Illegal Immigrants Are Humans, Too

meanwhile SoCal is renamed NoMex

Published on January 1, 2004 By Poi Dog In Current Events

Maybe I ought to clarify a few things, just to remedy a few misunderstandings. Earlier, while writing an article on how the Book of Revelations was coming to California, I made a poke at 'a plague of immigrants', which seemed to be misconstrued to some folks as a 'lack of value for human life'. Not true at all. In fact, I've donated a lot of time and work into contributing to my neighborhood via volunteer work and through education and service to others. And that was regardless of who was in need. Oh, and my neighborhood happens to be over 80% Hispanic. Not that it should matter, right?

But I'm jaded. And rightfully so. I'm tired of people coming to this country and saying, "Me, Me, Me", in various languages, of course. And I'm tired of other folks commenting on the American Indian atrocities, as if I came to the West with my repeating rifle in one hand, while saddled up on my painted mustang, eager to repel the barbarous Apaches and Navajos, so that I may stake a claim to some land. Yes, what happened to the Natives was horrible; BEYOND horrible. But I'm talking about the here and now; the regulations to this country; the reason why illegal immigration is taking its toll on those who rightfully have earned their stake in this country. Besides, for the select few that have lamented the American Native atrocities: I don't see YOU donating money, property, or reparations to a select few bands or tribes. I don't see you learning the concepts of Native Law, and helping to restore glory. So shut up already.

Anyway, back to what I was originally jaded about. I'm VERY angry with the amount of illegal aliens infesting the country. It is a wonderful thing to help our global neighbors. It is the mark of the respect for human life. But are you willing to give up what you have for the sake of others? I doubt it. There are many people in this nation that devote their lives to helping others, and they are, without doubt, the most commendable individuals. But they are rare.

Here's an editorial that I have basically summed-up and added to. It was written in the San Diego Union-Tribune by Joseph Neglia of Escondido, and it is by no means word-for-word, but you get the general idea.

How about you sneak across the border of San Diego into Tijuana, and suddenly declare that you must have english-speaking doctors, english-speaking teachers, and english-speaking lawyers. You declare that you must have free money, free food, free foodstuffs to keep your pregnant wife healthy. You must have free legal access, and the right to speak out against the country you just invaded. Feel free to wave the U.S. flag prominently wherever you are, and declare your love for the United States, even though you are now in Mexico. Make sure you stick that U.S. Flag up on your vehicle and drive it around, even though you have no license. Demand a license, and the right to vote. Pool your resources with other Americans, and lobby for more American-Mexicans to hold office. Reproduce. A LOT. Have a huge family, and have the Mexican government pay for their support. Make sure you use the working Mexican people's tax dollars until their budget is sucked dry. OOh, and demand that Mexican police officials learn English.

How about that? Next time one of you 'lovers of human life' decide that I am insensitive, keep in mind that I actively work to educate the children of the illegal aliens, and I serve the poor of San Diego, I serve my country, and I love to work hard for the things that I experience and have. I love human life, but I live in the real world, and I will fight for what I work for. If you are so inclined to help out this world, go join the Peace Corps, or the Red Cross, or one of the many international aid groups, and make a difference, instead of sitting at your desk, writing a comment that says, "You are, like, sooooo insensitive to humans". Educate yourself. But don't ever try to play me off as some jackass that doesn't care about the people of the world.

Oh, and I already know that this nation is comprised of people from all over the planet, so spare me that comment. I believe in asylum, work visas, and green cards. I don't believe in swimming across the Rio Grande, and general sublimation into the United States. It may help one individual, but could hurt dozens of others. I believe in lending a hand to the needy, and raising the quality of life to the poor and desperate, but it does not entail a welcome sign and a bucket of cash at the points of entry into this country. It entails an education and respect for our history and culture (yes, the U.S. has a culture), and it involves a willingness to contribute, and that starts with abiding by the law, just like every citizen here already.

Comments (Page 1)

OccultPizza

on Jan 01, 2004

I never took it as a debasing of humans. That is part of the problem with political correctness. There are too many immigrants, of course that is what our whole country is because we slaughtered the indigenous peoples of this country. Everyone one of us that was not born Native American here is an immigrant. But at some point you have to ask yourselves: Should we shut the doors? At least until this mess is figured out heehee.

Frog Attack

on Jan 01, 2004

this article is right on the money. It doesn't say anything about "closing the borders" to others or anything. The more the merrier just come here and learn to live here and contribute! Don't suck us dry you are so right.

messybuu

on Jan 01, 2004

I agree completely with your article. It is funny how Americans are being criticized for what the French, British, Mexicans, etc. would do if we went to their country and demanded that our culture be above all others. I also want to add that another reason I do not condone people entering America illegally is that it's a slap in the face for all those immigrants that go through the steps to become U.S. citizens.

EMacy

on Jan 02, 2004

Just this morning I received an article highlighting the american immigration service's yearly green card lottery has closed it's doors for this years quotas. Many applying are illegal immigrants already living there_taking work from Americans that don't want to pick fruit or...
The US needs immigrants to take the work away from snobby- Americans who some think they are too good to do such dememaning work. Foreigners work cheaper and big biz likes that_profits rise, higher output less pay. Remember big biz is encouraged to use cheaper, foreign human resources, 'diversified employers'
Immigrants pay a lot of taxes and are usually grateful to be in their new land.
I am anyways.

EMacy

on Jan 02, 2004

'demeaning' oops, how demeaning!

Poi Dog

on Jan 02, 2004

In regards to E. Macy's comment, I truly respect what you are saying. Immigration is the heartbeat of our country, as well as the source of most of our history. I'm sure that many immigrants are grateful to be in their new land, but I'm referring in particular to the illegals that demand and demand. To me, any person who is willing to educate his or herself, learn the culture, and contribute to society reserves the right to practice our freedoms here. First and foremost is the whole 'free speech' song and dance, and it is one of the most powerful. But if someone is here illegally, then those rights should never be granted, with exception to due process of law. My history is one of 'Welsh Whaling captain marries into Polynesian culture', so my family is quite diverse and pretty new to the country as well. Only we were pretty much assimilated by the U.S. (see: 50th state of the union), so my family's history is a little different than the average Coming-To-America story. The United States simply came to us.

Locamama

on Jan 02, 2004

I recently read an article that said that by tightening the borders that we are keeping more illegal immigrants in than out. That they are staying longer because it is more dangerous to cross the Rio Grande. Of course, you have to feel for people that will take such risks for the opportunities that we all take for granted here. A wonderful book that will put a human face to this issue is Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros. Of course, this family is not illegal but I am not certain at what point they became American Citizens. I believe when the father enlisted in the army during WWII. My dad is Mexican but a legal citizen. He is proud of his culture and his heritage and so am I. I do not speak Spanish and my mom was white but it is still part of who I am. You may be surprised how many of the Mexican's that you look at as illegal are actually United States citizens who were born here the same as you.

Lunaticus Minimus

on Jan 02, 2004

Exactly as Poi Dog states. Anyone who comes into the country, illegally or not, and tries to change everything for themselves, should get a swift kick to the pants and sent home. I don't go into Mexico and demand that, or Canada, or South America..

If you're going to migrate to the US, atleast know the language. Everyone is trying to enforce different languages because they came from diverse backgrounds. That's noble, maybe, but it's also arrogant and insufferable. I'm not saying to vacation somewhere you need to be fluent in the language..But who here goes to a foreign country without atleast learning to ask Basic questions..where's the restroom? Hotel?..etc.,. yada yada..

But come on. We are an English speaking people. If you're coming to America to live and work, atleast speak English!
I don't expect Mexicans to speak English in Mexico..but I do expect them to, here. Respect the house you have entered. America is my house, too!
This has turned into a rant..I hope it makes sense.

Poi Dog

on Jan 02, 2004

To: Locamama - I'm simply surprised by the comment, "You may be surprised how many of the Mexicans you look at as illegal are actually United States citizens who were born here the same as you." First of all, you are assuming a lot. Are you insinuating that I profile spanish-speaking peoples as Mexican, and then as illegal (on some sort of grounds that I have already predetermined?). I never said I was born in the United States, either. The first mistake that I learned as a child in preschool is to never ever call somebody by a nationality unless you are certain. For instance, I had a boss who was from Puerto Rico, and one of my coworkers called him a Cuban, and it really made him angry. In Hawai'i, if you mix up a Japanese person with a Korean or Chinese person, you're considered rude and ignorant. And the same goes for those who are illegal and not. If they're deported, they're illegal. If they have no right to work here, and snuck across the border, they're illegal. They could be from the United Kingdom and speak English and only English, but if they came on a work visa, and it expired, and they stay, then they're illegal. This has nothing to do exclusively with Mexicans. I just happen to live 2 miles from the border of Mexico, and therefore have first-hand experience with a LOT of illegal Mexican immigrants. That includes some intense discrimination, and I even have been a part of the Hispanic culture long enough to learn a lot of Spanish. But to conclude: I don't profile people, except on the basis of ignorance/intelligence, self-reliability, and accountability. Thank you for your comment, and its nice to see somebody who keeps ties with his or her culture.

Locamama

on Jan 02, 2004

Poi Dog, you are right. I was assuming too much and you know when you ASSUME it makes an ASS of U and ME. I learned that from my seventh grade teacher - lol! My point still stands that many people think some citizens are not legal when in actuality they are. I am in Texas and you see lots of Mexicans but I don't know their status. I just get tired of the gripe of how illegal immigrants are coming here and taking all the jobs when in actuality most of the jobs they are doing are jobs that the locals wouldn't do on a bet. And lets look at all the businesses that profit from illegal labor. That is where the crack down should be. JMHO.

Larry Kuperman

on Jan 03, 2004

Locamama, we know the businesses that profit from illegal labor: retail stores (including Walmart), hotels, restaurants, any service industry where someone is required to clean up. However, it is much easier to target and deport someone without money or legal representation than it is to take on a corporation.

Although the recent Walmart case was high profile (over 2000 employees of the cleaning service that Walmart used were lacking in appropriate documentation) there are plenty of businesses that have made a conscious decision to empoly illegal aliens. I saw a special regarding hotels in the US Southwest that hire illegal aliens exclusively for their cleaning service. I would hazard the guess that the same would be true for hotels in New York City, Miami, etc. Why not? The positions are probably hard to fill (I wouldn't look forward to changing the sheets in a hotel room, for example), the workers are cheap and in plentiful supply and "labor negotiations" consist of having them deported.

It should be noted that the American economy didn't used to be this way. Henry Ford, a man who knew something about building an economic base for his business, paid the highest wages in the auto business provided his workers A) became citizens and

went to school. His idea was to build an educated, commited workforce that would be loyal to Ford Motor Company for generations. What a concept!

Dan Kaschel

on Jan 03, 2004

This is ridiculous. When it comes to people, we take care of each other. That's the way it's always been and heaven help us if it changes. But guess what; countries are not entities that are attempting to carry forth the individual banner. The Prerogative of a country is to benefit its citizens.

If you or I have a friend we want to help out, that's cool with me and it should be cool with you. But I don't care about Mexico or the UK or any country in the world except the US. Why? Because countries weren't meant to 'look out for each other.' They were made to trade and make each other rich. Washington had the idea when he set up the US for isolationism. But of course, somebody dropped the ball along the way.

People are at the forefront of my life. I'd give my life and honor for any friend without asking a question. I'd also give my life for my country, because it's done what it has for those I love. But if somebody asks me to die for Mexico as a political entity, I'll tell them to find somebody else for the job. So don't talk about closing borders, and don't talk about immigration as some collective whole, because the only thing that matters is purely at a personal level.

~Dan

Dan Kaschel

on Jan 03, 2004

stevendedalus

on Jan 05, 2004

Illegal immigration began with the agriculture, particularly in California needing its cheap labor. It is a myth that Americans are above demeaning jobs--the booming temp agencies show this. Nevertheless, the talk of illegal applies only to Mexicans. What about the Cuban exile take over of Miami while the Haitian boat people are denied admission. If you're going to be against illegal immigration, be consistent. And by the way wasn't NAFTA supposed to solve this problem?--in jest.

charlie poore

on Jan 05, 2004

Apparently not proud enough to stay and make your country into a democracy.

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