigration laws give you no rights what so ever here you just need to pay for BS (legal people)

I have been legally here since 99 and did not have any rights except paying taxes.Over the span of that time I was forced to leave over and over again cross borders just to stay legal .What a waist of time and money !And then there are the lawyers making money too on legal immigration.

But on the other hand here we have illegals running around jumping borders demonstrating and nobody does anything , just speeches for political gain .

I just want to start a discussion about fairness since I am finally a resident !! freedom of speech

I call BS on the bolded statement above. You have always had the same rights not exclusively reserved for US citizens. You have the right to freedom of religion. You have the right to free speech and freedom of the press. You have the right to peacefully assemble. You have the right to address the government for your grievances. You have the right to protection against unreasonable search and seizure. You have the right to a speedy trial by your peers. You have the right to due process before being denied life, liberty, or property.

You have always had these rights. Even illegal aliens have these rights. About the only right you don't currently have is the right to vote. As an LPR, you also now have the right to own a gun.

In my opinion, comprehensive immigration reform will begin with enforcement of existing immigration laws, especially an active campaign to find and deport illegals, especially EWI's. No US citizen would be allowed to get away with staying illegally in Mexico for years with law enforcement basically ignoring you. I'm deeply offended when I hear the Mexican government complaining about US immigration laws when their own laws are far more strict, and they actually enforce them.

After that, get rid of the incentive to commit immigration fraud by marriage to a US citizen - increase the term of conditional permanent residence to five years, eliminate the ability to remove conditions after divorce, and eliminate the ability to acquire permanent residence or remove conditions based on an accusation of abuse. If a foreigner marries a US citizen and the marriage goes down the tubes in less than five years then they can go home. If it falls apart after five years then they can either stay as LPR's or become US citizens. This would actually be a great relief for those of us who want to bring our legitimate fiancees and spouses to America. If you eliminate the incentive for fraud then you eliminate the suspicion of fraudulent intent - it would be much easier to be approved for a visa, even in so-called "high fraud" countries.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

The immigration laws give you no rights what so ever here you just need to pay for BS (legal people)

I have been legally here since 99 and did not have any rights except paying taxes.Over the span of that time I was forced to leave over and over again cross borders just to stay legal .What a waist of time and money !And then there are the lawyers making money too on legal immigration.

But on the other hand here we have illegals running around jumping borders demonstrating and nobody does anything , just speeches for political gain .

I just want to start a discussion about fairness since I am finally a resident !! freedom of speech

I am also going to call BS on your statement.

You say that you have been here legally since 1999, yet you only just got your green card. You are a foreign citizen, why do you have the right to enter and live in the US???? Foreign citizens are guests in the US. Guests don't get to dictate how long they stay. Why shouldn't the US have the right to "force" guests to leave when their visas expires?????

As Jim pointed out, you have all the rights except for those reserved for citizens.

Everyone including illegal immigrants have the right of free speech. Everyone in the US has the right to equal protection under the laws of the US.

Legal Permanent Residency is not a right. It is a privilege. That privilege can be revoked. Essentially, LPRs are guests of this country. LPRs are citizens of their respective home countries.

The US has the right to secure its borders. The US has the right to set immigration laws. All countries have the same rights. No country would argue that foreign citizens are entitled to freely enter its territory without permission. Each country has the right to impose conditions for entering and living within its borders on foreign citizens. The US has the right to impose conditions for entering and living within its borders on foreign citizens.

Before you became a legal resident, you do not have a right to enter the US whenever you want. If the law says you have to leave, then that's it. Please tell me how this is unfair????

Now that you are a legal resident, you have lots of rights including the one to be here. Please tell me which rights you don't have???? You stated that you have been here since 1999, and you have had no rights except the one to pay taxes. Have you had the right to work??? Have you had the right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of free association, etc.????

As an immigrant myself, I feel that I could voice my opinions on immigration issues. My freedom of speech was not limited. In addition, I recognized that I was a guest in the US.

As a US citizen, I can vote. I can take part in changing laws; either directly or through my representatives. The US is my home. This is my country. Where I was born is of significance to me, but I no longer have the right to vote for changes there.

As an analogy, guests in my home don't get a vote and can't dictate who comes into my house. The home owners gets to make the rules on who enters and how stays. Guests can voice their opinions, but they don't get to vote. Guests don't get to decide who enters and stays within the borders of my home.

Edited July 24, 2011 by Jojo92122

[Jojo92122 1,924]

The immigration laws give you no rights what so ever here you just need to pay for BS (legal people)

I have been legally here since 99 and did not have any rights except paying taxes.Over the span of that time I was forced to leave over and over again cross borders just to stay legal .What a waist of time and money !And then there are the lawyers making money too on legal immigration.

But on the other hand here we have illegals running around jumping borders demonstrating and nobody does anything , just speeches for political gain .

I just want to start a discussion about fairness since I am finally a resident !! freedom of speech

What malarkey. You have more freedom of speech in the US as foreign citizen than you do in Germany. Mein Kampf is banned in Germany. It's not banned in the US. Germany bans books. The US doesn't.

On your complaint about "illegals running around jumping borders demonstrating and nobody does anything." Even illegals have the right to free speech and demonstrate against the US government. Would you like to curtail their speech??? Do you think other countries would behave such civility??? My guess is that in lots of countries including those in Europe, immigrants (whether legal or illegal) demonstrating would have had riot police or angry citizens bashing some heads in to curtail free speech.

Greece: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/world/europe/14briefs-Greece.html

France: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10894311

Germany: http://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/01/world/german-faults-silence-about-attacks-on-immigrants.html

Oh by the way, how

Edited July 24, 2011 by Jojo92122

[kaospouse 5]

I'm very encouraged to read the common sense replies here. Just as I have a right to lock the doors on my house and ward off trespassers on my property, the United States has every right -- and an obligation to her citizens -- to strictly enforce her borders. Those of us on this board have chosen to avail ourselves of the existing legal options for immigration, either for ourselves or our spouses/families. While we may have found the process costly, time-consuming, and often frustrating, we've honored the expectations of the American people. We have not trespassed on the legal rights of our fellow citizens. We may feel entitled to gripe about the process, but we should recognize that the rules in place are actually quite generous when compared to the immigration policies of most other countries. It's only the rampant abuse of America's border that makes our experiences seem draconian by comparison. If you want to feel better about the legal process of immigration, advocate for a secure border and stricter enforcement of existing immigration policies.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

What malarkey. You have more freedom of speech in the US as foreign citizen than you do in Germany. Mein Kampf is banned in Germany. It's not banned in the US. Germany bans books. The US doesn't.

So true. As an American I can now wear my Heinrich Himmler Totenkopf ring just because I think it looks cool, whereas I cannot do that in Germany. Germany is the only civilized country in the world that dictates history and makes it a crime to even discuss it.

If I had a say in this, I would deport illegal aliens like Eisenhower and FDR did it: big. I would secure the US/Mexico border using many (but not all) of the methods that kept the people successfully behind the iron curtain for decades. I would make unlawful presence in the US a felony. I would restrict legal immigration severely, more so until we have eliminated all but unemployment in the United States. US citizens could only petition for one foreigner, and only once in their lifetime, and there would be a 5-year waiting period between becoming a US citizen and the time a petition can be filed. And, I would require proof of lawful presence anytime an application with a government agency is made.

As a German, I would not want Turks, Yugos and Russkies to tell me what immigration laws my country should implement. As an American, I don't want Germans and Cubans and Mexicans to tell me what immigration laws my country should implement.

As always: if you don't like it in your guest country, you are free to go home.

Did I mention that I'm a liberal?

Seriously.

[floridaboy99 0]

still absolutely unfair to me , that system here it is all about money if you want to immigrate to USA , this country was build from European immigrants !! America has all there fingers over there in Europe and the rest of the world and should let us come here effortless

Instead of being fair to Germans (Europeans) that is what you get mein Kampf BS and Hitler and what not , my children have been called Nazi in School.????

And yes I have been here legally since 99 and owned property since then ;but was not allowed to stay without getting out here every two years.I was not a Guest I was a part of that society and paying social security and property taxes.

I did not get married to come and live here I was here and got married and my journey is quiet different difficult. I went trough several visas to stay legally here and spent lots of money for that.

But this is a long story

all I say opened the flood gates totally for everybody

since they jump the southern border anyways and our clown in chief plays golf and celebrates his Irish heritage

how is that for freedom of speech

[mystickal 8]

Take it easy there sailor boy. Just because you got the GC doesn't mean you're entitled to do anything like a USC.

[floridaboy99 0]

Take it easy there sailor boy. Just because you got the GC doesn't mean you're entitled to do anything like a USC.

I telling just how it is , and I am not a sailor nor a boy and for sure not a liberal

[Jojo92122 1,924]

still absolutely unfair to me , that system here it is all about money if you want to immigrate to USA , this country was build from European immigrants !! America has all there fingers over there in Europe and the rest of the world and should let us come here effortless

Instead of being fair to Germans (Europeans) that is what you get mein Kampf BS and Hitler and what not , my children have been called Nazi in School.????

And yes I have been here legally since 99 and owned property since then ;but was not allowed to stay without getting out here every two years.I was not a Guest I was a part of that society and paying social security and property taxes.

I did not get married to come and live here I was here and got married and my journey is quiet different difficult. I went trough several visas to stay legally here and spent lots of money for that.

But this is a long story

all I say opened the flood gates totally for everybody

since they jump the southern border anyways and our clown in chief plays golf and celebrates his Irish heritage

how is that for freedom of speech

So this country was built by European immigrants so all Europeans are free to come here at will???? What makes a German citizen entitled to to come and live in the US without the permission of US citizens?????

Paying taxes here is the privilege of working here. Whether a person is illegal, living abroad, an LPR, or a citizen, all have to pay taxes if they make their money here.

The arrogance of European superiority and entitlement.

What about the African slaves who built this country? What about the Chinese who built the railroads? What about every minority that has work the fields??

Why should Europeans have an "effortless" right to come to the US???

Should the Turks have an effortless right to immigrate to Germany???

Maybe you should be exchanging Christmas cards with Anders Behring Breivik.

Lets kick out all the dirty dark skinned people.

Freedom of speech for me and no one else.

So far, there isn't a single person who is backing your position. Every poster disagrees with you.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Jojo92122

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

This country was built by the Spanish and the French and the British, who kicked the Indians' behinds. Pretty bloody if you ask me.

Then they fought one another, became Americans, and fought the Brits. Then settlers from all over the world came to the New World, first only from the Olde World, latter from places far, far away.

A nation that was in its infancy has passed puberty and grown up to be an adult. We have rules and while we can all agree and disagree about what's good or bad and what could be done better, we agreed to abide by them. There's certainly a lot that can be improved upon when it comes to the US's immigration system, and while I personally don't mind having more Europeans and less people from south of the border, I'm smart enough to accept that people from south of the border see it differently.

Despite the continuing issues with race, America is a country that is open to anyone equally, and does not give preference to Europeans, even if Europeans would like that to be the case. One way to promote a multi-cultural society is the DV-Lottery. Brits and Mexicans need to apply, but people from nations that are underrepresented have a fair and realistic chance to immigrate to the US.