I hate to hear stories like this...People such as him shouldn't be part of the victims...I like the fact we are putting heat on people here illegal who are trying to hate us and hurt us, but this is a completely different situation...
My thought exactly. I hate to be cold...and I certainly wish these people the best...and I welcome them to the US as long as they comply with immigration laws. But we can't scoff at the feds for not enforcing these laws when the violators turn out to be terrorist-pilots who crash planes into buildings, and then scoff at them for enforcing the laws against people who are portrayed as victims in a news piece.
I agree 100% with MadMax and Pole, As tragic as individual cases may be, we have immigration laws for a reason. The fact that someone has been living here illegally for years does not negate the fact that the person is here illegally. Irregardless to whether they are Muslim, Latin American or Oriental the laws are in place to better the country. My Aunt works in the State Department in Immigration and was posted in Pakistan and Kenya and other nations but has been called back recently. She constantly tells me the problems and the lack of manpower needed to review cases and decide on acceptance or denial into the US. But everyone is given a fair shake and must wait their turn. I think if someone enters illegally, then they should never get to enter legally as well. And if someone enters illegally multiple times then there should be a punishment of sort.
I think the reason people are upset about this is the fact that they're targeting certain groups of people, not all those who are here illegally. That, and in this case, the people were trying to leave the country.
I guess he should not have been in the USA illegally then should he? It is irressponsible of him to drag his family around. I hope it works out the best for him, but we are a country of laws, and he was breaking the law by being here. DD
My parents are both U.S. citizens, living in this country for 30+ years, proudly display the U.S. flag in front of our house, and love this country as much as anyone else on this planet. Yet they live in fear because of the color of their skin. They both carry their passports with them everywhere they go, in case they get harassed by authorities. I sent both of them an e-mail copy of Blair's pro-war speech at work and both called me and were furious. Why? Because they were scared their companies were flagging them and checking their e-mail messages. They didn't want to come across as suspicious by having war topics in their inbox. My dad no longer keeps his facial hair and urges me to shave my beard everyday (I know he's right because I get funny looks whenever I leave my apartment now, even though I'm an American whose parents happen to be foreign.) Hearing their paranoia makes me want to cry.
The thrid option...how we enforce it. We don't enforce these laws, then suddenly start arresting a father of seven and his 2 teenage age sons? Why didn't we just arrest the mother and other 5 children too? Sh*t. Did you also notice that we detain assylum seekers during processing (can you imagine how long that would be?) while Canada allows them to work? How about... The United States, in turn, placed dozens of people in deportation proceedings even if they had documents showing an asylum appointment with Canada. or... The arrests split families and left many women and children to fend for themselves at isolated border posts in some of the coldest weather in years. At least 50 people remain in detention along the border, unable to post bond. The way we go about this is heartless. There are other ways of doing it. Since it now appears to involve a specific group of people, it makes the heavy-handed practices appear even worse.
Originally posted by DaDakota I guess he should not have been in the USA illegally then should he? That's pretty damn easy to say when you were born in a country like this, now isn't it? It is irressponsible of him to drag his family around. I hope it works out the best for him, but we are a country of laws, and he was breaking the law by being here. When was the last time your were ticketed for speeding? Maybe they should have thrown your butt in jail. If I was born in a unstable country, or one where my wife's life was threatened for marrying me, I'd damn well do what I had to do to improve my situation. It's unfortunate that we cannot let everyone into this country that would like to be here. But when people feel compelled to seek freedom in this country, we should all feel proud that they want to live here, be very very thankful that we were born here, and be much more gracious in how our country treats them.
You are absolutely right Cohen. How dare we detain criminals who are fleeing prosecution. That is just a rediculous thing to do. What is next, putting criminals in jail after they are tried and convicted? Can't we just ask them if they plan to keep commiting crimes, and only arrest those who say yes? I have never been more ashamed to be an American.
Originally posted by StupidMoniker You are absolutely right Cohen. How dare we detain criminals who are fleeing prosecution. ... Try reading the thread before replying. If you have, you lack empathy. Certainly hope you never run into some bad luck. Other people may not be available to help you out. Referring to asylum seekers as criminals may be accurate, but is misleading. One could say that every one of us (over 15 years) is a criminal because we have all broken traffic laws. Should we tossed in jail when speeding our pregnant wife to the emergency room? These people may be criminals along with the rest of us, but they don't deserve treatment like that. I have never been more ashamed ... I understand.
And FWIW, they aren't fleeing prosecution, they're fleeing deportation, whixh apparently could mean death for at least some of them. In StupidMoniker speech, how dare they!
The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame, "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "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-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" by Emma Lazarus, New York City, 1883
Ooops! Sorry...please just send your highly educated and wealthy. They can stay as long as they like (well...as long as they aren't Muslim or Arab). As for the poor...good luck. . Some here had argued that we should treat Muslims and Arabs who live here well, not only since that's the right thing to do, but in our own self-interest. That these communities would be the most likely to warn us or threats from domestic Islamic fundamentalists. It seems to me that someone in the government made a decision contary to this concept without much of a debate. And again, this is about people are treated in general and whether some are treated differently, not the underlying laws.
