Whining about immigration raids

[RedRock]

An immigration raid that arrested nearly 400 people in northeastern Iowa scarred a small town and tore families apart, residents said Saturday........
"We've taken men and women who want to work and made felons out of them.".........
"This raid did nothing for this community," he said. "It downgraded us substantially. It caused people to suffer, and it caused our reputation to suffer clear across the country."...........
Dozens begged a visiting congressional delegation to do everything in its power to stop federal immigration raids.

Give me a break. If they're here illegally, THEY chose to become a felon, we didn't make them! And THEY chose to take a hard job knowing that the employer wouldn't turn them in but also wouldn't necessarily give them a wonderful job or benefits or great place to work! And unfortunately, but that's life, when you break the law and get caught, frequently your loved ones and dependents suffer, too! Too bad, your fault and your fault alone! And these raids are not for the immediate benefit of the "community," they're for the overall long-term benefit of the whole country!!! The "community" is, in fact, partly to blame by tolerating or tacitly approving of the shennanigans! And once again, it's big government, ala some minority congressmen riding in from out of town and naming groups of people as victims and lawbreakers as the good guys, who are going to set things to rights and provide "joostice to the pipples!" And "dozens" of residents protested??? Where are the hundreds and thousands of the residents who know it's right and should be applauding it???

Whiners!

apnews1.iwon.com/article/20080727/D925S5MO0.html

Jul 26, 8:32 PM (ET)

By HENRY C. JACKSON

POSTVILLE, Iowa (AP) - An immigration raid that arrested nearly 400 people in northeastern Iowa scarred a small town and tore families apart, residents said Saturday.

Dozens begged a visiting congressional delegation to do everything in its power to stop federal immigration raids. The May raid in Postville at Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher meatpacking plant, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials was the largest of its kind in U.S. history.

Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., Albio Sires, D-N.J., and Joe Baca, D-Calif., members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, heard three hours of often emotional testimony. Women whose husbands are being detained talked about their longing to be reunited, underage workers detailed deplorable working conditions and city and religious officials lamented the impact on the community.

The speakers alternated between sharp criticism of immigration officials and the Department of Homeland Security for launching what they called an inhumane raid, and at their former employer, Agriprocessors, which they said took advantage of workers and allowed unsafe conditions. Many said they were equally responsible for the situation.

By the end, Gutierrez said he had heard enough.

"This is wrong," he said. "We've taken men and women who want to work and made felons out of them."

Gilda Yolanda Ordonez Lopez, 17, wept as she described working 12-hour shifts with no overtime pay.

When Adolpho Wilson was an employee at the plant, he was cleaning an unplugged meat grinding machine when someone turned it on by mistake, he said.

"I shouted, I screamed. I said, 'Help me, help me!'" Wilson said in Spanish. "When they heard me, they took apart the machine, but it had eaten my hand."

Jerry Messer, a local union official with the United Food and Commercial Workers, said Agriprocessors should be punished.

"The family that owns that place, they're the ones who should be prosecuted," he said. "They're the ones who should be deported, not the workers."

Phone messages left with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Agriprocessors by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

Postville Mayor Robert Penrod told the congressmen to take the message back to Washington that immigration raids do not work.

"This raid did nothing for this community," he said. "It downgraded us substantially. It caused people to suffer, and it caused our reputation to suffer clear across the country."

Sires, the New Jersey congressman, said he was convinced.

"I don't see this type of thing working someplace else," he said. "We don't want it to ever happen again."

[Lamron]

Cry me a river. If we're not going to shoot these invaders at the border, the least we could do is have manditory jail time for all elected officials, law enforcement, employers, and anyone else in this town that is an accesory to the crime of letting these people live there.

The mayor is complaining about people suffering. No, you haven't suffered nearly enough for your crimes.

[vinsanity]

I am in total agreement that these illegals must go. ANY illegals found should be collected and deported, period. There are legal ways to enter this nation if you wish to do so. By entering the nation illegally you show no respect for yourself, the legal immigrants before you, or the nation you are invading.

Over the July 4th holiday I learned that my new brother in law is an illegal from Canada. I wondered why they insisted on marrying in Costa Rica, now I know. He cannot get a marraige license in the USA. I threw him out of our home and reported him to ICE and local law enforcement. They high tailed it back to NYC where they live. I have caused a huge riff in the family by doing this, but I refuse to harbor an illegal, let alone feed him. Especially during a celebration of our nation's independence. He works as a bartender in NYC for cash. He has been here for three years. Came in on a tourist visa and never went back to Montreal, Canada. I should have just shot him.

[Death's Shadow]

I live about 90 miles from that town were the raid went down. It has been in the paper a few times ( the liberal rag that we have here). The paper whining and telling everyone how unfair it was to destroy the town's economy by deporting 70% of the residents that lived there.

I am of the opinion the town got what they deserved. The employer should not have hired them, land lords should not have rented to them, the mayor should have run them out of town or called INS himself. The lot of them should be in jail.

I do not shed a tear for the children of the illegals that are citizens just because they were born here. I say give them back to the parents and let them take the kids back with them. We need to get rid of that law that lets any kid born on US soil be automatically a citizen. This is just stupid. If both of your parents are not citizens then the child should not get auto citizenship.


Vin...

I am sorry for the rift in your family due to this issue. It sucks. It could not have been easy to do that. Even though it was the right thing. Props to ya.

[vinsanity]

Jul 27, 2008 17:47:39 GMT -5 Death's Shadow said:

I live about 90 miles from that town were the raid went down. It has been in the paper a few times ( the liberal rag that we have here). The paper whining and telling everyone how unfair it was to destroy the town's economy by deporting 70% of the residents that lived there.

I am of the opinion the town got what they deserved. The employer should not have hired them, land lords should not have rented to them, the mayor should have run them out of town or called INS himself. The lot of them should be in jail.

I do not shed a tear for the children of the illegals that are citizens just because they were born here. I say give them back to the parents and let them take the kids back with them. We need to get rid of that law that lets any kid born on US soil be automatically a citizen. This is just stupid. If both of your parents are not citizens then the child should not get auto citizenship.


Vin...

I am sorry for the rift in your family due to this issue. It sucks. It could not have been easy to do that. Even though it was the right thing. Props to ya.

I do think that anyone born here should be a citizen. That is how I became a citizen here

As to the problem in my own family, it was the right thing to do. Screw any of them that disagree. The main issue was that I "ruined" the 4th festivities, a really big deal to my in-laws. After speaking to most of the family since then, the vast majority now agree that he is no different than the Hispanic illegals that they ALL complain about all the time. I suspect that because he is white that they just didn't see him as an illegal. The do now. Of course, my NYC cousin will not be bringing him back down here

[Lamron]

That's a good point. We probably don't know how many Canadian illegals are around. Being white and speaking English makes them a lot less noticable.

Doesn't marrying an American make him legal to stay now?

[RedRock]

There are still hoops to jump through when marrying an American--it's not automatic to get citizenship for that reason alone. Here is one answer from Wiki ( wiki.answers.com/Q/FAQ/1882 ):

An illegal alien does not automatically become a citizen by marrying one. However, certain illegal aliens can get permanent residence status (often called the "green card") by marrying a US citizen. If the person originally entered the United States legally but overstayed his or her visa, than it is possible for him or her to "adjust status" to that of a permanent resident (i.e. get a "green card") if the US citizen fills out a series of petitions including one that proves that the US citizen can financially support the alien. If the alien is illegal because he or she snuck into the United States without any visa or permit, than that person cannot "adjust status" and has to leave the country before obtaining a green card. If the person was illegally in the country for more than a year, than he or she is barred from ever coming back for 10 years (known as the "10-year-bar") The only way to overcome having the 10-year-bar is by the US citizen spouse filing a petition for a waiver of the bar. The petition has to prove that it would cause extreme and exceptional hardship to him or her to move to his or her spouse's country. Only three years after the person has the green card can they apply for citizenship, and they must still be married to the original citizen who got the green card.

The official US Gov. site ( www.uscitizenship.info/ ) also lists some marriage qualifications:

You (the applicant) are the spouse of a U.S Citizen who is one of the following:

* A member of the U.S Armed Force
* An Employee or an individual under contract to the U.S. Government
* An Employee of a American Institute of Research recognized by the Attorney General
* An Employee of an American-Owned firm or corporation engaged in the development of foreign trade and commerce for united states
* An Employee of a public international organization of which the United States is a member by law or treaty
* A person who performs ministerial or priestly functions for a religious denomination or interdenominational organization with a valid presence in the United States.
OR
* You are a spouse of a U.S. Citizen who died during the honorable active duty in U.S. Armed forces?

[Pvt._Michaels]

Warning: Ranting to follow!

Iowa or San Francisco...no difference in the way
the activists work the "victimology".....

The big city, "sanctuary city" activists swoop into the little Iowa town,
seduce the small town media to manufacture & scoop sob stories; then the activists contrive
to proliferate the sob stories into MSM, press releases, wire services .....etc.
As far as I'm concerned illegal felons made a decision to conspire with other
felons ( the employers ) to break lots of laws on the books.
A tax payer revolt is in order at the local, state, federal levels. RICO laws should apply.
Enforce RICO & immigration law or no more taxes from those of us who pay
ALL of the bills. An economy built on ILLEGAL immigration activity is not a reality based economy!

I'd rather pay $12 for a hamburger or $5.00 for lettuce than be a willing accomplice
in undermining the economy. When politicians and activist judges decide what laws
are to be enforced and which are not to be enforced; then, those of us who ACTUALLY PAY FOR EVERYTHING need
to take a stand & not pay for ANYTHING until they all agree to do the PEOPLE'S BIDDING!

The US government is effectively a bankrupt, unfunded liability at this point. Time to realize that you and your
children are paying for illegals, mortgage slackers, no-new drilling policies, foreign aid, and countless other
policies that we cannot afford. The country's infrastructure is falling apart, we manufacture virtually nothing
anymore, our once powerful technology engine is being dismantled by Asian reverse engineering, shall I go on?

remember the line from Spock in his death scene in the Star Trek movie?

"The good of the Many, out weighs the Good of the Few"

Right now the "FEW" are the politicians,
judges, criminals, bureaucrats, & trial lawyers ...... The rest of us are the Many....

Time to make tough choices......because the FEW are the enemy right now.

The Pvt

[RedRock]

Jul 28, 2008 7:54:31 GMT -5 @vinsanity said:

I do think that anyone born here should be a citizen. That is how I became a citizen here

Vinnie, are you saying your parents were illegals?

If your parents were legal citizens before you were born, then your birth of course makes you a citizen, no one is disputing that. However, many of us believe that, given the current flood of illegals and their US-born offspring here (some now attending college on our dime and having 3rd or more generations), that birth alone should not be a qualifier, that your parents should be legal citizens BEFORE you are born.

[vinsanity]

Jul 28, 2008 9:28:41 GMT -5 Lamron said:

That's a good point. We probably don't know how many Canadian illegals are around. Being white and speaking English makes them a lot less noticable.

Doesn't marrying an American make him legal to stay now?

The answer is no, with few exceptions (none of which he meets.) It turnes out that their Costa Rican wedding is not honored in the State of New York. So they are not oficially married. Great news EXCEPT that she is pregnant with his child. The child will be a citizen even though the father is not. I still say I should have just shot him.

[vinsanity]

Jul 28, 2008 11:40:27 GMT -5 RedRock said:

Jul 28, 2008 7:54:31 GMT -5 @vinsanity said:

I do think that anyone born here should be a citizen. That is how I became a citizen here

Vinnie, are you saying your parents were illegals?

If your parents were legal citizens before you were born, then your birth of course makes you a citizen, no one is disputing that. However, many of us believe that, given the current flood of illegals and their US-born offspring here (some now attending college on our dime and having 3rd or more generations), that birth alone should not be a qualifier, that your parents should be legal citizens BEFORE you are born.

Red... no no no ... I am saying that I am an American by birth solely becasue I was born here. My parents were as well.

BUT I do feel that ANYONE born here should be a US citizen becasue they were born here. If the parent or parents were illegal they should NOT however receive special consideration just becasue the kid spit out on this side of the border.

[Death's Shadow]

I do not even mind if legal immigrants want their children born here to be citizens. But they should become citizens first then fill out the paper work to make their minor children citizens now that they obtained the status.


What I have a problem with is boarder sneaking pregnant women waiting until 2 weeks before due date then crossing the border to pop out the kid and get it citizenship. Then the kid is eligible for all the social programs.

[Lamron]

Not to mention that the mother is now allowed to stay with her "anchor baby".

[a Silly Person]

The anchor baby concept is a joke.

Let's say that My wife and myself go on a trip to vacation in another country while my wife is pregnant. Lo and behold my wife goes into labor while we are legally visiting that country and our baby is born there.

How does this qualify our baby to be a citizen of that country?

[vinsanity]

In most cases that does qualify your baby for citizenship there. My aunt is from Australia. She has been living and working in this country for decades as she married my uncle, a native born American. She is not a US citizen but legally here. When both of their children were born they legally were citizens of both the USA and Australia. They had until their majority to choose citizenship of either nation OR to choose dual citizenship.