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Illegal Aliens: Your Opinions on article
It has not been easy for the Obama administration to deport Rigoberto Padilla, a Mexican-born college student in Chicago who has been an illegal immigrant in this country since he was 6.
Sally Ryan for The New York Times
Rigoberto Padilla, a University of Illinois-Chicago student, received a reprieve from deportation.
Related
White House Plan on Immigration Includes Legal Status (November 14, 2009)
Times Topics: Chicago News CooperativeOn Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they would delay Mr. Padilla’s deportation for one year.
Mr. Padilla’s case had seemed straightforward to immigration agents who detained him for deportation in January after he was arrested by the Chicago police for running a stop sign and charged with driving under the influence.
But since then, students held two street rallies on his behalf and sent thousands of e-mail messages and faxes to Congress. The Chicago City Council passed a resolution calling for a stay of his deportation and five members of Congress from Illinois came out in support of his cause. One of them was Representative Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, who offered a private bill to cancel his removal.
Obama administration officials said they would review cases like Mr. Padilla’s as they arose. They said the situation of Mr. Padilla, 21, pointed to the need for an immigration overhaul that would include a path to legal status for people in the United States illegally.
“We are committed to confronting these problems in practical, effective ways, using the current tools at our disposal while we work with Congress to enact comprehensive reform,” said Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Behind Mr. Padilla’s case — and others in Florida of students who fought off deportation — is activism by young immigrants, many of them illegal, which has become increasingly public and coordinated across the country, linked by Web sites, text messages and a network of advocacy groups. Spurred by President Obama’s promises of legislation to grant them legal status, and frustration that their lives have stalled without it, young illegal immigrants are joining street protests despite the risk of being identified by immigration agents.
With many illegal immigrants lying low to avoid a continuing crackdown, immigrant students have become the most visible supporters of a legislative overhaul, which Mr. Obama has pledged to take up early next year. In the meantime, their protests are awkward for the administration, with young, often high-achieving illegal immigrants asking defiantly why the authorities continue to detain and deport them.
“Maybe our parents feel like immigrants, but we feel like Americans because we have been raised here on American values,” said Carlos Saavedra, national coordinator of a network of current and former students called United We Dream.
“Then we go to college and we find out we are rejected by the American system. But we are not willing to accept that answer,” said Mr. Saavedra, 23, a Peruvian who lived here illegally until he gained legal status two years ago.
Young people who were brought to the United States by illegal immigrant parents draw a certain degree of sympathy even from some opponents of broader legalization programs. Roy Beck, the executive director of NumbersUSA, a group that has staunchly opposed a legal path for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, said in an interview that he could support legal status for some young immigrant students. Mr. Beck said he would do so, however, only if Congress eliminated the current immigration system based on family ties and imposed mandatory electronic verification of immigration status for all workers — conditions that Democrats in Congress are not likely to accept.
The students’ goal is to gain passage of legislation that would give permanent resident status to illegal immigrants who had been brought to the United States before they were 15, if they have been here for at least five years, have graduated from high school and attend college or serve in the military for two years.
Known to its supporters as the Dream Act, it has been offered in the Senate by Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana. An effort to bring it to the Senate floor was defeated in 2007, and proponents now consider it part of a package that includes a path to legal status for illegal immigrants in general, an estimated 12 million people. Mr. Beck said he continued to oppose that proposal.
Many illegal immigrant students who were brought to the United States as children receive a shock when they get ready to go to college. They are generally not eligible for lower in-state tuition rates or government financial aid. In most states they cannot get drivers’ licenses.
In recent years, student groups joined battles in several states for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, some successful and some not. This year, student organizers said, they worked to tie those state efforts into a national network, hoping to match the mobilization networks of opponents of the immigration overhaul, which proved far superior in the past.
The troubles for Mr. Padilla began when he drove home after watching a football game and drinking beer with friends. He ran the stop sign, and the traffic police arrested him because he did not have a driver’s license and had been drinking. Eventually, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Immigration agents found him in the county jail.
Mr. Padilla, now enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago, had no prior record and had been an honors student and president of the Latino student organization at Harold Washington College, which he attended for two years. Friends from both schools mobilized after his arrest.
Similar rallies took place in November in Miami, when immigration agents detained two brothers from Venezuela who were illegal immigrants — Jesús Reyes Mendoza, 21, a former student government president at Miami Dade College, and his brother Guillermo, 25. Students from the college held a protest in front of the immigrant detention center where the brothers were held.
“The undocumented youth are losing our fear of being undocumented,” said Carlos Roa, an illegal immigrant student from Venezuela who joined that rally. “I’m public with this. I’m not hiding anymore.”
Miami Dade College, with 170,000 students, has become a center for immigrant activism. After the protests, and letters from Eduardo Padron, the college president, the immigration authorities on Nov. 8 deferred the deportation of the Reyes brothers for one year.
Sally Ryan for The New York Times
Rigoberto Padilla, a University of Illinois-Chicago student, received a reprieve from deportation.
Related
White House Plan on Immigration Includes Legal Status (November 14, 2009)
Times Topics: Chicago News CooperativeOn Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they would delay Mr. Padilla’s deportation for one year.
Mr. Padilla’s case had seemed straightforward to immigration agents who detained him for deportation in January after he was arrested by the Chicago police for running a stop sign and charged with driving under the influence.
But since then, students held two street rallies on his behalf and sent thousands of e-mail messages and faxes to Congress. The Chicago City Council passed a resolution calling for a stay of his deportation and five members of Congress from Illinois came out in support of his cause. One of them was Representative Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, who offered a private bill to cancel his removal.
Obama administration officials said they would review cases like Mr. Padilla’s as they arose. They said the situation of Mr. Padilla, 21, pointed to the need for an immigration overhaul that would include a path to legal status for people in the United States illegally.
“We are committed to confronting these problems in practical, effective ways, using the current tools at our disposal while we work with Congress to enact comprehensive reform,” said Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Behind Mr. Padilla’s case — and others in Florida of students who fought off deportation — is activism by young immigrants, many of them illegal, which has become increasingly public and coordinated across the country, linked by Web sites, text messages and a network of advocacy groups. Spurred by President Obama’s promises of legislation to grant them legal status, and frustration that their lives have stalled without it, young illegal immigrants are joining street protests despite the risk of being identified by immigration agents.
With many illegal immigrants lying low to avoid a continuing crackdown, immigrant students have become the most visible supporters of a legislative overhaul, which Mr. Obama has pledged to take up early next year. In the meantime, their protests are awkward for the administration, with young, often high-achieving illegal immigrants asking defiantly why the authorities continue to detain and deport them.
“Maybe our parents feel like immigrants, but we feel like Americans because we have been raised here on American values,” said Carlos Saavedra, national coordinator of a network of current and former students called United We Dream.
“Then we go to college and we find out we are rejected by the American system. But we are not willing to accept that answer,” said Mr. Saavedra, 23, a Peruvian who lived here illegally until he gained legal status two years ago.
Young people who were brought to the United States by illegal immigrant parents draw a certain degree of sympathy even from some opponents of broader legalization programs. Roy Beck, the executive director of NumbersUSA, a group that has staunchly opposed a legal path for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, said in an interview that he could support legal status for some young immigrant students. Mr. Beck said he would do so, however, only if Congress eliminated the current immigration system based on family ties and imposed mandatory electronic verification of immigration status for all workers — conditions that Democrats in Congress are not likely to accept.
The students’ goal is to gain passage of legislation that would give permanent resident status to illegal immigrants who had been brought to the United States before they were 15, if they have been here for at least five years, have graduated from high school and attend college or serve in the military for two years.
Known to its supporters as the Dream Act, it has been offered in the Senate by Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana. An effort to bring it to the Senate floor was defeated in 2007, and proponents now consider it part of a package that includes a path to legal status for illegal immigrants in general, an estimated 12 million people. Mr. Beck said he continued to oppose that proposal.
Many illegal immigrant students who were brought to the United States as children receive a shock when they get ready to go to college. They are generally not eligible for lower in-state tuition rates or government financial aid. In most states they cannot get drivers’ licenses.
In recent years, student groups joined battles in several states for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, some successful and some not. This year, student organizers said, they worked to tie those state efforts into a national network, hoping to match the mobilization networks of opponents of the immigration overhaul, which proved far superior in the past.
The troubles for Mr. Padilla began when he drove home after watching a football game and drinking beer with friends. He ran the stop sign, and the traffic police arrested him because he did not have a driver’s license and had been drinking. Eventually, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Immigration agents found him in the county jail.
Mr. Padilla, now enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago, had no prior record and had been an honors student and president of the Latino student organization at Harold Washington College, which he attended for two years. Friends from both schools mobilized after his arrest.
Similar rallies took place in November in Miami, when immigration agents detained two brothers from Venezuela who were illegal immigrants — Jesús Reyes Mendoza, 21, a former student government president at Miami Dade College, and his brother Guillermo, 25. Students from the college held a protest in front of the immigrant detention center where the brothers were held.
“The undocumented youth are losing our fear of being undocumented,” said Carlos Roa, an illegal immigrant student from Venezuela who joined that rally. “I’m public with this. I’m not hiding anymore.”
Miami Dade College, with 170,000 students, has become a center for immigrant activism. After the protests, and letters from Eduardo Padron, the college president, the immigration authorities on Nov. 8 deferred the deportation of the Reyes brothers for one year.
I would agree politics are involved but the same regulations should apply to everyone. For example the "wet foot, dry foot" policy of people emigrating from Cuba doesn't make clear sense.
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/wetfoot-dryfoot.html
as it doesn't have specific rational standards. Anyone migrating from Cuba should be treated the same whether they arrive on land or not.
And in Florida the people who are Cuban are a political force and did potentially change at least one election. I support our stance on Castro and wish Castro were out of power to say the least. I just believe the laws on political asylum whatever they are should apply to all immigrants equally. There are many oppressive political regimes and people fleeing political persecution should be treated equally whatever law is decided on.
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/wetfoot-dryfoot.html
as it doesn't have specific rational standards. Anyone migrating from Cuba should be treated the same whether they arrive on land or not.
And in Florida the people who are Cuban are a political force and did potentially change at least one election. I support our stance on Castro and wish Castro were out of power to say the least. I just believe the laws on political asylum whatever they are should apply to all immigrants equally. There are many oppressive political regimes and people fleeing political persecution should be treated equally whatever law is decided on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oJ9dhqo0LA8
My opinion is enforce the laws. Its a hard call if someone is born here, but if the parents came illegal, I just don't know. Its a tough call. It really is. But one thing for sure I would like to see is borders closed....The more I read, the more I see how illegals sometimes get more in health care then some Americans who don't have health insurance and even some that do.
I had read an article a while back about an Illegal who had received a Liver Transplant and the man that was in protest was a Mexican man who is here "legally" and he was upset in that he was waiting for a Liver also. He asked, why should this person get a Liver before I receive one.....Now that is something that is very serious because some people die while waiting for livers. So if this type of stuff is going on, what else is going on that we don't even realize. I don't want to see anyone suffer - no matter who they are or if they are legal or not. Its sad no matter who it is. But, the way things are being handled just doesn't make sense when you read things such as what I mentioned.
I had read an article a while back about an Illegal who had received a Liver Transplant and the man that was in protest was a Mexican man who is here "legally" and he was upset in that he was waiting for a Liver also. He asked, why should this person get a Liver before I receive one.....Now that is something that is very serious because some people die while waiting for livers. So if this type of stuff is going on, what else is going on that we don't even realize. I don't want to see anyone suffer - no matter who they are or if they are legal or not. Its sad no matter who it is. But, the way things are being handled just doesn't make sense when you read things such as what I mentioned.
I see that 300 were arrested yesterday all with records ,you are right though if they want to be here they should do it the legal way ,thing is if the governments keep doing amnesties they have no reason to come any other way . ,I think its all Political and getting the votes,
I live in Florida and we have them coming to the barrier island all the time by ship, and there are those over here that get paid so many thousand per person to bring em over and smuggle them in. It is really sad. Another mess we do not have an answer to. But when you get more people living off the services of our country than we got paying in, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the end result. So if there gonna be here then find em, make em pay taxes and be able to identify them and that's just for starters. If they are here, they should contribute not leach off the system for free.
I wasn't commenting on you. Just that the specific focus when the issue is brought up in the national media is often on people who migrate across the border from Mexico. That specific website I posted details some very specific stories that are quite different from ones that are in the mass media. It is not allied with any specific media source. Not a commentary on any particular person posting here. If the border were completely closed people would still immigrate illegally in ships and the like (such as the many horror stories of people who are smuggled here from China). Clearly there has to be a better way to handle this. Providing amnesty to every illegal immigrant here is neither workable nor feasible. There I agree. Also there is the current state of the economy to keep in mind in which jobs that may have previously been undesirable are now ones anyone would take. There has always been some confusion about the whole status issue. Some countries have a dual national policy with the U.S. Some countries have a more restrictive status as per immigration. Other countries that may be opposed to us have a more lenient status such as Cuba. I would agree with everyone here about Cuba's government but the Mariel Boat Lift was a mess and a deliberate attempt by Castro to have people who were criminals be sent to the United States and created a backlash until most of them were deported back. People regardless of status should not immigrate here to be placed on government benefits. N.Y.C.'s restriction of government benefits to people who are illegal immigrants to emergency Medicaid only should stand.
As per organized crime, that cuts across many ethnic groups and immigrants, legal or otherwise and N.Y.C. has taken a strong stand on that and reducing gang violence in general and other cities have emulated its policy. People who are gang members often prey on people who have migrated here, Chinese immigrants being one easy example. I can't say I agree with the current bill. I do think some kind of immigration reform should be under discussion.
As per organized crime, that cuts across many ethnic groups and immigrants, legal or otherwise and N.Y.C. has taken a strong stand on that and reducing gang violence in general and other cities have emulated its policy. People who are gang members often prey on people who have migrated here, Chinese immigrants being one easy example. I can't say I agree with the current bill. I do think some kind of immigration reform should be under discussion.
Actually thats was me as I dont have any Italian Immigrants around anywhere I live and I do have many Mexican Immigrants so it isnt a matter of race or class it is a matter of my defining it from what I know and have seen....How on earth did race get into this ...?.
Well this site might be worth reading regardless of opinion:
http://www.familiesforfreedom.org/httpdocs/about_us.html
The seperation of families has become of concern.
And this specifically refers to families that were here
long term residents not people who immigrated illegally just so their children would
have citizenship status. This does show one area where reform is needed.
And since one of the families that are an example shown are caucasian
and emigrated from Italy that would leave out any aspect of race or class
which gives a better perspective on the whole issue.
http://www.familiesforfreedom.org/httpdocs/about_us.html
The seperation of families has become of concern.
And this specifically refers to families that were here
long term residents not people who immigrated illegally just so their children would
have citizenship status. This does show one area where reform is needed.
And since one of the families that are an example shown are caucasian
and emigrated from Italy that would leave out any aspect of race or class
which gives a better perspective on the whole issue.
well you knew that your thread was controversial ...its actually called having ones own opinion, I didnt see anyone except you in attacking mode...its okay for you to have your view about OBama , other s disgree with it thats all, dont let it get to you....He cant help being the way he is I am sure his upbringing and his 20 years listening to rhetoric about this country helped him along the way oh that and all the extremists in his admin that he has chosen to surround him self with..if you consider this forum an OBama bashing forum and you dont like it... dont respond ..He is in the news constantly so it is mostly 'current events ... seems like you enjoy stirring the pot.
You can't really be blaming this on Obama. Granted, he has done nothing to my knowledge to change the way things are, as far as the illegals coming here. He hasn't made it harder or easier. It seems none of the presidents in the recent past have wanted to touch this subject with any seriousness. But the blame for all the illegals here now can't be put on Obama. Now if he doesn't do anything about it in his 4 years, then he will have done the same as the rest of the presidents.
I get such a kick out of some people blaming Obama for every last thing...and he hasn't been in office a full year! I'm not singing his praises, there are things I don't like or agree with, but some people are just fanatical about "the blame Obama thing", it's gotten so obsessive, that it's comical. Are there any topics that can be talked about that won't be blamed on him? Instead of Current Events, they should call this forum "Obama Bashing".
I get such a kick out of some people blaming Obama for every last thing...and he hasn't been in office a full year! I'm not singing his praises, there are things I don't like or agree with, but some people are just fanatical about "the blame Obama thing", it's gotten so obsessive, that it's comical. Are there any topics that can be talked about that won't be blamed on him? Instead of Current Events, they should call this forum "Obama Bashing".
Well, I have nothing against these people other than the fact of them being illegal. It is not fair to the people still waiting in line to legally come here. This situation has been getting out of hand for many years and now there simply are so many that deportation is not realistic. I believe the borders should be closed to all who are not here legally, whether mexican or whatever. These people provide valuable services for, not only employers looking for cheap services but the politicians themselves in domestic services not being reported or paid legally. I dont want to hear about how we are all immigrants and all that stuff. Bottom line is there are laws for a reason and we are seeing the results of not enforcing them up close and personal. It is not a good situation for any and all involved. I still say kick em out unless they are here legally. Period. Or open the borders to all.
This is a hard one for me ,I have much empathy for them ,yet I came as an immigrant and it took a few years before I got the green card then 5 years after that became a citizen,plus its not cheap, the hardest thing is getting close family in, there is a ballot system which has a back log,we had applied for one of our daughters ,however she remarried and new husband is from Chilli and they may go to live there instead. I have met many great , pleasant ,kind Mexicans in California , they work hard , and yes they have taken work away from legal Americans,ie the Nannies, Housekeepers, business's in Gardening and other contracting work. They do get healthcare and always have ,I have a couple of friends work in the Free clincs set up, one in Santa Monica , they dont all go to the ER they are able to get their children vaccinated and many other heath benefits for about $20 if anything iif they cant pay.So the millions of folks not getting treated seems like a political fact more than reality. I do think that the borders should be tightened up as very definatly these folks are still coming in and because OBama is so lax on borders it seems to be getting worse. Thats the part I dont get,... I do sympathise how a family would want to be part of America I did , why wouldnt they, want a better life for their children and the opportunities I have had .As I said out of all this turmoil this is the difficult one for me , and to send young person back to a country they left as a child does seem brutal ....
I can sympathize with these people that have been here since they were children and consider themselves American. But illegals forming protests? I do think any illegal that has been in this country since they were children and have learned English, and going to college should be granted amnesty.But a swift and strong effort needs to be made to stop the influx. Then deal with those that are here now. Criminal record...You're outta here! Gang member...You're outta here! Been here for under 5 years...You're outta here! And for those that get granted amnesty there needs to be some conditions, learn English, pay a hefty fine,2 year probation,pass an English citizenship test, work, and pay taxes.
They "key" word here being "illegal". I can't be illegal, if I do something illegal, I go to jail Or pay some kind of fine or probation etc. If they want to stay, they need to deal with the consequences. But they have to close up the borders so we can deal with those that are here now. How can they get a handle on things if they keep letting more illegals in?
They "key" word here being "illegal". I can't be illegal, if I do something illegal, I go to jail Or pay some kind of fine or probation etc. If they want to stay, they need to deal with the consequences. But they have to close up the borders so we can deal with those that are here now. How can they get a handle on things if they keep letting more illegals in?
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