Maine mayor: 'Somalis should leave culture at door'

I'm going to include all ten, though only a few directly address the immediate "assimilation" issue of this thread.

10 Myths About Immigration

Myths about immigration and immigrants are common. Here are a few of the most frequently heard misconceptions along with information to help you and your students separate fact from fear.

When students make statements that are mistaken or inaccurate, one response is to simply ask, “How do you know that’s true?” Whatever the answer—even if it’s “That’s what my parents say”—probe a little more to get at the source. Ask, “Where do you think they got that information?” or “That sounds like it might be an opinion and not a fact.” Guide students to find a reliable source and help them figure out how to check the facts.

Most immigrants are here illegally.
With so much controversy around the issue of undocumented immigrants, it’s easy to overlook the fact that most of the foreign-born living in the United States have followed the rules and have permission to be here. Of the more than 31 million foreign-born people living in the United States in 2009, about 20 million were either citizens or legal residents. Of those who did not have authorization to be here, about 45 percent entered the country legally and then let their papers expire.

It's just as easy to enter the country legally today as it was when my ancestors arrived.
Ask students when their ancestors immigrated and if they know what the entry requirements were at the time. For about the first 100 years, the United States had an “open immigration system that allowed any able-bodied immigrant in,” explains immigration historian David Reimers. The biggest obstacle would-be immigrants faced was getting here. Today there are many rules about who may enter the country and stay legally. Under current policy, many students’ immigrant ancestors who arrived between 1790 and 1924 would not be allowed in today.

There’s a way to enter the country legally for anyone who wants to get in line.
Ask students if they know the rules to enter the country legally and stay here to work. The simple answer is that there is no “line” for most very poor people with few skills to stand in and gain permanent U.S. residency. Generally, gaining permission to live and work in the United States is limited to people who are (1) highly trained in a skill that is in short supply here, (2) escaping political persecution, or (3) joining close family already here.

My ancestors learned English, but today’s immigrants refuse.
Ask students to find out how long it took for their ancestors to stop using their first language. “Earlier immigrant groups held onto their cultures fiercely,” notes Reimers. “When the United States entered the First World War [in 1917], there were over 700 German-language newspapers. Yet, German immigration had peaked in the 1870s.”

While today’s immigrants may speak their first language at home, two-thirds of those older than 5 speak English “well” or “very well” according to research by the independent, nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. And the demand for adult ESL instruction in the United States far outstrips available classes.

Today’s immigrants don’t want to blend in and become “Americanized.”
Ask students what it means to blend in to American society. In 2010, about 500,000 immigrants became naturalized citizens. They had to overcome obstacles like getting here, finding a job, overcoming language barriers, paying naturalization fees, dealing with a famously lethargic immigration bureaucracy and taking a written citizenship test. This is not the behavior of people who take becoming American lightly.

The reality is that the typical pattern of assimilation in the United States has remained steady, says Reimers. “The first generation struggled with English and didn’t learn it. The second was bilingual. And the third can’t talk to their grandparents.” If anything, the speed of assimilation is faster today than at any time in our past, mainly because of public education and mass media.

Immigrants take good jobs from Americans.
Ask students what kinds of jobs they think immigrants are taking. According to the Immigration Policy Center, a nonpartisan group, research indicates there is little connection between immigrant labor and unemployment rates of native-born workers. Here in the United States, two trends—better education and an aging population—have resulted in a decrease in the number of Americans willing or available to take low-paying jobs. Between 2000 and 2005, the supply of low-skilled American-born workers slipped by 1.8 million.

To fill the void, employers often hire immigrant workers. One of the consequences, unfortunately, is that it is easier for unscrupulous employers to exploit this labor source and pay immigrants less, not provide benefits and ignore worker-safety laws. On an economic level, Americans benefit from relatively low prices on food and other goods produced by undocumented immigrant labor.

Undocumented immigrants bring crime.
Ask students where they heard this. Nationally, since 1994, the violent crime rate has declined 34 percent and the property crime rate has fallen 26 percent, even as the number of undocumented immigrants has doubled. According to the conservative Americas Majority Foundation, crime rates during the period 1999–2006 were lowest in states with the highest immigration growth rates. During that period the total crime rate fell 14 percent in the 19 top immigration states, compared to only 7 percent in the other 31. Truth is, foreign-born people in America—whether they are naturalized citizens, permanent residents or undocumented—are incarcerated at a much lower rate than native-born Americans, according to the National Institute of Corrections.

Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes but still get benefits.
Ask students what are some ways Americans pay taxes, as in income tax and sales tax. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes every time they buy gas, clothes or new appliances. They also contribute to property taxes—a main source of school funding—when they buy or rent a house, or rent an apartment. The Social Security Administration estimates that half to three-quarters of undocumented immigrants pay federal, state and local taxes, including $6 billion to $7 billion in Social Security taxes for benefits they will never get. They can receive schooling and emergency medical care, but not welfare or food stamps.

The United States is being overrun by immigrants like never before.
Ask students why they think this. As a percentage of the U.S. population, the historic high actually came in 1900, when the foreign-born constituted nearly 20 percent of the population. Today, about 12 percent of the population is foreign-born. Since the start of the recession in 2008, the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the country has actually dropped.

Many people also accuse immigrants of having “anchor babies”—children who allow the whole family to stay. According to the U.S. Constitution, a child born on U.S. soil is automatically an American citizen. That is true. But immigration judges will not keep immigrant parents in the United States just because their children are U.S. citizens. Between 1998 and 2007, the federal government deported about 108,000 foreign-born parents whose children had been born here. These children must wait until they are 21 before they can petition to allow their parents to join them in the United States. That process is long and difficult. In reality, there is no such thing as an “anchor baby.”

Anyone who enters the country illegally is a criminal.
Ask students whether someone who jaywalks or who doesn’t feed a parking meter is a criminal. Explain that only very serious misbehavior is generally considered “criminal” in our legal system. Violations of less serious laws are usually “civil” matters and are tried in civil courts. People accused of crimes are tried in criminal courts and can be imprisoned. Federal immigration law says that unlawful presence in the country is a civil offense and is, therefore, not a crime. The punishment is deportation. However, some states—like Arizona—are trying to criminalize an immigrant’s mere presence.

 

I was in Minneapolis recently and went down to Karmel Suuq, basically a Somali mall.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/karmel-square-and-karmel-suuqq-minneapolis

Great food. I am glad they haven't left their culture at the door.

 

I would like an example of one of these.

All I got from "jihadwatch" was some poorly sourced tripe.

Yeah, see, here's an American tradition you and jihadwatch should get used to---due process of law. I'm holding out beyond hope that you have ACTUAL court documents and proceedings on this matter, but in the meantime, I'd like to remind you of the following.

That's part of the American tradition, and it's here to stay. Even corporations recognize that fact.

 

More bigotry from Izak and ATW. Ban them please.

 

I love how the Stalinist/Islamist guys always try to silence those whose opinions they don't like, rather than discussing the points with them.

 

We should discuss your Aspergers symptoms.

 

Well done

 

Native Australians haven't been repressed at all.

 

I point out the obvious. You are totally delusional. Please don't be like the guy in Denmark and go on a rampage, that is my real fear.

 

Norway, typo

 

Yeah, see, all I got was JihadWatch blog posts. Now, I might have assumed that you had better things to go to then that, but I suppose not. Keep note that the legal traditions of due process involve court proceedings that don't snark one side or the other with unsubstantiated, ad hominem attacks.

Google it. I'll even be generous---

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (hereinafter “Title VII”). 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e

Please be acquainted with the laws and traditions of the United States of America before you suspect that others are not.

 

don't put the burden on clutchfans. provide an example.

that's not a valid example. you MUST BE referencing the muslim woman who was harassed by her own coworkers and told she couldn't wear her hijab at work in the cafe at Disneyland....

yes, she has a case to sue on religious principles, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

your bold giant fonts and photos making fun of other cultures don't help your case.

and then you throw out the Spaghetti monster argument. you've jumped the shark on the topic completely.

 

If you note the article is from 2009 and cites a spate of 7 killings over ten months out of a population of some 32,000 while that isn't a good news for an urbanized community with most of that community in poverty that isn't unusual. I never said that the Somalis were problem free but that their community isn't unusual compared and better than many poor urban communities. Also consider that most immigrant communities have had criminal gangs with the most famous being La Cosa Nostre (The Italian Mob). Unfortunately immigrants dealing with a new country frequently are exploited by members of their own community who take advantage of the insular nature of the community and difficulty with the community adapting to a new country. The Somalis compared to many others are adapting better.

 

seinfeld meme

you have hijacked this forum

 

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm

Based on that biased as hell JihadWatch article, the onus is on Heinz to prove that its' Muslim employees' prayer times (5-ten minutes at best) fall under the category of undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business.

Not only is this a very fair complaint to place before the EEOC, it is in fact one that I have a good feeling the employees would win.

Now, seeing as how you like to question hypothetical people's ability to fall into the Anglo-Saxon "culture", and how I have done the work to educate you on this clause, I think the onus is on you to go through each case, and find the relevant arguments for why each complaint was unfairly granted attention by the EEOC. Otherwise, one begins to question if you yourself should leave your preconceived notions of the justice system (a fundamental part of Anglo-Saxon culture) at the door.

 

I don't know about adapting "better", but I also have no interest in painting a particular group of immigrants as bad people "by design" or anything. I understand that people will be acting differently depending on their upbringing, culture, ideology, surroundings, or what they had to go through. I just think - and I believe that I am speaking from experience, having seen examples of successful and failed immigration in various countries I have lived in - that countries which accept immigrants should make an effort to help make their difficult journey a success (which I would define at least as being non-criminal, law-abiding, peaceful and willing to respect the local customs) and immigrants should be willing to make an effort from their side as well. What I don't believe in is just handing people a check and, for ideological reasons, closing your eyes when things go wrong. When that happens, a government has to interfere in some way (and I am not talking about just kicking people out), for the benefit of the immigrants as well as the rest of the population.