Am I biased towards illegal immigrants?

I have started a new hobby of trying to find the word 'illegal' in articles about the Mexican invasion of the United States. On average, the word doesn't appear until about the 5th paragraph.

I wonder what would happen if large numbers of men started marching in favor of repealing rape laws. Would the Tribune cover the mobs as 'Sexual Rights Protestors?'

Frank,
It is easy to figure out your viewpoints as all one has to do is follow your writings on a regular basis. The same for Mark Silva and the rest. And, of course, the editors. The Tribune's news pages have been a proponent of illegal immigrants. The articles way more than not call then undocuments workers. You folks may include the occasional quote from an opponent, but more times than not they are toward the end of an article and outnumbered by comments of people you agree with. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the intent of you and your colleagues at what I like to call, The Chicago Libune.

Interesting aside. There was an article yesterday by another writer using what has become the standard format of these stories, ie.,a quick reporting of facts followed by a "heartbreaking" personal experience of an illegal immigrant family.
So I emailed the writer asking why nothing is ever written in these types of articles about the American workers who have been displaced by illegal immigrants in the workforce and maybe one of their stories.
All I got back was a thank you note.
I think its a valid question however and so I pose it to you.
Why do we hear nothing in the media about the American workers and why is no attempt made to personalize their stories?

You are not biased, sir. But the people that criticize you are. I am sick and tired of people attacking the media for being politically correct. Reporters just report what other people say. Don't blame the messenger. Blame the hundreds of thousands of protesters.

Now watch as I try to argue for illegal immigrant rights without sounding like a liberal stooge:

The rights that illegal immigrants are fighting for are "human rights." That is the reason the Catholic Church has become so involved. When people start to think that the only rights due to a person are the rights given by governments (including our own government, which is fairer than most), we are all in trouble. Human rights derive from natural law, not from constitutions or other legislation. Poor enforcement for decades has created this problem, and we can't simply deport millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. They are our neighbors. We should not tear apart their families. We have more to gain by documenting these folks through a new formal process than by wasting resouces kicking them out and patrolling our borders with violence. Making these people legal residents of the United States is a bold step toward securing our homeland.

As for those who compare illegal immigrants to rapists, murderers and other violent law breakers: Have you ever walked across the street against a Don't Walk signal? You have broken the law. Have you ever returned to your car after your parking meter expired? You have broken the law. Does that make you morally equivilant to a rapist or murderer?

This thinly veiled ethnophobia troubles me.

I have a great respect for the Rule of Law. But part of that respect demands that when the law starts hurting more than it helps, the law should be changed.

That is why they are marching peacefully through our streets. How endearingly American of them.

I sit next to a young woman of Mexican American descent. Her parents came to this country legally neary 30 years ago. Note that I said "legally". They applied for their visa and followed the rules to get to this country, and then to become U.S. citizens. She and I agree on the current protests. No one in this country illegally has the right to "demand" citizenship. If those persons who came into the U.S. illegally want the same rights as U.S. citizens, they can go back to their country of origin (whether it be Mexico, India, Poland, or whatever) and apply for permission to come to this country just like the thousands of others who abide by the law do every year. Only when they have been granted permission to properly immigrate to this country will they have a right to "demand" anything. While I am a very liberal person, on this issue I am adamant. IF YOU ARE HERE ILLEGALLY, YOU DO NOT DESERVE CITIZENSHIP!

Frank,
it's so sad that racism is alive and well and living in the form of hyperbole. Face the facts, angry white men, people of color are coming to this country wether you like it or not. A 4.7 percent unemployment rate underscores the fact that there are plenty of jobs for immigrants coming to the U.S. and they are willing to work for the low wages that "service" America is paying.

I think your article was a completely objective reporting of the news in the highest standards of the Tribune tradition of excellence. O.K., next time count up your "illegals" vs. "undocumenteds" so they balance, maybe it'll make the crackpots happy.

Better yet, maybe your next article should cover how years of bigotry and hatred from the angry white men (I think we all know which party they belong to) have repressed fair immigration levels from south of the border in favor of unjustifiably high levels from European nations. Frankly, even the European levels are unrealistically low.

You could also focus on the fact that this reluctance to change has cost the government millions of dollars in tax revenue due to the necessity of under the table wages. When people whine about immigrants costing us so much in healthcare and human services; they are ignoring that this is the obvious outcome when you deny them the ability to legally pay taxes.

Let's get back on board that American dream that made this country great, as a land of opportunity for all with malice towards none. As for you angry white men, get over it, take a chill pill, it will all be better in the morning.

Sign me, a well adjusted old white man.

I generally tend to at least try to see both sides of every story, but this one is really challenging me. You say it's a complicated issue, but I fail to see the complexity in someone who is breaking the law vs. someone who isn't. To quote a wiser man than I, "This is not 'Nam, there are rules."

After reading a varity of negative stories, commentaries, blogs and e-mail reviews of editorial commentaries in regard to illegal immigration, the conclusion I come to most readily is that it appears the authors are simply bigoted.

Our familey members are tired of the elligals comeing into our country, attending our schools, useing our valuable healthcare resources, refusing to speak English, protesting in our streets, insulting our culture.

We don't want them here. They are like a cancer on our land. Growing at an alarming rate untill removed be force. Sooner the better.

Please call the elligals, elligal. They have no rights in our country. As we have no rights in theirs.

The National Guard and local police should be used to deal with the elligal marchers and any one helping them.

Wake up America. We are being invaded. Don't let elligals take our country without firing a shot. Our ancestors, friends, relatives that fought to keep our country borders save deserve better. And so do our children.

Elligals are not immigrants.

I think this whole debate is allowing bigots across this country to come out and show their true colors. Whether they admit it or not, those that are so outraged and threatened by illegal immigrants in this country harbor deep seated bigotry and intolerance.

As soon as I see someone use the phrase, "the liberal media generally for being politically correct" immediately I know that person has been watching FoxNews since the early 90's because other than blaming Clinton for everything, they blame a non-existent 'liberal media'. Time to wake up sheeple, there is no liberal media, there is only a corporately controlled media.
As for the immigration bruhaha, Bush brought up the topic as a way to distract the masses from his incompetence, lying, indictments, corruption and the 'long war'. Immigration was just another slab of red meat thrown out to get his 'knuckle dragging' followers to salivate. Stop taking the bait and use your mind.

God forbid that a Mexican farmworker picks grapes for .80 a day and steals those lucrative American jobs. God forbid someone in the U.S. doesn't speak English (why don't Americans learn Spanish when they go to Mexico on spring break?). People like to call articles bias when they simply don't agree with the topic.

I have more a question then a comment. If there were to be a draft, would undocumented immigrants be exempt?

In your response to the first e-mail, it's asserted that "undocumented" is a synonym for "illegal." On what planet does undocumented mean nearly the same thing as illegal? Undocumented conveys a very different meaning from illegal and it is a very obvious political ploy to use. Using undocumented in place of illegal in my opinion changes the meaning of what you are saying and thus it is not a synonym. By using undocumented in place of illegal we are downplaying the fact that these immigrants are here illegally. They are a drain on the economy and a slap in the face to those who worked hard to come here legally. They have no rights, because they are not citizens. And the only FAIR thing to do is to send them back to where they came from and make them wait to legally come to the country like everyone else.

There's a fine line that defines what is right from wrong called "law". The moment people start advocating that the "law" should be broken in order to satisfy someone's agenda it (law) ceases to be enforceable. I am not advocating what is right or wrong this in "illegal immigrants" issue. Just they are "illegal" because they broke the law. If they have the "right to break the law" because they (and other with own agendas) think they are right then others (drug dealers, rapists, robbers, etc.) can also start thinking it's OK to break the law since, in their view, they are "right".
So, stop this "political correctness" and start being serious. Law is law, black and white, there's no space for "gray".

Maybe the paper doesn't want to offend the illegal aliens that are cleaning their offices.

Why is it so wrong to expect people to abide by our laws? The liberals are acting like anyone who believes we should obey the laws of this country are bigots and irrational and bible thumpers or right-wing extremists.

The laws are in place for a reason. How can it be rational to accept that the same people who are running wild through the streets, waving the Mexican flag, speaking only in their native tongue truly want to come to this country for a better life and to become Americans. Get a grip folks.

Seal the border and demand people enter legally or not at all!!

Regarding: Border Security, Business and Employment, Immigration and Labor/Workforce/Unemployment

I feel very strongly subject pressing issues all pivot on a single infectuous influence from around 1848 to our great country, i.e. Karl Heinrich Marx's Communist Manifesto Plank 2, calling for a heavy, progressive, or graduated Income Tax (which is effectively hidden in the price of consumer goods) to finance the national government, which in 1913 under President Woodrow Wilson became the basis for the 16th Amendment to the US Constiution.
1: Illegal aliens are a cheap source of labor, in part because they don't cost employers the Income Tax that employees with valid social security num-bers, do. This currently gives (marginal) employers a cost incentive to hire the illegals. If the government were financed by a Federal Consumer Sales Tax at such a rate that current Federal annual revenues were equivalent, then illegals would be paying their federal tax whenever they spend a dollar on food, clothing, shelter, transportation, etc. This would be a significant DISINCENTIVE for them to work for such low wages because they wouldn't be able to live on what they currently receive.
2: There are numerous other very positive benefits for the federal government to be financed by a federal consumer sales tax:
a. All voters would be reminded whenever they spend a dollar how much the Federal Government is costing, and they would be much more inclined to vote for candidates who campaign on a platform that rejects costly federal legislation of "marginal benefit".
b. Voters would become somewhat more confident of "Honest Government" on their behalf.
c. There is pending legislation for such a means of federal financing, "The Fair Tax", which gives families with a valid social security number a "pre-bate" for subsistence level consumption taxes, automatically deposited monthly to their bank account. Voters would feel more secure because the government help would be visible every month.
d. Illegals would not have valid social security numbers, so they would NOT receive the "monthly prebate", and their incentive to remain here would be significantly reduced.
c. Currently the cost of US government is hidden in price of all our exports, reducing their competitivy in foreign markets and reducing our foreign sales (and US jobs), while increasing the competivity for imports which reduces sales of US goods (and US jobs)!!! Repealing the Income Tax would move our country into a position of having more jobs than people, and the incentive for our people to move into the higher paying jobs (education) would be increased, leaving the work of lower paying jobs to be "exported" to other countries and improve their economies within their own borders.

The net result is that the world becomes a better place for all! Please use your energy and influence to bring this about for your own family and my family.

Sincerely yours,
J. Pierre Blondeau,
proud citizen of the USA.

If the President of the United States can break the law with impunity, why not someone who happened to be born in Mexico?

Common sense and bias are NOT the same thing.

Are illegal immigrants and illegal drugs figured in the US Trade Imbalance with other countries....:)

Its amazing how many blind, jingoistic people are out there. This country wouldn't exsist without immigrants, "Illegal" or otherwise. The people who came here engaged in GENOCIDE. Can the "Average American" even SAY the word genocide and think of their "coloniel anssestors" ? No. We just think of the Holocaust. This country is MAINTAINED through economic/enviromental exploitation of the 3rd world and beyond.

So...who's the 'illegal'....Pilgrim?

I could not agree more with those who support securing our borders and following our laws in regard to immigration. Your glorification of illegal aliens is liberalism gone x-treme. Perhaps Bush should have told the nation that those who hire illegal aliens are addicted to paying low-wages. Taxpayers should not have to underwrite the social cost of anyone paid insufficiently to meet their needs. No American should be forced to compete for any job in order to earn 3rd world wages. I have paid social security taxes for 35 years so those who are older could collect their benefits. Who will be paying into that system in 10 years so that I will be able to collect. If our president and elected officials would rather serve those who wave a Mexican flag rather than an American flag, than perhaps it is time for politicians to be reminded of who voted them into office.

Many of those that American Citizens call criminals because they have ventured into this country without the permission to be in it, are the ones doing the jobs that they that are citizens refuse to do. Also they talk about these immigrants costing taxpayers money, but some fail to realize that although they don't have a SSN they also report to the IRS and pay their taxes. For an instant I would love to see how this country would run without these immigrants to see if they would be working for minumim wage or cleaning the toilets that alot of housekeepers clean for these so honest citizens that pay so little because one that is a citizen they wouldn't be able to afford.

Frank,

Here are some more politically correct terms for you to use:
speeder= illegal driver
tax cheater = illegal taxpayer
adulterer = illegal lover
deadbeat dad = illegal father

and so on....

Breaking a rule or law doesn't make the person "illegal"

When a law such as our current immigration law is unfair, harmful, and counterproductive you don't enforce, you change it.

Sigh. Lets review history. We are all immigrants of one sort or another. There is a tendency for immigrant groups, once assimilated, settled and part of 'mainstream' culture to forget that they once were the new kid on the block. It is classic old immigration vs new immigration. This is one part of it. The second part is that Mexico, which is in much closer proximity than Western and Eastern Europe, Asia and as of the immigration from past 15 years will show, various African nations; There is a REASON people are leaving their country. Lets look at THAT! Lets recognize the need to help Mexico (and much of Latin America) become a land of opportunity and freedom. This may change labor practices as much of globalization does..it empowers emerging economies and developing countries. But everything comes at a price. (if you choose to see things that way) We now need to dig out of the current mess while at the same time make it possible for it to not get larger while at the same time create opportunities for the people in the places where they are. Like everything, there are several sides and no easy answers. I would hope the collective 'we' would realize that go back a decade, a century or more, we are all sharing this area. Lets put ourselves in the shoes of others before being so damned judgemental. Be a part of the solution.

I can think of a number or reason why some would be in favor of keeping the situation as it is:

Churches: Most illegals are deeply religious, attend services, and drop $$$$ in the offering plate.

Democratic Party: Most illegals who become legal vote Democratic. If these some eleven million illegals become legal, the great majority of them who vote or will vote one day will vote the Democratic ticket.

Business that rely on cheap labor: No brainer.

Social Security: Our county is graying. Young hispanic males and females who are made legal will pay taxes and support a system that is slowly falling apart.

Why fix the system?

Our laws say that we should; or we should change our laws.

There are bad people who come across our borders and do bad things here. Our law enforcement agency has been trying to get two back from Mexico who committed homicides here and then ran back across the border. They were illegals.

Drugs come across to feed the need of users here. A closed border would help shut down the pipeline. Or at least make it more difficult.

Every nation has the right to conroll who comes into and leaves its territory; if for no other reason than to protect the general population.

In today's American world, there is no CENTER, there is no BALANCE, there is no MODERATION. If you stay in the middle, you get people yelling at you from the right, and people yelling at you from the left. You can never win. But politics make the world go 'round!

However, I still congratulate you for your efforts in trying to not be too liberal or too conservative, even though sometimes it might slip (although I'm a liberal, I disagree that illegal immigrants should trample over their legal immigrant counterparts who actually worked hard to earn citizenship, and I disagree with your words of choice for the title -- the guy above me makes an excellent point). In today's world of extremism, whether it be left or right, we need more people in the media like you to keep the world from falling apart.

www.afterthought.cjb.cc

(As a sidenote, completely unrelated to this topic, I find it very amusing that people accuse the media of being too liberal...freedom of speech, thought, and expression are of a liberal and left-winged nature, afterall.)

Interesting that "undocumented" has been chosen to be the synonym de jour.

Honestly, if asked for a synonym to "illegal" I'm sure most people would opt for "criminal" or "unlawfully".

The illegal immigration issue is frankly one of the most complicated in our country today. It seems though that there is a small but vocal minority that is determined to make this debate about whether or not these people are felons. Of course they are. But Republicans and Democrats alike turned a blind eye because business owners needed their labor. They still do. Alot of what these people are receiving for free right now, in social services, they would gladly pay taxes for it. The folks who compare illegal immigrants from latin america who come here for work, and the muslim extremists who flew planes into our financial and military installations are quite asanine. One need simply to look at the hundreds of thousands of protesters this week that have attempted to make their point peacefully. As compared to the muslim worlds reaction to a few cartoons that insulted Mohamed. Extremist muslims are our enemy, not our gardeners. Please do not quote some stupid magazined from Mexico city that says something about "reconquistadors". It is so sad that consevatives hit that 9/11 fear button any time they want to push something through. Fortunately, after a failed war in Afghanistan (al-qaeda atttacks are back up, the president can't leave the palace) and a total mess in Iraq, the American people are finally tired of our government's poor performance. No, you should not give everyone amnesty, but I hardly think anyone really believes we should round all these people up and ship them back. This issue has to be solved, and it is not going to get done when republicans are using the fear option, and democrats are just using this as an opportunity to get a photo op with latin people. The biggest revalation I've gotten out of all this, is that right now at almost every single level, our government is totally incapable of addressing the issues of America and the world at all.

i think that if you break the law you should pay but that being said why are we even concidering this these are illeagle immmagrate they should all be rounded up and arrested they need to get their green card then come back we should not even be listing to them they are not us citizens swo therefore don't have the right to protest in are country should we go to mexico and protest the drugs they ship here no we would be shot not saying we should shoot them but we should not be thinking of letting them stay it would not be fair to the others that are tring to become citizens the legal way but to be short they are not americans and this would be a great time to arest most of them they are in the open right now and should be deported

Bit of an exageration there rick.

senor Rick Derer...

i think you mean the invasion of Mexico by the US. Half the US was owned by Mexico and its people were here before the US settlers encroached upon Mexico's land. As long as their is money to be made, immigrants legal or illegal, will be welcomed in the US. You can agree or deny it but that is what it comes down to, $$$$$.

To those that equate illegal immigrants to bank robbers and drug dealers: Illegal does not equal immoral. Was 'Dred Scott' moral? At one time husbands legally owned their wives as property. No, it is just too simplistic to lump those who would risk everything for the chance to pick strawberries or render beef for what we fortunate Americans would consider very little pay in with murderers and thieves.

Where is the moral outrage against those American individuals and companies that knowingly seek out and hire illegal immigrants because they know that they will not have to obey any labor laws with them? Illegals can be abused and thrown away for pennies on the dollar. You don't have to pay them minimum wage, you can pay them piecemeal, and when their arm gets ripped off in the meat packing plant because they were tired after working 18 hour days with no days off, you can send them back to work the very next day and maintain your good safety record because safety is measured in days lost due to injury. All because of the threat of deportation. I'm not making this stuff up either. This is what puts cheap food on our shelves.

It is important to remember that we are humans first and Americans second.

There are no easy and quick answers. Every previous large immigrant wave was met with far fewer restrictions.

Yes, many are here illegally. Yes I know several people (not hispanic) trying to obtain a green card and work towards citizenship. These are people that worked and paid income taxes (on salaries of over $100K!!) until forced to stop working, go back to school on student visas and live off savings. Our immigration policy is ridiculously broken.

There are an awful lot of people claiming the high moral ground about being law-abiding... whom I'd wager (oops, is that illegal?) drive above the speed limit every day. Different laws? How about driving after "just one" drink? Enough with the rhetoric and the holier-than-thou posturing! We have a problem and we need to craft a win-win solution, one that gets the illegals registered and paying income taxes, weeds out the thieves and violent criminals, etc. If you really think we can just send 12million people 'home,' breaking up families (where are YOUR family values?), with our national guard deployed in the middle east, let someone know so we can alert the DEA to a serious drug problem in your house.

Maybe some of the laborers in the crowds are getting jobs US Citizens would like. If you're going to focus on job loss, focus on the Fortune 1000 companies that are eliminating millions of jobs Americans ARE doing, sending them overseas.
THEY are the unpatriotic!

For those who say "Since they are not American citizens and they have also broken the law, it would appear that their rights are non-existent," I'd like to point out that many parts of the Constitution do indeed guarantee rights to all people, not just citizens.

Does the illegal immigrant have the right to their life? Of course. Does the illegal immigrant have the right not to be punched in the jaw? Of course.

A baby born on our soil is a citizen. Does that baby citizen have the right to emergency health care? How about preventative healthcare? Can a child citizen attend an American church? Does that child citizen have the right to an education? Does that child have the right to have visitors who are non-citizens? Does that citizen child have to be forced into state-funded welfare, forced into a foster care situation, or forced out of their own country?

At what point does that child have to give up their American citizen rights, because the parents do not have the same level of documentation? Even those illegal immigrants who have no children born in the United States are afforded many rights just by being civil people. Civil rights.

Before irate red-staters go ranting that the Constitution says no such thing about these rights, go read Amendments Nine and Ten. The Constitution does not list the peoples' rights, it lists the government's powers. Everything else *is* the right of the people. All people, not just the citizens.

This being a Chicago newspaper, I would assume there have been some articles that review the history of the word WOP, which stood for immigrants "without papers." If Chicago didn't host those immigrants, what kind of little town would it be today? Of course, WOP is a racial slur now, similar to the slurs I see otherwise fine Americans slinging around without regard to the history or culture that surrounds them.

It's so easy to assume that it's just a matter of loading people back onto trucks and driving south. The issue is far from simple, and the answers are far from some Congressional election-year quick fix.

This comment by Rick Derer exposes the flaw in the "illegal" argument. Coming to this country to work, whether legal or illegal, is not as morally reprehensible as rape. That is why many people are not making a big deal out of it.

Furthermore people are not illegal acts are. You don't hear stories about marijuana smokers constantly describe them as illegal marijuana users. Even with rapists, you don't hear people talk about them as illegal rapists.

Then the question becomes whether they should be described as "criminals." If so, then the media should be balanced enough to call their employers criminals as well.

However, my personal opinion is that although their actions may be technically illegal, it is a rather petty crime that has more of a positive impact on our country than a negative one. It is also a human rights issue - it isn't as if they are compromising the rights or physical safety of anyone else simply by being here. Indeed they are often merely looking for employment or trying to be with their family members who may be here legally. So it is illegal just as it was illegal at one time for slaves to escape from their master. The law can be changed - and it looks like we are presently debating a change in the law in this country - a debate that is very welcome.

It looks to me like the people are fed up. They see the messenger as part of the problem and are disinclined to trust your protestations of good intentions.

You work for TRIBUNE which publishes Spanish language papers, a business decision they might consider pandering to illegals. I use illegal because undocumented isn't it's synonym in my thesaurus.

You see we have been jerked from pillar to post about "heightened awareness" and "it isn't a question of if but when" and then we see illegals strolling over our borders in their millions. We fear: we fear Do nothing Bush and Do Something Osama, we fear out sourced jobs and in sourced illegals, we fear their kleptocratic political tradition and the creation of a nation of only obeying the laws we like.

There are several out comes of this debate none are ideal and most are disastrous. Ironically it is Mexican History that presents the most likely scenarios: Fascism in the guise of socialism, a permanent underclass in the guise of guest workers and paramilitary police powers in the guise of internal security. Enjoy this bonfire of your rights and liberties.

I agree with most of what has been posted here - I find it bordering on unconscionable that the phrase immigrant rights is now interchangeable with illegal/undocumented aliens/immigrants rights.

Getting past that - our 'border' is broken - it needs to be fixed. The reality is that I don't think that over 10 million people are going to be rounded up and shipped out.

This country was built upon immigration and will continue to grow from it. The question is - is this going to be handled by law (which then must be enforced) or by economics by both US firms looking for low-wage workers and the illegal/undocumented worker who wants a life better than their country is providing for?

Exactly what rights does an illegal immigrant possess?

They possess about the same rights that a band of tax rebels in the eighteenth century might possess – inalienable human rights.

I think the "not enforcing the laws on the books leads to chaos" writer is right. There's far too much jay-walking on the streets in my town, and it's causing young people to grow up with a complete disregard for the laws on the books. It doesn't matter if a law is stupid or not -- what matters is that people show respect for the rules. :-P

And just because those laws against spitting on the sidewalk seem outdated, that doesn't mean people can do it. They're still on the books, so people have to respect them. :-P

Just because someone's husband or mother is a law-breaker doesn't mean it's OK to try to change the rules to accomodate them. :-P

By extension, consider this: being gay is still a crime in some places, whether it's reasonable or enforced. Are they disqualified from trying to change the law, since they've already broken it?

I sense a bit of sarcasm on both sides here; here's hoping readers and writers alike can take criticism - constructive and, or other.

Here's my two cents about the whole ILLEGAL immigrant fiasco:

1. If you employ of illegal immigrants and are caught, you lose your right to operate a privately owned business for life, and you will be held responsible for X number of years of unpaid taxes (based on the age of the illegal immigrant), PERIOD.

2. If you are here illegally, you are not entitled to ANY of the legal rights or privileges afforded all legal CITIZENS of this country. You are on your own, period. You cannot own a home, you cannot own property, you cannot register a motor vehicle, you cannot obtain a driver license, you are not entitled to fire or police protection.

3. If you are here illegally and you commit a crime, you will not have access to our judicial system, other than to hear a judge say, BYE BYE. You will be detained until there are sufficient illegal immigrants to be flown to some central part of your mother land, we will take all of your possessions - including the shirt on your back, and you will be released.

4. If you are here illegally and you happen to expire, we will invest the money to cremate your remains and dispose of them.

5. If you are here illegally and you give birth, your offspring will NOT automatically be considered a US citizen, we will change that system flaw. Speaking of giving birth - it's generally done in a hospital....at this point, no more government dollars will be distributed to ANY entity on behalf of an individual here illegally (except under limited circumstances - ie; crematory's, air fare to return you, or costs to prosecute employers).

Okay, so that was put together rather haphazardly - but you should get my point.

Right on --the readers sumed up the general feeling of most americans.One comment I really have not seen is the idea that a change has got to be made in the law which allows US citizenship to anyone born in this country.This one piece of the puzzle would stop a large amount of the problem. If born of illegal parents the child has got to be illegal.This one step would save lives and mucho $$$

The average "legal" American citizen is sick and tired of the media trying to legitimize their tax dollars, medical systems, school systems, court systems and yes, jobs being consumed and abused by what you like to term as "undocumented workers".
These people are what they are and that is "illegal aliens" and should be subject to immediate detainment and deportation. that is after they have paid a fine equal to the amount of public service tax dollars they and their families have consumed.
The definition of the word "illegal" does in no way resemble the definition of the word "entitlment".
If you were to poll legitimate American citizens you may find that their motto of choice on this subject would be something like, "dignity through deportation, America for Americans".

This is in response to one of the comments said "Exactly what rights does an illegal immigrant possess? Since they are not American citizens and they have also broken the law, it would appear that their rights are non-existent."

What? Are you serious? Do you actually believe that not being an American citizen, and escaping poverty in your home country means that you cannot have rights? Furthermore, surely you aren't so naive as to expect objective journalism? I think that was a damn good article - the journalists' views could be discerned, as they can from almost piece of writing.

I kind of question anyone who lets people sleep in the streets that are american and the wants to bring more in.

How about we take care of our own first.Oh I am sorry that doesn't make news does it?

And as far as Rick talking about men rapists we must give equal time to female rapists for their part.

Now I personally am disabled and dont pay taxes anymore so I suppose they wouldn't hurt me much in that department...But...It will hurt my children and their children to support people who once legalized will bring their relatives by the score to live with them as happens with families.
They all want the good life...Good Life?
Gas prices $3 bucks a gallon?
Yep that must be it.

Just one more tax paying LEGAL US Citizen that's tired of these protesting ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS rallying for rights that they do not deserve nor have they earned. Crawling under a fence should not give them any rights at all. Why should I pay for their childern to attend Public Schools?
Testing in Spanish, duel curriculum,street signs etc is racially bias.

Most American's are sick of the double standard which favors Latino Interest. Secure our borders before another 9/11 happens and/or the America we've known disappears. It's disgusing.

Liberal panzies like you facilitate the distruction of this country.

Just cruising gooogle news and saw your article, figured i'd ask a question. Are you really responding to wheather or not your biased?
I mean...really? "Well, I don't think i'm biased". Is that the way it works?
Well, I think I write very good. ;)

I am disgusted by all the rude and hostile responses to this article. It's not like the article was devoid of any opinion from the other side, but opponents were quoted (as any good journalist would). And just as Frank said, it was a NEWS article reporting on an event. I am an American citizen and a Mexican, and I must say I was raised with more manners, and the respectfulness not to be such a jerk to a reporter simply because of disagreement with the MARCHERS mentioned in the article.

I do hold a more moderate opinion not explicitly mentioned. I definitely think making illegal immigration a felony is ridiculous and would not solve the problem at all, but would clog our jails at best, and building a fence is silly, unless it's a darn good fence. However, I do not agree that illegal immigrants should be given citizenship simply because they are already over here. A restricted border is necessary for a strong country, yes, but what is even more vital is the lack of racial prejudice, which is vibrant and thriving in America. Just think of the man who murdered an Indian who was wearing a turban in the aftermath of 9/11.

Lastly, Mexicans are not "invading" the United States, as one comment says. The vast majority of Mexicans in Arizona are legal citizens. Besides, this land belonged to Mexico before the United States invaded it.

I was unable to read your article which by the comments made I am glad I did not since I to am against giving rights to people who don't deserve them. What happens if we give the these people legal status, do you think that would stop or increase illegal border crossing? I feel it would only increase the flow of illegal immigrants and then they will send for the rest of their family. This hole thing is about politics, money, and the pure greed of Corporate America and everyone I have spoken to has nothing positive to say about illegal's and the only positive you do hear are the one's who hire illegal criminals. Most hispanic owned stores or business only have hispanics working there so shouldn't that be considered job discrimination? These people have more rights, more free stuff then us true blooded Americans who work just as hard, but also pay taxes.
It's sad that the people who are making this decision are the ones who live in gated communities and their children go to private schools and so us middle class people are the ones who will have to deal with them. You wait, first jobs Americans don't want, which is bullcrap, and next it will be every factory in the United States that will want cheap labor and so poverty is our future except for corporate America, they will be making double the profits.

Arguing this issue is pointless. Hispanic immigration (a term that even conservatives avoid) is going to happen in large numbers and can be slowed but not stopped. Given Mexico's explosive population figures (CNN has it at one person out of ten born in the world last year)and sluggish economy, I can't blame the millions of illegal immigrants for what they are doing. It is exactly what I would be doing if I was in their place.

However, I think that it will cripple the American economy in the long run and divide the country culturally. I don't know what effect the latter will have, but when similar migrations were happening in Rome (that's right, I'm using the Roman Empire example), it led to the area being split into smaller countries. Maybe that's the natural order of things, but I think we have seen the peak of America's greatness, and are about to see an inevitable decline and possible division.

Oh well, at least I'll have my memories.

Having never lived in Chicago, or even in the midwest in general, I don't know the extent of the influence on the labor market there. I live in California where the entire economy would probably collapse if illegal immigrants were not living here in numbers that I am sure dwarf those in Chicago. Illegal Immigrants perform labor that most Americans would not, especially at minimum wage: hard to imagine what strawberries would cost if picked by Americans for example (eight hours on your knees in the hot sun). In addition to the economy collapsing here in California; it would suffer horribly in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Bush grew up in Texas and knows this which is why he is not so hostile to these immigrants as many in the Republican party. I realize that the United States can not absorb the population of Central America, but this is not what would happen. These immigrants have been coming across the borders since the Mexican-American War, they have yet to do any noticible damage. Probably the only time in which they were not crossing our borders in any great numbers was during the depression when millions of out of work Americans were performing the manual labor that is the general lot of these immigrants, which goes to show the obvious; if there was no need for them in America they would just stop coming on their own.

Frank - I would like to thank you for taking this approach. Most intelligent tack I've seen.I support legal immigration for anyone who plays by the rules but I go a step further with those who break our laws and those who help them avoid prosecution for breaking the laws. In a nation of law you can not have it both ways. Government officials, elected officials and NGO's officers and any others who aid and abett acknowledged lawbreakers seeking to evade prosecution for falsifying federal documents and violating immigration law must be arrested and prosecuted. This includes Senators, Lawyers, CEO's and anyone else who believes that are our laws are simply a waste of time and subject to arbitrary whim.

Thankfully, this country made it possible for my ancestors to come here and live and work with dignity. Today, I can feed my family without doing anything illegal, and I'm grateful for that.

There has got to be a Christian way to make our immigration system work again. There's gotta be ...

Hi,

I have been watching, listening and, with much trepidation, waiting to see what will come out of this issue. I am not in favor of closing our borders to legal immigration or making undocumentd status a felony. Part of my problem with the "right" is that they seem to be taking their anger and frustration out on people that are here, in part, because we did not enforce our own laws and guidelines for legal immigration in the first place. The fact that many access US jobs and social service resources is a product of 1. being willing to work at jobs others will not, and 2. the fact that minimum wage in our country will not support an individual, let alone a family of any number.
Our social service system is overwhelmed and underfunded. It cannot support the needs of garden variety US citizens and legal immigrants, let alone people here illegally.

I am also frustrated with the US "left" and those here illegally, who for some reason think it is fine and their "right" to ignore the fact that their actions were illegal and they did not come into this country by the same painstaking means that those with green cards and current citizenship did. It is impractical to suggest amnesty for all and a slap in the face for those who waited and went through legal channels to gain their citizenship. As far as all the innocent children now born in the US to parents without legal residency and where this process will lead them....yikes!

This is one of the most amazingly complicated issues that I can imagine in our recent history, in both ideology and practicality. I believe that there should be a path to legal citizenship offered to those already here that is actually possible to implement and complete. I also believe that those who came here illegally must recognize this "status" and be willing to walk that path whatever it is.

The keyword here is "illegal". Stop undermining this with the word "undocumented".

To allow illegal immigrants to become documented makes having a border null and void. Come on in? I lock my front door for the obvious reason that I do not want everyone in my home. If I ever found an uninvited guest in my home I would kick them out immediately.

Consider that these protests are being attended by large amounts of illegal immigrants. Would there even be protests if we didn't have so many illegal immigrants?

I really enjoy the complaint that I’ve heard a number of times on liberal radio interviews with an illegal immigrant being upset because they were not accepted to a university due to they’re illegal status and were reduced to settling for a community college.

The main problem seems to be that Americans are hiring these illegal immigrants. Why aren't these people being punished?

Illegal - undocumented? Who cares!! The problem goes deeper than that. Being politically correct should not matter, we should be trying to find a middle ground and find a solution to this huge problem. Like it or not; all these people are already part of the economy and you can't just pull 11.5 million people from an economic system that has found comfort and relies so much on cheap labor. Like it or not; America's agriculture depends so much on these people because for sure, those people opposing legalization are not going to flock the fields to take the place of these undesired illegals. Like it or not; We depend on these people I don't see any of those opposing legalization offering to pay $5.00 per pound of tomatoes to make the produce picker job more attractive to American Citizens or offering to pay double or triple for dinner at the corner restuarant to make the dishwashing and busser positions more attractive to Americans. We do compliant.... a lot and yet we enjoy and keep quite when we benefit of illegal doing. So if you really care for America please find a job picking produce, cleaning toilets and caring for somebody elese's brats. Or say nothing else.

Having lived in South America for three years of my teenage life as a diplomat's son and felt the undisguised hate directed at we "Gringos" one could presume I would now be filled with resentment to these apparantly hypocritical people, but I am not. I am, however, realistic. To assume that we should let untold numbers of predominately uneducated "immigrants" flood into our country without some economic impact on legal immigrants and Americans is to live in a dream world. We will eventually become a welfare state. By that I mean if those here illegally were given amnesty today the amount of services they would avail themselves of as citizens would far outstrip the taxes they pay (lowest paying jobs in the country) that would be paid back to the Treasury. Add to this the appalling pandering that Congress has already shown: EMTALA is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act passed in 1986, part of the COBRA section of the Social Security Act. The act, in simplistic terms, states that anyone who enters an emergency room must be treated regardless of their ability to pay must be treated. It did not however offer hospitals any means to recoup these expenses. It was intended for indigent Americans. It has been that way for 20 years now. So we taxpayers have paid the bill. Why is this relevent you ask? Because Congress just last year authorized a partial subsidizing of EMTALA for those states most effected by emergency room use but, this is the rub, the funds, our tax dollars, will go only (and it reads ONLY) to pay for "undocumented immigrants". Look up Section 1011 of the EMTALA and you will see the ugly truth. We American citizens could not get our own money to pay for emergency services but somehow "illegals" can. I don't have a problem with immigration, just illegal immigration. We are paying the bills.

Incorrectly reporting the story as "Immigrants Rights" does a disservice to both legal immigrants (who may actually have some civil rights issues that deserve attention), and to the public at large.

This misleading euphemism makes it appear as if there is some sort of organized Jim Crow-style oppression in the U.S., rather than merely a large group of people who don't respect the law themselves, but do want the government to do something for them. I have yet to see a story documenting a legal immigrant who has been denied their civil rights and is actually entitled to protest for "Immigrant Rights".

Dear Frank, I advise you ignore the idiotic comments about the "liberal media". To some of these nut cases a fire department is probably a socialist institution. For any human to be labeled an "illegal" with no rights is absurd. Yes, there should be a procedure to monitor and regulate immigration, but for someone to think they have more rights than someone else only because they are a US citizen is asinine and goes directly against the principals on which this country was founded.

"Isn’t it interesting (and you so subtly skipped right past it) that the chants from the marchers that you quoted were all in Spanish?! They’ve broken the law (or are supporting people that have/do), they can’t speak our language, and yet they have the nerve to demand rights!"

Dear Writer: They can't speak YOUR language. America does not have an official language.

I, like most immigrants who came to this country LEGALLY, wonder why is it that those that are here illegally should get all the privileges of a citizenship. I followed the rules and requirements of the Immigration Department. As such, I was allowed to come here by myself while my parents were refused a visa. My mother ended up being a tortured and abused political prisoner for 8 years.My father was a broken man when he finally was reunited with me LEGALLY 6 years later. In case anyone is wondering, we were caught in a communist country and we were all liberals. It took me three changes of visa and finally a residency and 3 years after that for a citizenship. If coming to this country illegally is better than doing so legally, why should anyone try the ardous process of immigration? What would stop anyone, including enemies and terrorists, to come to this country?I find this kind of media coverage absurd and aggree with the previous comment. We have a constitution, we have laws and policies. Lets either support them or change them but not ignore them.

Please do not vote for anyone who would allow law breakers easier access then people who follow the rules. There are millions of people against amnesty or a worker program. Stop the invasion of america. NO MAS!!! No vote those who are for program. We in Arizona are getting huge amounts of crime from illegal alliens. Save us.

'Undocumented'foreign workers..sounds fine to me.
It says exactly what these people are. Most of those seeking to make criminals out of the undocumented are in many cases decendants of former 'undocumented' workers who came to US from elesewhere and through a process finally gained legal status. The same should apply to many of those now living here without papers.

Please do not vote for anyone who would allow law breakers easier access then people who follow the rules. There are millions of people against amnesty or a worker program. Stop the invasion of america. NO MAS!!! No vote those who are for program. We in Arizona are getting huge amounts of crime from illegal alliens. Save us.

well done!

Non-US Citizens residing in the US fall under two legal definitions: nonimmigrant, and immigrant. A nonimmigrant would be someone who is documented with a visitor's visa, or work visa, or student visa, etc for temporary purposes. An immigrant visa is obtained for people who wish to permanently reside in America.

There is no such thing as an undocumented immigrant. By its definition an immigrant is documented.

The correct definition that you are looking for is an undocumented non-Citizen. Even that is not accurate since a Canadian does not need to be documented to enter the USA. Therefore, illegal non-Citizen should be used.

I have sympathy for your tainted view journalism, but the critizism of your reporting is correct. You are really not reporting the news, you are reporting a viewpoint. Illegal aliens (foreign citizens not in this country legally) are not the same as legal immigrants (American citizens). There are 275 plus million Amreican citizens and about 12 million illegal immigrants or illegal aliens. I think you should remember that this issue demands an unbiased and critical perspective ...

So the news story was the rallies held across the nation....Why not give the total picture? Give the details behind Javier Rodriguez, one of those behind the rallies, who doesn't want to be American, he wants America to be Mexican! Why not delve into the fact that those bringing Mexican flags were told not to wave them, because it would inflame American citizens and NOT because there is such a loyalty to America. Why not detail what is involved in getting a green card, a smart card and gaining citizenship? Why not give some actual facts and figures as to what the illegals bring/don't bring to America? (I've seen some staggering numbers as to the crime rate by illegals).

The reason you don't see widespread protests against these protests is because the backbone of America loves America enough not to intentionally try to hurt the economy. We are WORKING or trying to work, we are trying to make America a BETTER place. If immigrants want to be American, wouldn't it be a helluva lot smarter to endear yourself to the country by trying to make it a better place instead of trying to hurt it? Don't flaunt our laws and demand from a country to which you don't belong, what other country would allow such as this? Learn the language, and follow the ideas of Teddy Roosevelt.

This issue is very emotional. People came here an violated the law, lets be clear it is

not a criminal violation at this time, it is a civil violation.
If you were in the same poor living and working conditions south of the border, will

you do the same for your children, yes or not? just asking.
Now, there is for sure a lot of people benefiting from

ilegals/undocumented/unauthorized/hard working felons/aliens what ever people want to

call them. Why you do not boycot the business that hire them? they are breaking the law

big time! Job offers are the ones atracting people, so if you go after the business

problem solved. Or is it because they have lawyers and money and indeed political power

probably? Blaming the weakest link (or the people who cleans hotel rooms) for the

american problems is not going to solve it.
"expect taxpayers to support them [illegal aliens] through school taxes and other

social services." well you can take your chances and keep them with no education and

continue the cycle of poverty, no education for the children, yes, keep them poor an

uneducated that works!, that is the american dream and american values! Believed or not

unauthorized people pay taxes! and OUR goverment gave them a TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION

NUMBER so they have no rights but to pay taxes, and check what is the amount that they

generate!! (www.irs.gov), also if there are immigrants in your community do not tell me

that they do not generate jobs and opportunities for others, just check a mexican store

and check the amount of business that that little store generates, distributors and

everything, well but it looks like most people prefer to see the felon immigrants.
It will be nice that everybody that breaks the speeding laws will be a felon, and after

trial a convicted felon, just because they break the law.(remember, immigration is a

civil matter not a criminal matter in US law)
i bet nobody here nows what is the name of the "book" that regulates immigration in the US?

IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT
How are "they" call by law?
"unauthorized alien" lets use this one and let the rethoric aside. Society changes law

changes, We are a country of laws and we are (now i think supposedly) a welcoming

society. There is one law that is not working : immigration law, fix it so we can still

be a welcoming society and a country of laws. Society is measure by the way they treat

their weakest link. You know what lets round iraquis, iranians and venezuelans up, like we

did a few decades ago with people of japanese descent. feels weird? think again how is

it going to look what we are doing now.

I think the media should stop being so politically correct. If it is illegal state it as so. You are not running for office. Needless to say journalism in general is too liberal and politically correct. It is like the last example the gentlemen posted. Giving rights to someone just because they think it should be. Rights for the rapist are just as bad as rights for illegal immigrants. If a law is broke it is broken and if they where American citizens they could legally change this. Never trust a politician all they are looking for is one more session for their powerful reign. The thing that I find funny is that the people that are in power now come from the flower power generation. Someone who used to be so free in speech and freedom of expression they have over done it with political correctness. They are changing freedom of speech and they don’t even know it. So sad I wish they would simply reflect on what is happening. You can’t please everyone so you try and please the majority and to the best of my knowledge the illegal immigrants are a minority. Even though the numbers are quite impressive they are still the minority. Why don’t they try and accomplish working rights in their own country and fly the flag of their homeland there. If they come legally then I am all for them to come to this country.

Rick, you should expand your hobby to articles about the war in Iraq-on average, the word 'illegal' doesn't appear in them at all.

These people are only illegal because we say they are. Their only crime is their prescence. Most illegals pay taxes. They cannot commit a crime because they would be deported. So we have a bunch of law-abiding illegals (ha) who pay taxes. What would someone villifying these people do? Deport them all (good luck)? Criminalize them further? What would that solve?

The clear answer to the immigration question is to lock down the borders to control future immigration and provide a path to citizenship for the millions of people already here. That doesn't mean they "skip in line", it means we own up our own screw-up: allowing millions of them to establish lives here in the first place in an uncontrolled fashion.

Are you really going to blame a bunch of dirt-poor people from Mexico for trying to seek a better life, even if they have to break a law to do it?

A comment for the man who likened undocumented workers to rapists, clearly you see the inbalance there. It is a far, far stretch to compare these people to others that have emotional and mental disorders and act out in violence. A lot of immigrants are here for the sole purpose of making a living, doing jobs many lazy Americans will not and do not do for themselves. I realize a law is being broken, but let's get a little more creative with our arguements and perhaps explore the posibility that this rule could be amended for the benefit of all parties involved.

Obviously, this reader doesn't like the word "undocumented." At the Tribune we use it as a synonym for "illegal."

So if someone illegaly uses your credit card, you use the term undocumented just to mix it up and not bore the person reading the police report? 2 points for effort but 0 for logic.

You invited these comments thru imbalanced coverage and your papers emphasis on political correctness in language used. I have empathy for many of these kind hard working people but we are hurting them by allowing them to not face up that they are law breakers and thus no respect for this country. Change should be tied to extremely tight enforcement. Parking spots are monitored with more respect.

The main thing all media, not just one outlet is not doing is emphasizing the word "Illegal", If they made thier way to this country lawfully I would have no problems with that, but they are not they are crossing our borders, stealing our Money, Jobs and education away from children born and raised 5th and 6th and more Generations to this country.
I don't buy it that these people are doing the jobs that Americans won't do, Tell that to the Homeless who are eating out of garbage barrels at McDonalds in every City in the Nation, It would also overhaul the welfare system, you want welfare money,make them take one of these so called " Non American Jobs" and they will earn it instead of our Government giving it away to the masses of Lazy Immigrants that don't do anything. If they are doing so much for our country then why are they the Poorest people in our nation? Because they don't work and they also don't vote for anyone, 2 out of every 10 legal Hispanics vote, Not enough to win any election....

I'm convinced that these demonstrations will prove to ill-considered. Rather than illustrating the political will of these groups (as most demonsrations intend), they instead illustrate the threat posed by unfettered and unchallenged immigration. Unless the political issue of amnesty/guest worker/legalization/normalization (choose your term of art) addresses in a meaningful way the end of a blind-eye open door policy, then there will be no settlement of this issue.

Illegal Mexicans waving Mexican flags demanding Illegal Immigrant Rights in Spanish...........What's wrong with this picture.

... or if jaywalkers marched: "Pedestrian Rights Protestors"

Are you insane? Comparing rape to immigration is not only tasteless ... it undermines you credibility.

Hmm...I just don't see how people who come to a country-- even illegally-- to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their families can be compared to rape. They certainly aren't morally equivalent, not even in the eyes of the most ardent illegal immigration opponents. The treatment of the immigration issue in the headline reflects the fact that many people feel that both sides of the debate have valid arguments. That isn't true of rape-- unless I've misunderestimated the NeoCon/Cheap Labor agenda!

A person of my acquaintance said yesterday, "Organizers of the Hispanic community can bring out thousands to march for illegal alien immimgrants being given rights others must wait for, study for or serve to receive. They also must be able to get the illegals in the streets, therefore they can call them out to go back to Mexico and do it right. If organizers can transport illegals to rallies, they can also manage to transport them to the border." I think I somewhat agree. this issue is NOT about "migration" which is a people movement, but is about immigration, which is a set of legal conditions. If we are a nation of laws, and immigrants wish to establish citizenship and be protected and enabled by those same laws, should they not attempt to obey them first?
Another qustion which pops to mind is that 20 years ago, we allowed around 3,000,000 illegal alien immigrants to establish citizenship. They not only raised families, but apparently called all their neighbors, because 20 years later, we have 4-5 times their number! Our security and economy will NOT last under this burden of illegality; neither will our ethics. ANy by the way.. these marches DO NOT resembe the Civil Rights marches of the late 1950's and 1960's. Those were LEGAL CITIZENS actuallly seeking the Consitutional rights they were entitled to as legal citizens of this fine nation. I will agree that immigration is an issue we must settle. I do not think that there is an EZ or quick fix that will suit everyone. Legislators and business people need to think beyond their power structures, profit margins, and personal agendas, and begin to consider the mainstream of legal citizens affected by these changes. Taxpayers, educators and working people of any color or nationality, who are legal citizens have "rights" in this United States. Criminals [those who choose for whatever reason to not obey the law of the land] so not. The issue is not whether they like it or don't like it. It doesn't matter.

Bill Sanders, April 11, 2006

I'd like to make a point or two.

First of all it seems to me that these immigrants whom Americans claim don't pay taxes actually already do pay a form of tax. Their wages are so depressed that it constitutes a market driven taxation.

Point two. The argument that we should close borders would only serve to further burden the American people. The jobs done by these immigrants cannot be done at the wages they currently pay by any 'citizen.' This will cause a demand driven increase in the pay given, and who will that be passed onto? It will be passed onto you and I who still require the service.

These immigrants are underestimated in the amount of service they have provided to this nation already and the level of domestic growth they have helped drive through providing sources of low cost labor.

Closed, protectionist attitudes have historically been associated with the development of nationalistic regimes similar to that of fascist, Nazi Germany before WWII.

To be perfectly fair, the media's lack of not labeling the issue correctly is what has the majority of the People in confusion. Saying that it is about Immigrant's Rights is misleading. There are 2 types of immigrant's, those who are here legally HAVE Rights, those that are not here legally HAVE Rights. It is the problem that those of us who are paying taxes are paying to help support those who aren't paying taxes, and NEVER will pay taxes. In order to pay taxes you have to be documented.

My tax money for internal health and welfare programs should go to those who are here legally.

There was a news bite on the local news radio to Los Angeles where they were translating what an ILLEGAL immigrant was saying to the reporter. He was saying that he only makes about $300 a week and he is very glad to even make those 'meager' wages. In Los Angeles, the minimum wage is $6.75; he makes more than that AND without paying taxes. People who are documented and working for the same wages he receives ($7.50/hr) get to keep a lot less than he does because they are paying taxes (supporting the structure that allows the undocumented workers to gain food stamps, welfare, healthcare and other programs that have low documentation requirements)

There are plenty of hard working residents who are more than willing to work the 'low paying' jobs in this country. The news focuses on 'Farm workers', but there are many more jobs that are taken by illegal immigrants than just farm care.

This issue isn't just about 'did they cross the borders illegally', it is about the national deficit, it is about the national defense, and it is about the state of our entire country. This issue permeates through many social and economic issues. To make the 'crime' of crossing our borders into a felony may not have any effect on the number of illegal immigrants who cross and re-cross our borders every year. But the fact that it wasn't already a felony had me shocked and appalled.

Please don't take this as an attack on your article or your writing ability. I am focusing my comments on the news reporting agencies who 'report the event' but never explain all of what the problem is, so those who rely on these misinformed articles for the NEWS, get a poor picture of the issue. It's not just you; it is a problem with most NEWS reporters.

"tax-paying voting americans" ? For one, most undocumented immigrants PAY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAXES (I don't see anyone going after the cash-only babysitting businesses of teenage American daughters) - and never see the "benefit" since they can't claim social security and don't get money back since they usually can't file with IRS. And many WOULD vote if they were given the OPPORTUNITY to become citizens and vote. HUMAN BEINGS are NOT illegal. Millionaires can buy their citizenship - you actually CAN'T just get a visa 1,2,3 and come over here legally so you can do the dirty work of picking America's vegetables. They don't give visas out for that! And they aren't taking jobs away from Americans - most companies won't and can't pay the wages Americans demand (or any human who hasn't been superexploited most of their lives) because they're DRIVEN to make as much profit as possible.

While reading the comments something came to mind... How many of the persons complaining? did their ancestors ask permission to the native Americans to come to America and take their land, further more during the expansion to the west how many ask permission to move into Mexican territory (California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and clearly "New Mexico") or to take over Puerto Rico or did we as "Americans” bother to ask Hawaiians how they feel about us... In retrospective the opinion that really should matter is the one of people who were truly here before all of us. Finally some persons cross a river or a desert to come here others were/are crossing oceans to come here. Think about it my ancestors were here long before yours...

I found your story to be completely wonderful and I felt no bias ideas were conveyed. It's a STORY, it's the NEWS it's what is happening right in front of our eyes. People's opinions on whether it is right or not will vary, but you can't deny the facts. They ARE illegal immigrants and that means that they have no right to be here.

Keep up the good work. I find your way of writing to be very pleasing to the eye and very provoking to the mind.

I find this argument over the word "illegal" to be interesting. One side finds its omission to be incriminating evidence of empathy toward undocumented aliens (how's that for a compromise phrase?). It very well could be that the other side sees the word "illegal" as a word that connotes a more sinister kind of criminality, hence the favor of 'undocumented'. Obviously, people in the former group disagree, some going as far as to equate illegal border crossing with other illegal acts such as rape, murder, and theft. Yeah, that's right, folks. Illegal is illegal, and that one word is all that is needed to accurately portray the situation. Hang' em all. And all those people who don't come to a full stop at stop sign, too (you know who you are..)

"I have started a new hobby of trying to find the word 'illegal' in articles about the Mexican invasion of the United States. On average, the word doesn't appear until about the 5th paragraph."

Mexican invasion of the U.S.?????? Were you NEVER educated in history? THIS country STOLE Texas and California and more from Mexico.

I have started a new hobby of trying to find the word "illegal" in articles about the United States war with Santa Ana and the nation-state of Mexico following "Manifest Destiny." On average, the word doesn't appear.

Likewise, I am trying to find the word illegal in text discussing the United States extermination of the indigenous peoples of America.

Let me know when these are covered, then we can move on to Mr. Derer's concerns.

As a single parent I worked three jobs to make sure our home was decent and my son could go to college. I had to pay taxes, social security, medicare etc., on those wages and I took out money for insurance and retirement.
Although I feel for illegal immigrants, I'm tired of funding them. I'm tired of going to the hospital and getting the third degree about how I'm going to pay for emergency services (broken leg) and routine services (x-rays) which they won't do unless I show them I can pay the difference between insurance and what I owe...I'm tired of seeing a group of illegals in the waiting room having a party while they wait for a child with a fever that could be seen by a private care doctor, to be seen by the emergency staff. They cannot pay and the hospital knows it (I asked and quizzed them on this). I'm tired of paying for accidents the uninsured drivers have and there is no recourse with an alien. I'm tired of paying for them to be entitled to in-state tuition, free schooling and other public services my tax dollars go to. I am breaking my back to survive while they have benefits that I pay for--and I don't even receive. Where is my free health care? My son's free schooling? They have, as one reader put it, committed a crime--a crime that law abiding citizens with all their deductions are paying for. If we don't want to kick them out of the country, then we need to find a way to make them self-paying like the rest of us who pay taxes etc.

When people blame illegal immigrants for singlehandedly destroying our economy, they should look instead to the U.S.-based multinational corporations that have OUTSOURCED thousands and thousands of factory jobs to other countries. These corporations are the primary reason why jobs have disappeared and wages have plummeted for lower-class U.S. citizens.

Thank you for sharing readers' e-mails.

There are easy answers to this problem. Enforce the laws as written. Enforce the border -- meaning build a fence, a barrier, whatever it takes. My guess is that a functional barrier will cost less than an aircraft carrier and would be more useful for the defense of the USA in the long run (another long topic on how dangerous it is in these days to have easy access into this country). My mother was an immigrant, my wife is an immigrant, my father's family all came from overseas. Legal immigrants. We love this country and what it represents -- freedom and a chance to achieve success. I'm all in favor of people who believe in our values, who love what this country represents coming here to live and raise a family. But do it legally. We need to start enforcing our laws before many communities are financially overwelmed. I am an ER physician in North Carolina. Our hospitals in this state, far from the border, are carrying a very heavy burden that seems to be escalating monthly. The tipping point is not far away for many hospitals here. I can't imagine how the hospitals in Texas and New Mexico and southern California survive.

It's pretty funny to see these cranks accusing the Trib of being too liberal! Maybe they'd like Col. McCormick back?

seems to me the first email hit the nai on the head. too politicaly correct? "The Tribune Stylebook says its all right for reporters to use "illegal immigrants" though the word "alien" can’t be used unless it's in a quote, the reason being many people view it as perjorative" undocumented as a synonym for "illegal" ? no where can i find this outside the media. nowhere do i see undocumented defined as "against the law" nowhere do i see the reverse, illegal, defined as "not having the needed documents".

It seems like the person accusing you of unbalanced news coverage is correct. You seem to cut out the parts you don't want people to hear, just like you probably won't post this comment.

Real news doesn't have an agenda. It is neither liberal nor conservative. It just states what happened. What it doesn't do is try to persuade the public's opinions, like your newspaper seems to be doing. But no one will ever know, because you won't post this message.

I think your critics would have been devastated by the major news of the day - and I don't think they want the news, but rather something that reinforces their own ethnic and political biases that pass for news.

The news is that they have lost the battle for public opinion on this issue, and while it remains to be seen what impact that has in ruling circles - the subject of your analysis - it is clear that the majority in the US are not deeply invested in the politics of hate that typify the efforts to criminalize migrants and deport them en masse.

Yesterday's news?

A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 63 percent favor letting immigrants who have lived in the country a certain number of years apply for legal status and eventually become citizens.

Only 14 percent back a plan to let illegal immigrants work for a limited number of years before having to return to their home countries.

Only 20 percent said illegal immigrants should be declared felons, which is to say that the hated Sensenbrenner bill has the support of only 1/5th of the population, a paranoid and hateful 1/5th - like those that wrote you.

Juan Santos

Are you biased????? you gotta be kidding....couldn't add much more the above - other than I have no subscription to cancel....have long ago refused to spend one red American cent on liberal, biased, seditious rags!!!

Frank,

This paragraph was in last Sunday's Ashville Citizen-Times newspaper by Paul Mulshine and forwarded to me by a friend. I believe this speaks for most in this country that have Fought, servered or have had loved ones die for our country....the very liberties we have fought to protect seem to be taking away our reasons for protecting them to begin with.

"President Bush burns his base on the borders!"

Imagine that you and several thousand of your closest friends decided to sneak into Mexico illegally. And imagine you then gathered in one of the largest cities, waving American flags and blocking traffic. Imagine you demanded in English that Mexicans change their laws to accomodate you. How long do you think it would take before the policia came along and gave you the thumping you would so righly deserve?

The force at work there is called nationalism. There's nothing wrong with it. Nationalism is the reason every good old-fashioned, red-blooded American gets ticked off when he see Mexican flags in the streets of Los Angeles. Everyone except the commandante in chief, that is. George Bush seems to believe he was elected to advance the national interests of Mexico rather than the United States. ... ...

At the risk of being considered "biased", I suggest you visit Cochise County, Arizona - the most active unlawful border crossing area, and see for yourself the true situation. Then perhaps you will understand why we use neither "illegal aliens" nor "undocumented immigrants" to describe the porous border offendors - we merely call them what they are - foreign invaders.

Immigration is a good thing, when done by law -abiding people. Those who violate our borders, and then demand their "rights" offend not only the sensibilities of US citizens, but also those who apply through the established processes to become citizens of this great country.

By whatever term you choose to refer to the invaders, they are breaking our laws, attempting to bypass our legal processes, and bringing great harm to the stability and sell-being of our country and its lawful citizens.

In response to your response to the person questioning your preference for "undocumented" vs. "illegal".

The problem is that undocumented is NOT a synonym for illegal. Look it up. That is THE point. Your attempt to deflect the issue to the use or non-use of alien (which was not even mentioned in his comment) shows your unwillingness to deal with this issue head-on.

The continued use of the word undocumented implies there is only some trivial paperwork that needs to be dealt with. The primary definition of undocumented is "not supported by written evidence" although by use it has expanded to include immigrants who do not have the proper documentation to work in a country. If you which to avoid repeating yourself may I suggest the use of proper synonyms for illegal.

Before we can be honest about the problem we must acknowledge that we are discussing CRIMINALS! We don’t need a law in congress to criminalize illegal immigrants. They are already CRIMINALS! We need to enforce the laws we already have on the books.

We do need laws that will punish EVERYONE involved in hiring these criminals all the way up and down the chain of command. This will stop the current practice of hiring contractors and sub-contractors to indemnify large corporations and individuals from prosecution.

-- Mike

From Roget's Online Thesaurus:
Synonyms for illegal: actionable, banned, black-market, bootleg, contraband, criminal, crooked, extralegal, felonious, forbidden, heavy, hot, illegitimate, illicit, interdicted, irregular, lawless, not approved, not legal, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, racket, shady, smuggled, sub-rosa, taboo, unauthorized, unconstitutional, unlawful, unlicensed, unofficial, unwarrantable, unwarranted, verboten, violating, wildcat, wrongful

In my opinion the current process of getting a green card and then becoming a citizen needs to be optimized. But we should never reward anyone in this country for an illegal act just because the legal way is burdensome or overly time consuming. One of the most basic precepts of our justice system is that no one is to profit from breaking the law. Unless you are born in this country, residency, the right to work or citizenship is an earned privilege not a right. Just like driving is not a right but a privilege. You have to earn the right to drive…pass a test…..do the paperwork….have insurance..etc.
I do honestly believe thou that too many times the word “Illegal” is being substituted by “Undocumented”. Call it what it is…..its illegal immigration. Let’s not allow anyone, from any country to reap the rewards and privileges that those who work hard at doing it right and coming here legally obtain. Allowing those who have come here illegally to gain the privileges like those who come here legally is wrong and cheapens the worth of those privileges.

"Obviously, this reader doesn't like the word "undocumented." At the Tribune we use it as a synonym for "illegal."

The reader doesn't like the word "undocumented?" My guess is the reader doesn't like synonyms that don't make sense. Let me illustrate...

You just ran a red light, that's undocumented!

I can't keep the money, that's undocumented!

Are you sure we can do that, I think that's undocumented!

Is it documented for us to cross the border at this point? No, it's undocumented. Doing so would make you an illegal immigrant. What does illegal mean?

"Journalists use synonyms in order not to be repetitive."

It's not working. Whether you read the NY Times, LA times, THE Tribune, et. al., it's all the same undocumented crap (we here at the non-Tribune use "repetitive" and "undocumented" as synonyms).

"It does seem accurate to me to say these rallies were for immigrants' rights. "

You mean undocumented illegal immigrants' rights? Sorry to be so undocumented (that's repetitive here in non-Tribune land).

As am immigrant myself to this country I must take issue with the present outcry for the "legalization" of illegal immigrants. I obviously support immigration ( legal) but I believe that when a person makes a conscientious decision to come here illegaly he or she is well aware that they are breaking the law. I don't blame these people for coming here as we and especially our politicians are to blame. Twenty years ago they sent the wrong message by granting amnesty and if we pass similare laws this time then we will face an even bigger problem down the road. We cannot send every illegal alien back to Central America, Europe or Asia but we can deport quite a few of them. We can penalize the employers, we can penalize those who owe tax's, have unpaid medical bills etc, and those who have arrived here within the past 5 years. We can change the laws so that nobody is granted automatic citizen if they have arrived here without the correct documentation even if they give birth to children here. This is a law that they hope to implement in the Republic of Ireland. If we are serious about National Security why are the police department's not allowed to ask for documentation like most other countries in the world. There's no doubt that the immigration system is completely broken down and has been for many, many years. It's a well known fact worldwide that the US is very easy to enter and work in since the laws are ignored by all of us. It appears to me that Mexico has no intention of trying to help with this problem, and on this side of the border some politicians see it as an opportunity to gain the voters sympathy. i just fail to understand what is "legal" about "illegal" and I wonder if some day we will be granting amnesty to drug dealers so that we can tax the drug industry. This sounds crazy but if you told me 10 years ago that 12 million illegal or undocumented immigrants will be allowed to stay here I would have thought that crazy too. This time we should fix it right instead of rushing a "quick fix" through Congress.

Sincerely,

Jan

How dare you compare protesting immigrants to sexual predators. It's like comparing you to Hitler. Ooops...

While I'm not a psychologist, I believe that the following questions will reveal alot about the personality of people who are so vehemently opposed to passing laws that will benefit the situation of the illegal immigrants in the U.S.:

1) Do you feel uneasy when others speak a different language near you?
2) Are you upset by the way young people dress these days?
3) Do you believe illegal immigrants are a drain on our economy?
4) You think Saddam Hussein belongs to Al-Qaeda.

If you answered yes to all of these questions, I'm sorry to tell you but you're most likely a xenophobe. Check with your local mental health facility for proper treatment. While you're there, begin your recovery by not getting mad at the mexicans you may encounter in the waiting room.

The first 2 questions reveal alot about your inner feelings, while the last two are common misconceptions that are simply not based on fact. Yet, according to recent polls, it seems like the majority of America's white population truly believe these points. It seems as though lying to yourself as a justification for your fears is better than confronting the fact that your opinions are shaped after your fears alone. Did the folks from the Mayflower wait for permission from the Indians to settle? Oh, they didn't need any. Because...?

Our constitution states "We the people,". For some reason folks in America have a real hard time with that sentence. First we thought it was "We the white men". Then we thought it was "We the white people". Then, reluctantly, we interpreted it as "We the green-card holders and native borns".

How many millions of hispanics(because they are not all Mexican)must come here and overpower our system before someone takes a stand?
Hispanics are telling their friends and families to,"get on the plane, get on the plane, they won't do anything." The Hispanic politicians are even backing the illegals, not the Americans. So much for their loyalty?
They(illegal immagrants -(I like this term)) do not want to help and sacrifice in their own country for rights. Americans have fought and clawed for what we do have many times. And don't even bring in the fact that these illegally entered persons have takens away so many jobs from Blacks and put many many black men at the bottom of the bucket - like they are not loyal Americans. Almost can't get a job if an American can not speak Spanish? That is a bit too much. I bet congress is not sending any illegal persons over to Iraq.

Since the whole idea of "illegal immigrants" is fairly laughable (I compare it to protesting against people moving from Florida to Illinois), there's no reason to use the term.

How many millions of hispanics(because they are not all Mexican)must come here and overpower our system before someone takes a stand?
Hispanics are telling their friends and families to,"get on the plane, get on the plane, they won't do anything." The Hispanic politicians are even backing the illegals, not the Americans. So much for their loyalty?
They(illegal immagrants -(I like this term)) do not want to help and sacrifice in their own country for rights. Americans have fought and clawed for what we do have many times. And don't even bring in the fact that these illegally entered persons have takens away so many jobs from Blacks and put many many black men at the bottom of the bucket - like they are not loyal Americans. Almost can't get a job if an American can not speak Spanish? That is a bit too much. I bet congress is not sending any illegal persons over to Iraq.

I take issue with "immigration advocate" -- I want more legal immigration, I work with legal immigrants teaching English, yet according to you I am NOT an "immigration advocate" because I don't favor a "guest worker"/"amnesty" bill.

Look, polls can be squishy, but it seems pretty clear the zeitgeist of voters is pretty contra these marchers. Liberals like Nick Kristof and Paul Krugman have come out against the marchers' position. But all the press seems to show of the anti-marcher forces are right wingers like the Minutemen. And the real race angle of this story -- the horrible unfairness to African-Americans, who not only will see the unemployment crisis among young black males exacerbated but their voting power significantly diminished within one generation -- is hardly ever explored.

Wow...

That last email was impressively ignorant!

"Isn’t it interesting (and you so subtly skipped right past it) that the chants from the marchers that you quoted were all in Spanish?! ...they can’t speak our language..."

As it turns out, the United States does not have a national language. Clearly this individual lives in a rural Red State. Visit Los Angeles. There are entire neighborhoods you can visit where you will not see a single billboard in English. That is not to say they are in Spanish or that it is a neighborhood of illegal immigrants; various neighborhoods embrace Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Arabic, Lebanese. It is only paranoia-induced xenophobia that permits otherwise rational people from assuming that these large communities are predominantly made up of illegal immigrants.

A basic course in sociology would reveal that there is a tendency for immigrants (both documented and undocumented) to settle in neighborhoods by nationality. How else does New York and Los Angeles have a Chinatown? What about New York's Little Italy? It would be a disgrace to assume that the the majority of Italians in Little Italy are illegally in this country.

I think I have made my point. Oh wait...

One more thing! Be prepared to pay $12 for your $2-Buck-Chuck wine; your $15-a-plate dinner will now be $25 and lettuce will skyrocket to $7.50 per head.

This is a difficult issue, but it seems to me that the difficulty stems primarily from the rhetoric, which make rational debate nearly impossible. And, of course, a lack of nuance in the arguments.

None of the response to the Times' cover article let down their own bias long enough to reveal even a moment's recognition of the larger, underlying issue-- that these people who enter the U.S. illegally (another term the Dept. of Homeland Security commonly uses is "Entered Without Inspection") are doing the work that no U.S. individuals seem willing to do, at wages that U.S. citizens and corporations want and are willing to pay. The machinations of capitalism-- and I am not here impugning capitalism, simply noting a fact-- provide a gap in the amount employers will pay, and the amount U.S. workers will accept. The illegal immigrants bridge that gap. It's a question of economics. Until we can convince employers to pay living wages, this problem will persist. How we ultimately solve it remains a huge, contentious issue, but one we can only begin to come to terms with when we recognize the root problems.

Finally, on a more particular level, it should be noted, re. the third response letter, that English is not the official language of the United States; the U.S. has no official language.

I wonder how many of the people complaining about illegal immigrants in this country also hit the roof when they have to pay an extra nickel for a tomato.

It should be understood that many Americans are frustrated with the problem of thousands of people (any people) walking across our U.S. borders, and becoming a burden on our infrastructures. The problem has been generally under- addressed by the media, until these marches, and then the terminology seems to be exactly what the organizers would want. “Rallies for immigrant rights.” Documented immigrants have little to rally for. They have rights within our system. Most people who are against “illegal” immigration are not opposed to orderly immigration. It does sometimes seem that the MSM has a lot of words that are “perjorative” (I believe you mean “pejorative.”) and no one in those letters that you published was grousing about the use of “alien.”

That said, I think your article was fairly well-balanced.

"Journalists use synonyms in order not to be repetitive."

I wish they would learn how to use a thesaurus to find real synonyms.

Regarding the terms "undocumented" vs "illegal" in your stories, it is true some immigrant actions are "illegal", but only in the same sense that buying alchoholic beverages was "illegal" during Prohibition. Stupid, abusive laws which make normal actions illegal always generate many intelligent actions to get around the laws and achieve normal personal goals. Immigrants are undocumented because the US government has made unproductive laws preventing people from becoming documented, paying taxes, etc.

The correct spelling of the word "perjorative" is pejorative. Please update your stylebook accordingly.

Illegal immigrants don't deserve American rights. They are not legal citizen's and do not deserve the rights provided to someone who is. The only rights they deserve are the ones provided by the United Nations and any treaty we have signed with their country of origin. I can't believe this is even being debated. Look at every other country. Their immigration is usually way stricter than ours. Ask any Costa Rican how they feel about the Nicaraguans and you will get a mouth full. In Costa Rica, if your are caught without your papers, you are told to leave in a specified amount of time. If you don't leave, you are put in jail and your originating country is contacted. They also have specific laws about non-residents being able to work there. You can't!! Even if you own the business.
But it is mostly Mexico that is the problem. Why is America constantly subsidizing Mexico. We get their poor over here, which is most of the people in Mexico, and they don't contribute anything back. Illegals don't pay taxes, yet use social services. They can't seem to keep it wrapped up either. When is the last time you saw a small Mexican family. That's the point. More bodies, mean more workers, which means more money being sent back home. Which brings up other issues.
Most Mexican's don't plan on staying here. They will work here for ten years, send money back home, and live off that when they quit working. How do you think all these check cashing places and Western Union stay in business? Why is there one on every corner? Because it's one of the only ways someone can send cash to anywhere in the world and not have to have a bank account and effectively, not be traced. Want to fix illegal immigration? Put a 50% tax on all funds being sent to Latin America through wires at Western Union or equivalent. Think that's extreme? Take a look at what Costa Rica will charge you to take your car or any of your belongings over there if you want to stay a while. There was a measure going around at one time to crack down on Western Union like transfer businesses in regards to Latin America. You know what happened? Those governments pitched a fit, saying that those transfers account for a big part of their income. Yes, that's right. They openly said that illegal immigrants in the States send huge amounts of money back home. The article died of course. And of course you will only here about that if you read foreign papers. The only people making money off the Mexicans is Mexican Banks and Wal-Mart.
To the people who say, "...they are doing the jobs no one else will do...", I say, how would you know? When is the last time you offered a legal resident that job at a fare wage. I don't know anybody that can live on 5 to 8 dollars an hour. No business wants to pay an American resident 2 to 3 times more to do a job when you can get an illegal to do it for way less. They will do it because the American dollar is 1,000 % more valuable is their country. Why work 40 years in America scraping by when you can work ten years and retire; letting your sons and daughters take over where you left off. Oh, and the great part for businesses, undocumented means undocumented. They don't pay their share of Social Security and other taxes on them. Don't have to include them in healthcare either. It's almost like a tax subsidy. Funny huh.
And why does it stay this way? Because Latin America is where anyone who has money in America, stashes it. It's one of the few places left that are dirt cheap, always starving for money, have reasonably stable government that is still corrupt enough to take a bribe, still has cheap land and exploitable people and still hasn't signed treaties with the USA that would make it more difficult to bring money there undetected. Tit for Tat. The rich people are doing the reverse of what the Mexican's are doing here. Take a look at all the Gringos that have recently gone down to Central America. It's staggering.
So basically, we have real problems here in the States. You have Mexicans and Latin America driving up social costs and driving down wages. Is every illegal immigrant this way? No. But a lot are. And there are way more spoiled apples in this bunch than good ones. Immigration laws are there for a reason. They are a valve on social economics. If that valve busts and is not fixed, the whole system floods and effectively destroys everything. If things are so bad in Mexico, Vicente Fox needs to get off his a55 and fix things. It's not America's job. Unless of course Mexico wants to be annexed and become the " fightin' 52nd". But then again, what can you expect from someone who used to be Coca Cola's b%$@#. Now he's the Shrub's.
I love the quote from an alien...

"Well, if they just tell me to leave, I won't. If they lock me up and put me on a plane, then I have to go."

That pretty much sums it up. If you don't do anything, nothing will happen. I got a great idea. Maybe everyone who is against illegal immigration should not pay taxes anymore. Just basically go on strike. Not pay a dime to our government. Show a little solidarity. Let's see how things progress then.

It is my understanding of the current federal law in this country, that entering the country illegally is not a crime. The thrust of the House proposal is making entering the country a felony, this is because it is currently not a felony (it is also not a misdemeanor). It is currently a civil offense (kind of like making a slanderous statement about someone, not like murder). Perhaps some of us think that, intuitively being in this country illegally should be a crime, but thinking that it is currently a crime might be a bit misguided.

Of course, I could be wrong about the current legal status of the offense, but this is my understanding. Point of clarification.

I am appalled to think that "journalists" from the Tribune do not understand the implications of their headline "Rallies for Immigrants Rights" or the poorly crafted "news" story behind it. I think many of the opinions expressed here echo my own, so I won't belabor those points.
What has not been delved by any so-called "news" organization (left or right leaning) that I have read so far is what is truly entailed in becoming a "documented" or LEGAL immigrant to this country.
Having been thru the experience of getting my wife and son visas and green cards to join me here in the U.S. (I was born here), I would be the first to tell you the system need to be fixed. It is a simple thing to look at the Dept. of Homeland Securities website and find out what the waiting periods are from every country on earth to get a visa. There are people that are waiting 20+ YEARS to get a visa to come here LEGALLY from the Phillipines (our very solid ally in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc.)Why in heaven's name would we grant legalization to people that aren't even willing to fill out paperwork?
The charges against businesses wanting cheap labor are rubbish, as far as I am concerned. If businesses are not paying at least the minimum wage, they are in violation of the law and should be prosecuted. (For those of you that don't know labor law, keep in mnd that farms are exempt from minimum wage as their employees are being paid by the bushel/ pound/ etc. Produce prices would not automatically climb if ILLEGAL immigration were to dry up).
Currently, if you are not a doctor, engineer, nurse or have additional skills that are in demand here in the U.S., you are not wanted by U.S. immigration policy. This needs to change.
My solution, build the fence, open our immigration policy to people willing to follow the system and bring them on.
I don't think anyone (liberal or republican) is against LEGAL immigrants. I think what almost everyone is opposed to is people sneaking into OUR country uninvited, depending on our systems to support them and cutting in front of people that have done the right thing by waiting in line (in some cases up to 20 years!)

So the Tribune forbids the use of the word "alien" to describe illegal aliens because "many people view it as a perjorative"? I'm sure a lot of people also regard "bank robber" as a perjorative. So when is the Trib going to drop the use of "bank robber"? And where can I sign up to get words I don't like banned from the Tribune?

Americans fill their hypocritical mouths by remarking the word ILLEGAL. Now, let's ask ourselves, what is the legal option a Mexican day laborer currenlty has provided by the INS to come and work in the USA? The answer is none. The system is designed to turn hard worker Latin Americans into ILLEGALS and not grant them any benefits. Well, time's up. Either you change that or we will vote you out, is that simple. It's a matter of numbers. We will be 150 million in 20 years so you better offer it now before we take it from you later. By the way, the Mexican is just trying to provide for his family, but what about the greedy employer that despises the law of HIS land? That is a worse kind of ILLEGAL (employer in this case). I don't hear the outcry in Congress to shutdown these businesses. Or have I lost my hearing?

Best regards,
Un Latino.

I haven't made up my mind about this issue, largely because I don't see how the plans being floated address the original concerns. If we give the illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, and therefore they can be protected by our laws and not exploited by employers... won't those same employers just find new illegal immigrants to exploit? And if the path to citizenship has any restrictions, there still will be those who choose to avoid those restrictions.

Government is still unwilling to punish the real criminals: Those Americans who break the law by hiring undocumented workers.

Some notes on the incredibly ignorant posts:

Undocumented is not a synonym for illegal, agreed. However, many of these workers are considered "undocumented" by the USCIS (that'd be the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). That's an official term, and it covers those who may be "out-of-status" as legal immigrants.

These workers that take jobs that most white Americans won't do, for the most place happen to speak a little English. They struggle very hard to learn the little bit they need to get by. To all those posters who mentioned "our" language, just how hard have you tried in your entire life to learn enough of another language to get by in a foreign country? Your disdain for those who do not speak English is ridiculous.

Finally, the workers you're complaining about ARE TAX-PAYERS. Yeah, that's right. We all pay taxes every time we purchase anything. You think these people don't go to the store? Don't buy gasoline? They're horrifyingly underpaid for very hard work, so if they actually had legal status and filed taxes, they'd be getting refunds because they're not making a living wage by American standards! And yet, they pay taxes and contribute to YOUR economy every time they go to the store.

Like I said, I haven't made my mind up about this one. I went through three years of hell getting my stupid green card just so that I could actually live in the same country as my husband. But this fear and loathing of "foreigners" just because you don't like the sound of their language or the color of their skin is simply inexcusable.

And why am I so sure it's something like the color of skin that so enrages most of these posters? Because they won't stand up and insist that their government punish the real criminals: Largely white American employers who give these people a reason to sneak across the border.

Let me just remind you that you have also invaded our countries...you wonder why so many people cross over to America...i'ts because of dumb things such as introducing the american dollar into other countries who are not part of the american county such as my home country of El Salvador...this has screwed up everything for everyone...i'ts great for tourists but the worst thing that has happened to the people who have to live there and try and make a living...i'm an Australian citizen and maybe i dont see the full story being reported here, but from what i've seen the american economy would drop if all the illegal immigrants were to be deported and this would also make the situation in the countries much, much worser...i know that what many of them have done is wrong...and i know that not all the hispanics living in america are illegal... but from a hispanics p.o.v i understand them and can not sit back and here racial discrimination coming out of people's mouths who not even for one second know or understand how hard it truly is to come from a third world countries...you've all had everything haded to you on a silver platter...while others such as my people the "illegal immigrants" have worked hard for the money they earn doing work you the legal immigrants of america wouldn't even dare do...why because you've never had to do a days work of true hard labour...where we grew up doing it.

It is laughable at how the news agencies and reporters claim to be fair and impartial, but any who agree with this fallacy lives in a vacuum-world. Everyone has their own biases—everyone. But they say in journalism you learn to push aside your own feelings and focus on the facts. Well, let’s do that; let’s focus on the facts. Fact—people who are in this country without the proper documents are here illegally. Fact—to do something illegally describes something done that is either prohibited or not authorized by law. Fact—actions against the law are a criminal offence. The people who come here illigally are criminals, even when one of them is a friend of mine. When you ran the piece: Can Marches Sway Congress, you started with the phrase “...marchers stepped up the pressure on Congress to offer legal status to undocumented immigrants instead of labeling them as felons.” If this was a real news column why not tell us the real facts? Why not write “...marchers stepped up the pressure on Congress to offer legal citizenship to the undocumented immigrants and overlook their direct violation of national law.” Those are the facts. It is not what you are saying that screams bias the most, it is how you are saying it. We know that your editors’ primary focus is selling a great “news” story, if that weren’t the case front-page news would be a thing of the past. But that isn’t important—the important thing is to pass the general public the cold hard facts, no matter how harsh they come. Until the newspapers get off their politically-correct-padded seats and go to the good ol’ unlavished truth, I will always regard the news/journalism as a third-party story teller.

One way to slant a story is to devote most of it to one side, then bury the other side in the last few paragraphs.
That's what you've done.

The fact of the matter is is that the U.S. would not be as great as it is today if it were not for ILLEGAL immigrants. What people need to understand is that most MEXICANS dont come here to cause trouble. All they want to do is provide a better life for their fammilies. I come from a family of Illegal immigrants and we do pay our taxes!!! My mother is a naturalized U.S., my father is a U.S. resident, and I am a Citizen by birth!! My parents came here to give me a better way a life and a chance to a good education. What I do think is wrong is that the Illegal immigrants who come here just to freeload off America should be arrested. But why punish the hard working immigrants who just whant to live a better life?

Sincerely,
Latino teen who cares!

I tip my hat to you, Gustavo. You are absolutely right.

I have my own term for the people being described in this story. They are economic refugees and until we have some real reforms in the currently unstable and unsustainable system of global capitalism, there are only going to be more of them not fewer. God forbid some of you find yourselves in the same boat some day! I hope you find a little more humanity on whatever shore you wash up on.

What about the fact that many illegal immigrants have children who are citizens and are fully eligible for all rights in this nation?

How many of you assumed they were illegal too?

Being from Los Angeles, I was witness to thousands of youths protesting and I have little doubt that they are US citizens protesting for the right to keep their families together.

Of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the nation, it is only 1 million or so that have entered within the last 2 years. A heavy majority (estimated anywhere from 6 to 9 million) have lived here for more than 5 years.

This would indicate that there are a fair amount of illegal immigrant parents with US citizen children.

What are we going to do? Deport the mother of a 3-year-old citizen, allowing that child to enter a foster/social welfare system that is so well known for its efficacy? (If you can't tell, I was being sarcastic.)

I also had a question for the guy that wants to build a fence. You do realize there already is a fence, don't you?? They climb over it or tunnel under it oddly enough.

And even if you wanted to build a bigger and deeper fence to prevent all of that, who do you think the contractors would hire to build it?

if we did not have any immigrants then the whole us wouldnt be here this country was made from immigrants of all races so targetting mexicans is wrong because its not just mexicans that come here "illegally" or whatever you want to call it but people should be able to come here i thought that AMERICA was supposed to be a free country how can we say that if people that want to come here cant because others are racist or think that they will take our jobs when actually they do the work that americans dont want to do or are to lazy to do and they get paid less than an average person? i think that it is wrong for people to punish immigrants that want to come here to be free!!!!

Dear Editor,
I am a citizen of California, and we are going broker subsidizing the millions of illegal immigrants that expect a free ride from hard working, tax paying American citizens. They litter every street corner, loiter around every Home improvement store, cause trouble, and get free medical, free education for thier entire family. What are they protesting about again? Oh, They don't want to pay taxes, learn English (Still the USA's native language!!) They don't want to abide by our laws, but want to be citizens. I think American Citizens and legal immigrants should be mad as h---, the immigrants that went through due process worked hard, these mexican illegals want everything their way, for free and think we owe it to them. What is wrong with this picture? I'm sure there are many people that would love to pick strawberries in Watsonville and build homes in California for $10-15 dollars an hour TAX FREE!! What do people in Chicago make withour a college degree? California welcomes law abiding, hard working, tax paying citizens, but these illegal immigrants have gone too far!! You, as an American Citizen should not codone this, but stand up for America and what it represents, become a citizen the right way. I think every Mexican citizen should go tell Pres. V. Fox that he's a crook, and needs to start caring for his people, not dumping them on us. They should start a revolution in Mexico, that would be a great thing for every Mexican citizen, make their own country better!!

Is there such thing as a legal avenue for poor Mexicans to enter and work in the USA? You can't complain about illegal immigration, when there is no alternative.

I think the American folks demanding a wall and the expulsion or locking up of immigrants are living in their own little racist dreamworld.

It's disheartening to see so many Mexicans and people of Latino descent waving Mexican flags along with the American flag during protests, as if the issue concerns laws of both the US and Mexico. True, however, the Mexican president has done just about everything but beg President Bush to accept their poor people and open the border for more Mexicans to cross illegally. Presidente Fox is just as bad a leader as is President Bush.

The only way you're going to slow the flow of people from crossing our borders illegally is to go after the businesses hiring them. Once you cut off the demand, the supply will figure it out. Remember a few years ago how Silicon Valley executives tried persuading Congress to ease immigration and worker laws to allow more Indian technicians and programmers into the country for jobs which eventually evaporated with the tech industry meltdown?

This whole thing is just an election year ploy by Congressional Republicans, anyway. It's so easy to abuse those without voting power or a voice.

I would just like to chime in to convey my disgust with the bigotry of some comments. I by no means would call for the limitless allowance of immigration, but concede that the issue is far too complex to be settled with my knowledge.

I would like to offer up a little lesson in law for the ignorant on here, though they will no doubt remain wilfully so. The laws on the books are sparsely enforced, which typically indicates the lack of a need to enforce them. Any effort to do so would inevitably be haphazard and therefore unconstitutional. Much like jaywalkers, drivers exceeding the speed limit by 5 mph, and the exaggerated tax deductions, a person coming here to work is of no substantial harm to the rest of us, and therefore no more illegal.

And now for a quick lesson in economics to explain why these people do more good than harm for our society. First of all, some do commit crimes, but they are not in a greater proportion than crimes by citizens, and so are no more harmful in this sense than citizens. Second, they do use our schools. However, the vast majority indirectly pay property taxes via their rent, arguably entitling them to that service. Third, most would likely owe no federal income tax due to low salaries. Any that would otherwise be owed but for their illegal status is made up for by their below-market salaries; their employers make more money and therefore pay more taxes, covering the tax burden. As for healthcare, too many citizens also don't cover their burden; this is a problem with the health care system, not the immigration system.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to clear some things up.

I wonder what America would be now without these events:

1. Rosa Parks breaking the law by 'illegally' sitting down in that Alabama bus.

2. Our forefathers Samuel Chase, John Hancock, et.al. 'illegally' declaring independence from mother country England.

Exactly what manmade law did these 'illegal aliens' break? the 1986 law, the 1886 law, the Sioux law, the Constitution, or the tribal law of 1105?

There is but one set of laws that eventually all will follow. The laws of Nature! which dictates that people will risk life, limb, and everything to survive and make a better life for themselves and their children.

Mankind looks at America now and will soon find out what kind of people we have become.

Illegal/undocumented, what difference does it make if they are not synonyms? They both apply to them. It means they came to this country without the proper documentation. But that's not even the problem.

For those who think these immigrants should have come here legally obviously have no idea of what the process is. If all these immigrants are here undocumented it's because they would never have been admitted here legally, not with the current system. The systems is 10 years behind, that means that people who applied in 1996 are just having their cases reviewed and are being intverviewed. Do you think these people will wait ten years to come here when their children are starving? I came here legally and I am a citizen now, but that doesn't mean I think they don't deserve to be legalized. I had to wait ten years, yes, but I didn't have to risk my life on the desert. I could afford to wait ten years, they can't. For them, it's a matter of survival and human rights, for those who complain about them is mostly a matter of money and racial intolerance.

As a citizen of Mexican-American descent, I truly resent all the hostility aimed toward the Mexican people. Such venom and acrimony coming from what are supposedly educated people!

While it is true that they are living here illegally, they are serving you in ways you probably don't even realize. I find the argument that they are taking jobs away from American citizens quite laughable! As if anyone else would actually work for the pittance these people do, and actually be reliable, humble, and always respectable. I'll bet you're not standing on your soapbox preaching your racism to the masses while your meals are served, your children are cared for in your home, your gardens are tended to among a lot of other ways they serve you.

I may be a citizen of the U.S., but I stand in solidarity with them, with the Russians, the Poles and all the other decent and hardworking (would-be) Americans. Stop embarrassing yourselves: you only show your ignorance by equating them with rapists and murderers.

ENFORCE THE LAWS OR LAYOFF ALL POLICE AND US BORDER AGENTS ..............

FOLKS here is the deal:

If you owned some land and one day you went out to the North 40 and someone was living on your land, farming it, making a profit off YOUR land, without your permission. You would call the police and have them thrown out. Because it affects you DIRECTLY. You SEE the person taking your land, taking from you.

In illegal immigration, you dont see them. They are taking money away from you in many ways. Healthcare, welfare, driving on your roads, being protected by your police. ALL kinds of ways. But you dont directly see them doing it. So its easy to think HEY! Its not so bad!

But it is that bad.

The MSM says Oh, who will pick grapes for .80 an hour but them? Umm HELLO? Doesnt the Liberal Agenda support unions so that business doesnt take advantage of the worker? SO its OK to take advantage of the illegal worker, because they are happy with .80 cents an hour, but if it were a LEGAL worker, obviously they would need to be paid more. So what is it? Did the job ORIGINALLY pay .80 and the only person who would do it was illegal? Or did the job go down from $3.50 an hour to .80 because they knew the illegals would work for far less.

Reality is, if illegal immigration were to stop, SOME prices would go up. Ok, let them go up. And in order to get workers, wages would go up for some things. The economy would be stronger, because the money would be kept here. The costs of healthcare would go DOWN because we wouldnt have to support as many dead beats. And what about all those jobs the illegals had? Heaven forbid, someone should clean their own house or mow their own lawn. Shudder! Think of all the un-made beds at hotels! All of the offices where, God Help Us, someone will have to empty their own waste can!

And to those that would call me a bigot, take a look at your cleaning lady, or the guy working the McJob or the guy washing your car or mowing your lawn. Because YOU and all of those like YOU are indirectly forcing them to work for substandard pay, because their pay will never go up as long as there is an endless supply of them there. And you call me a bigot.

Drew

People who practically kill themselves to get here and work hard?

That is EXACTLY the type of people we need/want in this country.

...but we've got to have some order out there.

Does anyone wonder what happens to the communities these illegals move into and take over? Try 17 people living in a 1200 square foot two bedroom house. Sleeping in shifts. Schools overcrowded and defaced with grafitti. Not old, ugly school buildings but beautiful new ones. Gangbanging and open drug use. Trash everywhere bringing rats. Old residents frightened to leave their homes. Garbage cans set afire to intimidate the few remaining white ethnics to move. Old garages burned in order to collect insurance to build a brand new ones. U.S. flags stolen off of people's porches on federal holidays. Windows egged, lawn ornaments stolen. Virulent tb and other highly dangerous diseases. Hospital er rooms taken over as clinics for non-emergencies. People driving without valid driver licenses without insurance. Panic selling. Sound crazy? Forget a weekend in Cancun. Stay in my town for a weekend. It's truly a world apart!

Let us not forget the License for Bribes scandal and the Willis kids who burned to death in their van because the driver who obtained his license illegally and caused the accident didn't understand the repeated calls from other truckers on the road, warning him of the problem with his rig. No habla ingles. These are "folks just like us"?

These people must go---and the bleeding hearts who say that these folks are their gardeners need to get a grip and face reality. You'll have to pay a living wage once these people are no longer TRAFFICKED for YOUR benefit. YOU are part of the problem and anyone who employs illegals is EXPLOITING them!

Imagine this scenario....

-You sneak into a foreign country under the cover of darkness.

-To get there you have to jump over a fence, you have to evade Border Patrol agents, you have to go through remote deserts. It takes alot of effort to get through. This isn't a ride at Disneyland.

-You know what you're doing is wrong. You're afraid of getting caught! You know that the majority of the people in this country are completely against what you're doing. You know that there is a legal process in place to gain citizenship (costing hundreds or thousands of dollars). People are already in line! But oh well.

-Feel entitled to free health care, free education, benefits, drive licenses and the privledges afforded to regular citizens.

-Continue for a few years, deflecting all criticism. The issue becomes so slanted, everyone forgets about the facts. The arguement gets trivial, is it illegal migrant or illegal alien. Maybe it's just migrant!

-Then have the incredible nerve to protest a bill that would criminalize what you just did!

-Then act suprised that people are upset!! (insert look of disbelief)

Can you imagine going to any other country and doing these things? Can I go to Mexico and do this? The story is unbelievable, yet the media is still terrified of offending someone and using the word "alien". Shock, horror!

There's a reason why people get very emotionally charged on this issue. It has nothing to do with racism or the color of someones skin. I live in California. There are skin colors from all over the world here. Where is all the racism towards Asians, Indians (from India), Greeks, Lebonese, etc? If there is so much xenophobia, why do we let in so many immigrants from so many parts of the world?

Equating illegal immigrantion with jay walking or some petty crime degrades the value of citizenship. If you have to jump over a guarded fence to come here, that's a little more serious than going 10 miles over the speed limit.

According to Dictionary.com, the word "illegal" means prohibited by law. What's the controversy then? Could it become any more trivial?

Yes, Frank. You a re biased.

And your rhetorical flourish of "Am I that transparent? Actually, I wonder how this reader could divine my political opinion from the news article. Like many Americans, I actually see both sides of this argument and don't believe there are any easy answers to one of the nation's most complicated situations." reminds me of the Geico commercial--cheap theatrics.

Who are the "many Americans" who see both sides of the this argument? I haven't seen any reporting on them? I have seen the stories on the demonstrations favoring a change (please don't ommmit the offense of using the word "reform' prospectivly). I have seen the King and Sensenbrenner reporting. But I have not seen a story about the "many Americans". Since you seem to know about their existence, please enlighen us. BTW as one of the many (clearly more enightened than the partisans on either side) Americans who see both sides of the arguemtn, do you or they have an opinion. Please share it with the patisans. Get into the crucible. What do "many Americans" think?

I find it pretty interesting that we're so focused here on the "illegals" being Mexican. I understand that the basis of the original article was related to spanish speaking illegals protesting - but what about the illegal immigrants from the middle east, China and all of the other unmentioned countries?

Gary asks, "Is there such thing as a legal avenue for poor Mexicans to enter and work in the USA?" To which I respond, is there such thing as a legal avenue for poor Ghanaians or poor Cambodians or poor people from any other country to enter and work in the USA? Should the US provide boats or airplanes to allow them all to enter the US illegally? So why should Mexicans be allowed to come here illegally simply because they can walk across the border? Furthermore, people who have no physical means of entering the US have more motivation to improve conditions in their own country simply because they have no choice.

I will admit that US immigration policy is pretty draconian and could stand to be eased significantly (not to mention streamlined to reduce waiting time), but that's a separate ballpark from simply allowing everyone and his mother to take up residence here.

With all that being said, however, fighting illegal immigrants directly is never going to work - so long as jobs are available, they will brave the risks and do whatever it takes to get here. The key is going after the employers who exploit them and make obscene profits from doing so. There also needs to be a way to prevent employers from simply passing along to consumers their increased costs of paying living wages to legal workers without first dipping into the afore-mentioned obscene profits.

Vince,

I agree that there are plenty of illegal immigrants from other countries besides Mexico. However, most of them had to at least arrive through the front door - from most countries you have to have a visa even to be allowed into the US. Sure, people overstay their visas and whatnot, but at least they were legal at one time. Another factor is that, because they can't walk across the border, people from countries besides Mexico tend to have somewhat more economic resources with which to support themselves and their families. After all, an airline ticket from the Middle East, not to mention the original visa, isn't cheap.

Journalists are told not to use a word repetitively? Then why do they use the word "undocumented" repetitively?

RE: E. Hellman's comment

If you think those people in Watsonville picking strawberries earn $10-15 per hour you are sadly mistaken. They earn no where even to close to that.

If that was the rate of pay, why don't you see any US citizens working in those fields? I suggest you take a course in the basics of Capitlism. Its because illegal immigrants generally get paid under the table, and thus, under the minimum wage.

If that were true, you would see college students in the fields if it paid $10-15 per hour!!

Is it any wonder that a program in California to post agricultural job openings in all 58 California counties did not yield even 1 single US citizen interested in the rate of pay, type of work and working conditions found in the agricultural industry. Lets not forget that California's Central Valley is perhaps one of the most fertile plots of land on the face of this planet.

So now, how is that so few US Citizens end up picking fruit in Castroville, Watsonville, Gilroy, etc.? Please, E. Hellmen, TELL ME!

Oh and by the way, to those of you that think that illegal immigrants do not pay taxes, you are also sadly mistaken. They do not pay a Federal Income Tax or a State Income Tax (which make up a relatively small portion of the state's tax revenue).

They pay sales tax at the grocery store. They pay the gas taxes to fuel their lawnmowers and weed whackers, not to mention vehicles to drive around our suburban neighborhoods cleaning our yards. If they smoke cigarrettes, they pay the tobacco tax which goes exclusively to education. Some even pay property taxes on the homes they own.

Now... to say that they are taking advantage of our education system is pretty bold, considering (as I had mentioned in my last post) how most illegal immigrants have lived in the US for 5+ years and many have children who ARE US CITIZENS and ARE ENTITLED TO COMPULSORY EDUCATION!!

So just because their parents are illegal and do not pay a federal and state income tax on their $4 per hour fruit-picking wages, does not mean that their US citizen children are not entitled to the same rights as fellow Americans.

Oh and by the way... if the illegal immigrants who work in fields were to fill out a Federal and State Income Tax, they would only get larger refunds.

E. Hellman: It is easy to turn around and blame the newcomer for the drugs and crime in your neighborhood. Sad fact is... Suburbia and the Inner-Cities both face these problems and it is not due to the illegal immigrants. Open your eyes, you can't see with them closed.

Suburban white kids are incredibly active in the drug game and enjoy defacement as much as any other race or creed. Suburban kids get bored, drink, smoke pot, snort cocaine and then go break things around town (i.e. Duke Univ. Students) or urinate on their neighbors' houses.

To the one wondering why accounts of "displaced" American workers doesn't get much mention from the media. It's because, it's not politically correct to feel anything good for American's. Clear and simple, the 20 million "undocumented" immigrants are the good people, the 295 million American's are the bad people (unless of course you're on the side of the "undocumented", then you're a good people).

I did see a brief mention of it on one of the cable stations some time ago. However, the brief mention was followed by days of accounts of the poor unappreciated "undocumented" worker.

"Undocumented" immigrants don't like our laws and want them done away with, we are accomodating them. Why not accomodate them, we don't enforce them anyway. They want only the laws that would benefit them to be in place, for example: Civil rights, not being able to say NO to anyone of them that demand free medical care, food, education, housing AND suing our government and American's who offend them.

We are the only country in the world who don't enforce immigration laws, the only ones who allow anyone from any country to wave their nation's flag in our face while calling us names such as racist, lazy & selfish. Tell me, how did such a LAZY people as us end up with such a rich and powerful country? Tell me, how is that the so-called HARD WORKERS that recently arrived here, left their country in poverty, yet claim they are the ones that made our country great?

The wages have sunk so low, my husband with a bachelor's degree working the same job for 35 years is making 5 thousand less a year than he did 4 years ago. My son-in-law, a black man, is making 4 thousand less than he did 2 years ago. We are now considering sharing a house (that is not our culture, it will probably destroy our relationship, but the "undocumented" are forcing their culture on us) so we can pay our bills. Soon we will be a third world country like the one they left. If I had my way, I'd give each of the "undocumented" leaches a million dollars and make them leave. It's not their color/race (I prefer dark skin and have lots of it in my family) it's their attitude and demands I can't stand.

I really enjoyed reading "Imagine this scenario...." and agree with you.

Mexican's are here for one reason only:

The "RECLAIMING" of the US. Mexico has brainwashed their people into believing the US belongs to them, that we stole it from them a few hundred years ago. So when they say, this country is their's, they're not kidding, that's what they truly believe!

Mexican's goal was never to simply come here for a job. Their goal is to TAKE, make roots by planting their anchor babies, take claim of property, cities, states, neighborhoods, businesses, court rooms & political positions (so far they are successful). Waiting for their government to TAKE full power & control here, TO RECLAIM what they say is theirs.

We say they crossed our border illegally and have no right being here. They say they did nothing wrong, they are simply going home. They believe WE are the illegal's, WE have NO right being here.

There is none as blind as those who cannot see. Our government is stupid enough to believe they will retain power, they are depending on the hispanic/latino vote to keep them there. Fools is what they are.

Mexico planned and executed the perfect invasion. We should have used their minds to invade Iraq, we probably would have already won and our people would be home already.

I have been a bilingual teacher for the last 20 years. I have also lived in Latin America for a good portion of my life. All of this unbridled immigration might make it less expensive to buy vegetables in the short run but we will pay the price in the long run. Most of these campesinos who come here are "looking for a better life" as their proponents say. Then the next generation are born into an underclass that isolates itself from the rest of society. I would rather pay more for my fruits and vegetables. There is a reason Mexico is Mexico and the US is the US. I like visiting Mexico but why should I be forced to live there? That is what is happening in California where I live.

Well, Karl, too bad you're going to miss our march on May 1.

Funny how you talk from one side of your mouth about living in Latin America and from the other side, about why should you be forced to live there? Like most of these other bloggers, you fear the immigrant.

Well, Mexicans like everyone else, want to find a better way for their families. If they can find it here, who are you to say they shouldn't be able to?

Everybody needs to live and let live...

PEOPLE PEOPLE, WAKE UP!!! YOU'RE SWEATNG AREN'T YOU? INTIMIDATED AREN'T YOU??? HATING AREN'T YOU???

WELL, PUT YOUR FOOT WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AT! I CAN ONLY EXPRESS THIS ONCE, PUT YOURSELVES IN AN IMMIGRANTS SHOES OR ANY OTHER INNOCENT INDIVIDUAL. PRETEND ONE DAY YOU ARE THEM. NOT ALL AMERICANS (FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS) FEEL THE SAME WAY YOU IGNORANTS ARE CHANTING. JUDGE ONLY ONES THAT COMMIT CRIMES DON'T JUDGE ALL THE RACE. SHOULD I SAY WHITE FOLKS ARE HERE ILLEGALS TOO?? LOOK AT YOUR BACKGROUND, HOW DID YOU COME HERE AND DON'T LIE.

LOOK AT YOURSELVES IN THE MIRROR AND THINK FOR ONE MINUTE IF THERE WAS ACTUALLY PEACE IN THIS WORLD. ARE YOU SCARED THAT ALL PEOPLE FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS WILL SPEAK UP. REMEMBER PEOPLE ARE PROTECTING THEIR RIGHTS AS "HUMAN BEINGS" SOMETHING YOU ALL SHALL LEARN TO DO. SLOWLY, BUT SURELY WHEN THE SH*T HITS THE FAN YOU'LL BE BLOWING...

This is a true story about illegal Mexicans in the United States. I am a Loan Officer in Nevada and worked in a Office that hired Hispanic Loan Officers. My Son worked in the office as a team leader. He meet a young woman who worked under another team in the same building. She approached him for a date and he started dating her. Three weeks in to the relationship she told him she was born in New Mexico and raised in Mexico. She came to the US just eight months earlier . She was fired from this Co when they discovered her team was doing illegal loans, fake social security numbers, driver licenses, signing and notarizing papers for clients. She told My son she was new in the business and it was her mentor who did this , he believed her . He married her three months after they meet. As we became involved with doing loans for the Hispanic clients we discovered 95% have illegal SS, Driver licenses . and have been in the country for years. To make a Long story short If you or I used Someone’s SS. To get money from the Bank we would be put in Jail. No one wants to open this can of worms. They are in the Loan , Banking , credit recovery business. They have access to thousands of SS numbers and credit information, which is sold on the Black market. They have no criminal record under the SS number they are using , it is a valid number, so the go undeceived . We started investigating this when this girl informed us she was married 3 months before she married my son and got a annulment. She also said she changed her Childs birth certificate in Mexico and kidnapped the child. It gets worse! She works for Mortgage Companies just long enough to get list of SS numbers so her father , a known criminal , can make fake ID and sell it in Mexico . Her brother ( whose SS number belongs to a person who was born in 1954, he is 25, comes up as valid ) smuggles Illegal’s over the border and puts them in a safe house he owns. I have went to FBI they know of this activity and said they are to busy to deal with this minor problem. If you want to know how wide spread this is and how in depth this is ,I have proof of all of this activity that no one wants to do anything about. They can be using your Mothers, fathers, Childs, relives information to buy houses and credit in this country. I hired a private detective and two attorneys , who said they have NEVER seen anything like this.

Linda, they have to do this because they have no option. They need to live, and the US won't give them documents or a way to be legal. I am not condoning but I understand why the have to do this.