Rallies against immigration reform

[rccar328]

Thousands of people turned out across the US today to protest the Congress finally formally addressing the issue of illegal immigration.

 

The immigration bill(s) stiffen penalties for immigrants who are in the US illegaly (making illegal immigration a felony), and gives illegal immigrants 5 years to leave the US and apply for legal citizenship. It also provides for stiffer penalties for businesses that hire illegal immigrants and provides local law enforcement agencies with authority and incentives to apprehend illegal immigrants. I also read somewhere this morning that one of the bills includes the building of a fence along 1/3 of the Mexican border.

 

Personally, I think these measures have been too long in coming. Illegal immigration is a serious problem in California, where I live, and in other border states. I'm almost motivated enough to stand on a street corner with a sign saying "What took so long?". It shouldn't take an election year to get our legislators to finally do their jobs...but at least it's finally getting done.

 

Two of the primary arguments I've heard against immigration reform are the race card, and what I like to call "the lettuce argument." The race card is quite obvious. People claim that stiffer immigration policies will cause racism toward legal Latino immigrants. While I believe that stiffer immigration policies will make it to where legal immigrants will have to prove that they are citizens in more situations, the fault of that is not on our legislators for finally making our immigration laws enforceable; the fault is on all of the immigrants who came to the US illegally.

 

The other argument is along these lines: without the illegal immigrants to work in the farms at low wages, vegetable prices will soar. I usually hear this argument framed in the terms of, "are you willing to pay $15 for a head of lettuce?"

 

Now, while this argument seems valid on the surface (President Bush has repeatedly said that illegal immigrants are doing the jobs that Americans are not willing to do), if you look deeper, it's easy to see that this is a bunch of bunk. For one thing, illegal immigration is taking massive amounts of taxpayer dollars from legal citizens in the forms of health care and education. As things stand today, hospitals cannot deny service to non-citizens (this, imo is how it should be). The problem is that illegal immigrants can go into the emergency room, get medical treatment, and the state (taxpayers) pay for iit. This is not how it should be...and it is turning into an extremely serious drain on our state's economy.

 

The other major drain is education. Children come to the US illegally with their parents, and speak very little or no English. Not only do they take advantage of the US public education system, which they are not paying taxes to support, but their children are a strain on the system itself, because our teachers have to take time away from citizen-students to try and teach non-citizen students English so that they can catch up. This has been a huge contributor to the lowering of standards in schools across America - because the schools cannot keep up with the demands of teaching American students what they should be learning and teaching illegal immigrant students English on top of what they should be learning. And on top of that, their parents cannot provide much help in their childrens' education, because most of the parents speak little or no English.

 

In this way, the "lettuce argument" holds no water, because we're already paying $15 for a head of lettuce, or we will be soon...but the extra cost is coming in the form of extra taxes to prop up the state agencies that are falling under such burdens due to illegal immigration. The problem is that the higher ag prices seem more daunting because we're paying them up-front, rather than in the form of taxes, using the government as a middle-man.

 

And all of this is aside from other problems, such as illegal immigrants driving around with no license or insurance - if you get hit by an illegal immigrant w/o insurance, then you're screwed...and that's all there is to it. Also, money sent back to Mexico from immigrants to the US is a major staple in the Mexican economy (I think I heard it was their #2 earner, second to oil). All of that money sent back is money that is not being re-invested in the US economy. We're talking billions of dollars worth of economic improvement.

 

The argument that these are jobs that Americans won't take is, imo, a bunch of bunk, as well. The reason that Americans won't take farming jobs is that it's that much easier to get Welfare...and with illegal immigrants so prevalent today, it's extremely difficult for citizens to get those jobs even when they do try to. Personally, I think some kind of welfare reform should accompany this. At the least, we could use prison labor to work farms...though in the past that has proven to be quite corrupt, and definitely not ideal. But at the least, if you're out of work and can't find a job anywhere else, you should be willing to do whatever it takes to make money & support your family. Farm labor definitely isn't ideal, but it is work. And if you aren't willing to work for your money, there is no reason for the government to be supporting you.

 

The thing that disgusts me the most about these protests is that many of the protestors are illegal immigrants, walking around with Mexican flags and signs that say, "I am not a criminal." Here's a news flash: if you're in the USA in violation of our immigration laws, you are a criminal, whether you like it or not.

 

For Mexico, I see this legislation (if it's effective in curbing illegal immigration) as an opportunity for Mexican citizens to reform their government and improve their nation. The Mexican government has had problems with corruption and poverty for years and years, and illegal immigration has been an easy way out for them: it gives poor Mexicans a better life, and lets the Mexican government slide on its shortcomings. Maybe if we curb illegal immigration, Mexico will be forced to deal with its problems, instead of running away from them.

 

Anyway, that's my take on the issue.

[toms]

I don't know much about the details of the issue in the US, but the reason this sort of measure usually gets called racist isn't that it will increase racism... its that it usually gets trotted out by politicians in a blatant attempt to win quick votes by basically "kicking an easy target".

 

Immigration is one of those issues that can almost always do with some sensible reform, but which never gets considered sensibly, only in the heat of rhetoric and vote grabbing.

Any attempts to rationalise immigration inevitably gets hailed as "being soft on illegal imigration" and being "racist" by the various sides. Politicians... sigh..

[TK-8252]

I haven't really formed an opinion on the immigration issues, but it strikes me as odd that being here illegally wasn't already a crime??

[Lathain Valtiel]

It IS a crime.

 

It's like piracy in how it's treated though... It's technically a crime, but almost no one calls you on it, and some revere it.

 

In fact, you're not even allowed to inform the authorities if you're police and you find an illegal immigrant in New York City.

[rccar328]

Okay, I'm really disgusted about this now. Non-citizen illegal immigrants are out in the streets demanding rights that any nation only guarantees to its citizens. They're basically saying that the fact that they broke the law doesn't necessarily make them criminals. Sometimes (most times) relativism really pisses me off...but this time especially. Not only are these illegal immigrants showing blatant disregard for the law, but they are demanding citizenship. It was bad enough when Vicente Fox was speaking against the US for thinking about immigration reform, but now we have thousands of illegal immigrants marching in the streets demanding rights. Of course the fact that Fox is out there in support of amnesty makes me think that the best thing for Mexico would be to deport just as many illegal immigrants as we can, and close the border so they can't make it back into the US...maybe then they'll get rid of Fox and fix their own country.

 

The other thing that really hacks me off is that so many are trying people who are pro-immigration reform as racist. Can we PLEASE stop playing the race card every time a hot issue comes into politics? Pretty please?

 

There is nothing racist about acknowledging that illegal immigration is a crime. The fact that most illegal immigrants are Mexican/Hispanic only means that our neighbors to the South have really screwed up governments that apparently cannot take care of their citizens. That doesn't mean we have to take them in and give them rights. Enforcing immigration law isn't xenophopbic, and it isn't racist...it's legal, and it's practical. I've never heard anyone who was totally anti-immigrant (though I'm sure there are a few of them out there), but most people just want immigrants to follow the law. But for Dems in Washington, that seems to be just too much to ask.

 

The thing that these illegal immigrants don't seem to understand is that even as rich as the United States is, we cannot afford to support everyone who wants to come into our country. Illegal immigration is already costing us billions of dollars every year, and if our government responds to these rallies by placating the illegal immigrants, whether by softening the law so that it remains unenforceable, or allowing any kind of an amnesty, illegal immigration will bring the US down - with the current rate of illegals coming into the US, it's only a matter of time.

 

 

And all of that doesn't even address the problems we've had with drugs coming across the border...yet another reason to tighten up the law and the border.

[SkinWalker]

Rccar, I see a lot of unsubstantiated "facts" that may or may not be true in your posts. If true and verifiable, they're meaningful. If unverifiable, they're simply rhetoric and amount to deception.

 

You say, "non-citizen illegal immigrants are out in the streets demanding rights that any nation only guarantees to its citizens," which may be true. But how many are "non-citizen illegal immigrants? There were 500,000+ people demonstrating in the streets of Los Angeles alone. Are you suggesting that these people, who were chanting "[t]oday we march, tomorrow we vote," are all illegal. Obviously not. I haven't seen where it has been substantiated that even a modest percentage of these protesters were illegally immigrated.

 

In my own metropolitan area of Dallas-Fort Worth, thousands of school kids are staging walk-outs in protest. The amazing thing is that they are actually protesting. They aren't walking out of school and heading to their hang-outs or homes to their Playstations, their headed for City Hall bearing Mexican flags. And very few school kids in the Dallas Independent School District are actually illegal. Some are. But they are a tiny minority.

 

"The fact that most illegal immigrants are Mexican/Hispanic only means that our neighbors to the South have really screwed up governments that apparently cannot take care of their citizens." It only means this? Are you sure about that? There are *no* other mitigating factors? Or is this just more rhetoric?

 

" but most people just want immigrants to follow the law. But for Dems in Washington, that seems to be just too much to ask." Are you suggesting that it was the "Dems" in Washington that were opposed and the Republicans were all for it?

After days of street demonstrations that stretched from California to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, a coalition of Democrats and Republicans also agreed to strip out proposed criminal penalties for residents found to be in this country illegally. [...] The 12-6 vote was unusual, with a majority of Republicans opposed to the measure even though their party controls the Senate.

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/headlines/ci_3646409

 

Finally, " Illegal immigration is already costing us billions of dollars every year, [...] illegal immigration will bring the US down." I'd like to see you quantify that claim while contrasting it to the benefits that U.S. employers and consumers receive because of the low wages they're able to pay to these immigrants. Illegal immigrants do far more in our country than pick lettuce (one could argue this to be a racist perception in and of itself): they build homes, work in factories, cook and even own restaurants, start small businesses and work for family members who are citizens and have small to medium businesses. And, perhaps most importantly, they are consumers. They rent & buy homes and consumer goods. Their children (most born in the U.S.) go to college and get degrees and become professionals and tradesmen.

 

Your assumption that illegals create an undo burden on the economy is likely to be false and racially driven, though I'm sure you would disagree.

[Samuel Dravis]

My main beef with them is that they don't pay some taxes. Citizens have to support the infrastructure while everyone gets to use it, and that's not cool. If they want to take advantage of everything, sure. But let's not seperate the costs from the benefits; no matter what opinion you have of the US goverment's actions, it has an incredibly huge debt that needs paying off on top of all the rest of its duties. Allowing so many illegals to shirk federal taxes etc. does not help that situation at all.

[rccar328]

From CBS.com:

 

"...about 58 percent of those undocumented workers are employed and of that number, over half are paying federal taxes. But the revenue is not enough to offset the drain on the federal budget in the form of services including $2.5 billion in Medicaid costs, $2.2 billion for health care for the uninsured, and $1.9 billion for food stamps."

 

As for my comment about non-citizen illegal immigrants marching in the streets, I know that not all of the protestors are illegals. I mentioned that in my first post. But many of them are.

 

Are you suggesting that it was the "Dems" in Washington that were opposed and the Republicans were all for it?

No, there are some moronic Republicans opposing the reform. Personally, I think most of this opposition amounts to little more than pandering for Hispanic votes. Bringing up immigration reform is too similar to bringing up Social Security reform: just as mentions of Social Security reform lead to accusations that politicians are trying to take money from the elderly, mentions of immigration reform inevitably lead to cries of racism, practical concerns be damned.

 

I'd like to see you quantify that claim while contrasting it to the benefits that U.S. employers and consumers receive because of the low wages they're able to pay to these immigrants. Illegal immigrants do far more in our country than pick lettuce (one could argue this to be a racist perception in and of itself): they build homes, work in factories, cook and even own restaurants, start small businesses and work for family members who are citizens and have small to medium businesses. And, perhaps most importantly, they are consumers. They rent & buy homes and consumer goods. Their children (most born in the U.S.) go to college and get degrees and become professionals and tradesmen.

I know that illegal immigrants don't just pick lettuce. That's how I keep hearing the argument framed, so that's the example I used. Yes, they are consumers. They are also sending around $20 billion back to Mexico each year...undeniably a drain on our economy, and probably one of the only things keeping the Mexican economy afloat, aside from oil (the only thing in Mexico making more money).

 

Your assumption that illegals create an undo burden on the economy is likely to be false and racially driven, though I'm sure you would disagree.

 

I'm not assuming, I'm looking at the evidence. Billions of dollars in health care and food stamps. Billions of dollars sent to Mexico. Here in California, our schools are suffering because not only are teachers having to teach children basic English in third grade and higher, but the students' parents cannot speak English to help teach them, which is an essential part of any students' education. I've seen that happening with my own two eyes.

 

I haven't seen where it has been substantiated that even a modest percentage of these protesters were illegally immigrated.

And you accuse me of assuming? No, I don't think anyone has taken a poll of the protestors to find out how many are illegal immigrants. But if you'd engage in common sense from time to time, it'd be easy to see. Why would a legal immigrant or citizen protest immigration law with a sign reading, "I am not a criminal?" It'd be pointless - immigration law doesn't target them. But with more than 400 million illegal immigrants in the US, I guarantee you that a significant chunk of the protestors are in the US illegally. Or have you seen it substantiated that every protestor is a citizen?

 

It only means this? Are you sure about that? There are *no* other mitigating factors?

No, the fact that I didn't go through the entire list doesn't mean that's the only mitigating factor. If the US had started enforcing immigration law a long time (at least 30-50 years) ago like they should have, we wouldn't be having this discussion. But saying that Mexico has problems is like saying Bill Gates has money. It's a no-brainer.

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

I don't get this whole issue. They're illegal immigrants and claiming they're not criminals?!? The deal is, you're a citizen you're entitled to the right to vote, and get government funded services in exchange for paying taxes. You're not a citizen you don't get s*** from the government. You don't get to vote and you don't get access to any government funded services. These people shouldn't even be here and now they want all the rights that people who are allowed to be here have? Christ, they're lucky that they haven't been deported or thrown in jail and now they're b****in' about it?!?

 

This issue is somewhat simple. They shouldn't be here. They can either take what they can get here or leave, and they shouldn't even have that choice, being as they SHOULDN'T BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! I can't even believe they're protesting that we're enforcing our laws now...

[rccar328]

I don't get this whole issue. They're illegal immigrants and claiming they're not criminals?!? The deal is, you're a citizen you're entitled to the right to vote, and get government funded services in exchange for paying taxes. You're not a citizen you don't get s*** from the government. You don't get to vote and you don't get access to any government funded services. These people shouldn't even be here and now they want all the rights that people who are allowed to be here have? Christ, they're lucky that they haven't been deported or thrown in jail and now they're b****in' about it?!?

 

This issue is somewhat simple. They shouldn't be here. They can either take what they can get here or leave, and they shouldn't even have that choice, being as they SHOULDN'T BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! I can't even believe they're protesting that we're enforcing our laws now...

That's all I'm sayin...with you 200%.

[Master_Ginn]

How hard is it to get U.S. citizenship? I've looked around on the web, but haven't found anything to help me with the question.

[Samuel Dravis]

http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/general.htm

http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/guide.htm

 

Those have info on the process.

[rccar328]

How hard is it to get U.S. citizenship? I've looked around on the web, but haven't found anything to help me with the question.

From what I've heard, it's pretty difficult, especially for immigrants from Mexico...but illegal immigration is one of the main contributing factors to that (along with massive gov't bureaucracy). I have several friends who are from China & Taiwan, here on work visas & working toward citizenship, and it's quite a process for them, as well. It takes time & a lot of paperwork.

[lukeiamyourdad]

From what I've heard, it's pretty difficult, especially for immigrants from Mexico...but illegal immigration is one of the main contributing factors to that (along with massive gov't bureaucracy). I have several friends who are from China & Taiwan, here on work visas & working toward citizenship, and it's quite a process for them, as well. It takes time & a lot of paperwork.

 

 

It is quite a daunting process. Even after the Vietnam War, my parents, even though they were refugees, would have had such a hard time trying to get into the US they decided to settle for Canada...who pretty much accepts everyone.

 

I think it's more of a vicious circle then a simplified "illegal immigration makes it difficult". It's already difficult, so people resort to illegal immigrations. As the law is reinforced to make it harder, people also try harder to get in illegally. Repeat.

 

I know that illegal immigrants don't just pick lettuce. That's how I keep hearing the argument framed, so that's the example I used. Yes, they are consumers. They are also sending around $20 billion back to Mexico each year...undeniably a drain on our economy, and probably one of the only things keeping the Mexican economy afloat, aside from oil (the only thing in Mexico making more money).

 

I'm not too sure about this. It only says $20 billion is sent back to Mexico and it constitutes their second source of income after oil, but there is no precision as to what form that $20 billion takes.

From what I can guess, being son of immigrants myself, is that most of that $20 billion is sent back to support their families. Immigration out of necessity is quite common. Often, you'll see immigrants coming here to work (legally or illegally), just to send money back so that their little brothers and sisters can eat. Can it be considered a drain on the economy? Yes, but from a moral standpoint, stopping that wouldn't really be acceptable.

 

It seems that you consider sending money back to your old country as something inherently wrong or I may have misunderstood you.

[toms]

I think it's more of a vicious circle then a simplified "illegal immigration makes it difficult". It's already difficult, so people resort to illegal immigrations. As the law is reinforced to make it harder, people also try harder to get in illegally. Repeat.

 

Thats my take on it too.

With a lot of these political issues youcan't help but think that if they just started completely from scratch they could sort it out pretty easily - but they are all such vicious circles that the politicians can never break out of them to distance themselves enough to make sensible decisions.

[rccar328]

Thats my take on it too.

With a lot of these political issues youcan't help but think that if they just started completely from scratch they could sort it out pretty easily - but they are all such vicious circles that the politicians can never break out of them to distance themselves enough to make sensible decisions.

That's why we need to close the border. Securing the border is step one in ending the cycle. Without that, any kind of legislation that Congress may pass is completely meaningless...but if we secure the border, then it makes sense to start talking about guest worker programs & what to do about the millions of illegal immigrants that are already in the US.

[TK-8252]

That's why we need to close the border. Securing the border is step one in ending the cycle. Without that, any kind of legislation that Congress may pass is completely meaningless...but if we secure the border, then it makes sense to start talking about guest worker programs & what to do about the millions of illegal immigrants that are already in the US.

 

I think a good analogy for this would be if you're in a boat that's sprung a leak, it's more important to plug the leak so that more water can't come in, and then you can deal with getting the water out that's already in. But if you try to get the water out while more water is coming in faster than you can get out, you eventually sink...

[toms]

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!!

 

Unlike most other countries the USA is built on immigrants, and has made a virtue of it's welcoming of downtrodden or oppressed peoples from various cultures and countries. So its fairly understandable that this image would encourage those who are currently poor or downtrodden to believe that the USA is a welcoming place that is the land of opportunity.

[rccar328]

True...but times change. The US cannot afford to take in everyone looking for refuge indefinitely...if we did, then eventually the system would become so burdened that the US would be worse off than the nations from which the immigrants came.

 

That's why the US government restricts immigration...we can't take everyone.

 

And besides that, it reaches a point where Mexico should work on fixing its own problems instead of Viciente Fox whining and complaining because the US doesn't want to take in every poor person from his country.

[swphreak]

Let's mine the border. Try to sneak in... BAM! Lost your legs.

 

But seriously, we need to secure our borders. Don't give me any of that "can't increase security without giving up liberties" crap. It's building better fences or something, and turning people back when they try to sneak in.

 

Sure, we're "built off immigrants," but that was in the past. We have all the people we need, thanks.

 

Sometihng off-topic: Today's Simpson's episode was about Proposition 24... coincidence? I think not!

[toms]

How would a better fence on the mexican border have made the slightest difference to US security in the last 10 years? It wouldn't. Oklahoma bomber was a US citizen using freely available materials within the US. 9/11 lot all entered the country legally. Flew in under their own names i think.

 

Sure, we're "built off immigrants," but that was in the past. We have all the people we need, thanks.

Hey, so why don't we send back you and your family to make room for some new and different immigrants... First in First out.

 

"We have all the people we need" is such rubbish. The way the population of the world is expanding everywhere is going to have to make do with a lot more people than they have now... and the whole centre of the US must be one of the leasrt populous areas in the world.

 

(people per km squared. USA has 25-50 pkm2, Mexico has 50-75, UK (and most of europe) has 150-300!!!) USA is 143/200 when listed by population density.

 

But none of that matters, because immigration is always much more of an emotional issue than a logical one. I remember visiting New Zealand a few years ago and they were in the middle of a "Send them all back! We are full!" frenzy. WHich was rediculous in a country where the biggest city felt like a small town and where you could drive for hours and never see a soul. Most empty place i've ever seen!

[rccar328]

I don't believe that we have all the people we need...but I do know that we can't take everyone...and immigration regulations exist so that our infrastructure can keep up with the population increase, which isn't happening the way things are going now.

 

And it is a national security issue. I remember hearing about a year or so ago about the border patrol catching ten or so Iranian citizens trying to cross the Mexican border...and if they were trying to get across, there's no way to know how many weren't caught. It's true that the border isn't the only security concern the US needs to pay attention to...but in order to have a comprehensive security plan, the border has to be closed.

 

Yeah, the Oklahoma City bomber used materials obtained inside the US...and that's why you can't just go out and buy a bunch of fertilizer, especially if you're not in farming, without the FBI keeping an eye on you or even paying you a visit (the same applies to other materials that could be used to make explosives). Yeah, the 9/11 terrorists entered the country illegally, which is why we now pay more attention to terrorist watch lists & have tougher airport security. There is no one thing that will solve our national security problems...we have to take a comprehensive approach, and border security is part of that.

 

And yeah, the center of the US isn't that populous...because it's where most of the farming takes place. It wouldn't do anyone any good if we started populating all of our farmland.

[ET Warrior]

And it is a national security issue. I remember hearing about a year or so ago about the border patrol catching ten or so Iranian citizens trying to cross the Mexican border

Because clearly since they're from Iran they are a national security problem?

& have tougher airport security.

Because our airports are SO secure now. Pulling aside one person in 50 to do a "thorough" check certainly will catch all those terrorists.

 

And as for building better fences, that will do little to nothing to solve the problem, Molly Ivins wrote an Article on CNN not too long ago and mentioned the building of a fence along the entire border.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/30/ivins.immigration/index.html

At the time, the proposal was quite specific -- a 17-foot cyclone fence with bob wire at the top. So a test fence was built at Terlingua, and the First-Ever Terlingua Memorial Over, Under or Through Mexican Fence Climbing Contest took place. Prize: a case of Lone Star beer. Winning time: 30 seconds.

So the test fence managed to hold someone out for a whole 30 seconds when all that was at stake was a case of beer.

[rccar328]

Because clearly since they're from Iran they are a national security problem?

Well, it's patently obvious that Iran is not our friend. And the Iranians who were caught crossing the border were at least affiliated with known terrorist organizations (which is why it made the news in the first place, though I don't remember the extent of their affiliation/membership with terrorist groups).

 

 

Because our airports are SO secure now. Pulling aside one person in 50 to do a "thorough" check certainly will catch all those terrorists.

I never claimed that our airports are secure...but they are more secure than they were pre-9/11.

 

And as for building better fences, that will do little to nothing to solve the problem, Molly Ivins wrote an Article on CNN not too long ago and mentioned the building of a fence along the entire border.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/30/ivins.immigration/index.html

 

So the test fence managed to hold someone out for a whole 30 seconds when all that was at stake was a case of beer.

Well, Molly Ivins isn't really a reputable source...more like a left-wing political hack, that aside:

 

The example she cited was a cyclone fence...otherwise known as chain link. Easily defeated with some sturdy wire cutters or bolt cutters...slightly more difficult to overcome with a saw, but still abundantly possible.

 

Anyone who thinks that chain link & barbed wire or even razor wire is going to keep illegal immigrants out is a fool. Just like with national security, border security needs to be comprehensive - a real fence (as in something that would take some concerted effort to defeat), or even a wall, coupled with more border patrol agents and stricter legal enforcement.

 

Ivins, in her column, says, "No fence will work. The Great darn Wall of China will not work." Well, there is a reason that the Great Wall of China was built so wide, and it wasn't so the Monguls would have a place to stop for a breather after expending the effort to climb to the top. It was built that way so that men could patrol and keep an eye out.

 

Simply put, there is no one hard-and-fast solution to border security. It's not a matter of put up a fence, and whoopee! All our problems are solved. Securing our borders will take a tough, multi-faceted approach.

 

Ivins suggests that we can stop illegal immigration by punishing corporations that hire illegal workers...and she's right, in that aspect, but that alone won't amount to squat without border enforcement...no policy will.

[TK-8252]

Just check out what they got in Israel...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Israelwall.jpg

 

Now that's what I call a fence.