04.22.10
Immigration Stuff on Earth Day
One might think that on Earth Day I would write a post on earthy stuffs, but really, how exciting is it for me to write that I’m going down to recycle my plastic water bottles? I already have a couple compost piles going, I use very little chemicals in my entire household if Bon Ami, Bonner’s dish washing liquid, 7th Generation laundry detergent, body lotion, body soap, and shampoo count. Hmm. That list got a little longer than I expected. . . I’d say about 99% of our food is organic (there are just certain things that don’t come officially organic like wild-caught fish), so “hopefully” no pesticides there, and none of us are using any prescription drugs, and none on hand for any emergencies, either. We rely on herbs for that. I’ve been trying to use my reusable bags for groceries as well. So that’s my contribution to Earth Day for now. Although I will admit that I will have to use my car today to go with Andrew to pay for his summer tuition.
So what is interesting me today? Well, Patti and I have been having a little discussion about the Tea Party movement. It has prompted to me look into a few things, one of them being immigration. Just before I nodded off to sleep last night I wondered what exactly are the requirements to enter the U.S. legally. I pretty much knew that to be an American citizen you either had to be 1). born in the U.S., 2). born from at least one parent with a U.S. citizenship regardless of where the birth takes place, and 3). Naturalization where the person has to meet specific requirements such as being at least 18 years of age and a host of other possible requirements if they apply to you. There’s a list of hurdles that can take years for one to qualify. More information and details are on this link.
Okay, so that’s for becoming an American citizen. But what about becoming a legal resident? I figured it must not be a completely easy process otherwise why would so many people slip in illegally? Well, I found an article that explained that there were “five” major ways to come in legally. And again, there are hurdles to overcome, which can make it very difficult for a person to gain legal entry. Here are the five categories.
1. a. Family based immigrants. If you have no family here to petition for you, then this isn’t for you. Besides, even if you have family it could take “years.” My uncle in the Philippines took “20″ years to get approved. Literally. And I have a few cousins who still have not been approved after all those years.
b. Spouse of a U.S. citizen. This is okay if you have a spouse or someone you’re going to marry that’s a U.S. citizen, but not everyone will have this luxury.
2. Study Visas. This is a good option only if you can get accepted to a specific school, who in turn has to apply for your visa.
3. Work Visas. This is also good if you can get a job before you enter the U.S. Tough thing to do if you aren’t a very well educated person who has a specific skill that is needed.
4. Refugee and Asylees. Here you have to somehow prove that your life is in danger be it from political persecution or group, or what. I don’t know how long that process takes, or what exactly would be acceptable proof of danger.
5. Diversity Visa Program. This is a program where your name is dropped in a hat and names are picked out randomly. People who come from countries with fewer immigrants have a better chance of entering this way. Between 50,000 to 55,000 names are picked annually. This is also a long shot if you’re coming from a country where a lot of it’s citizens are immigrating already and the fact that there are millions of applicants.
So there you have it. The legal ways to enter the U.S. as a legal resident. And just as I suspected, and not that I’m saying it makes all illegal immigration okay or justified, but that it’s understandable why so many try to get in without going through all the legal processes. Not to mention that perhaps not all of them are too bright on the legalities of immigration much less speak a different language that makes it even more difficult to ascertain what’s needed.
And then there’s the issue of what to do with all the illegal aliens in the country now? This link estimates that as of 2004 there were about 20 million illegal immigrants here. Now that the health care issues have moved out of the spotlight, it seems there are efforts to get immigration reform on the next agenda. So how is Obama gonna tackle it? Well, as I understand it, immigration reform is high up on the agenda, so we haven’t heard much yet regarding details but for now, I found this link on Obama On Immigration. Perhaps this might help us get a picture of where Obama is headed with immigration reform.
Okay, out of blogging time, but at least it helped me educate myself a little more on the immigration situation here in the U.S. For now better go make myself useful. Perhaps later I’ll try to do more searches on what the prevailing arguments are, hopefully from more educated people, and not from those just spouting off from the hip.
Marlakins
patti said,
May 1, 2010 at 2:37 am
I always feel funny when I talk to people about taking care of the ground we use because I don’t want them to think I’m a “tree hugger.” But on the other hand, we are to be good stewards of the earth so I too am very careful about what we use everyday for cleaners (baking soda/vinegar), foods, etc. There must be a balance between taking care of the land God gave us and worshiping the creature more then the creator. Unfortunately, earth day’s most ardent supporters *tend* to be those who are earth worshipers. But since I’m to study to do my own business, I won’t worry about the tree huggers who take it all out of context and make sure we are keeping in line with being good stewards (which honestly, is far healthier too).
Immigration: I won’t get into a long protracted battle on this issue, however I will give my opinions. There is no way on earth I could state all of the caveats I see. I’m not even going to try to because there are circumstances, exceptions, etc. in every situation and I’m not trying to solve those cases. The exception does not become the rule, it is the exception. Bottom line in the whole argument is, there is a legal way to enter this country. While I may not like how long it takes, etc. there is a reason we have set limits on how many people we take in and who we will take in. I think those limits are reasonable as they are intended to give those people time to integrate into our society and not overwhelm it with millions at one time. We could not sustain as a country otherwise. I think the fact that it takes so long to get through the paperwork is government insufficiency at its worst. But even if we were totally on top of the paperwork, etc. the reality is, we cannot as a country take in everyone who wants to come here. Just try doing that in other countries – but somehow it’s expected of America.
We have friends who came here on student visas. He was hired by a company that eventually (5yrs employment) sponsored him for his green card. And he did it legally. He recently married and she now has to apply to stay here because her student visa expires in August. They both know she will have to go back to India if they can’t get things through. And she’s pregnant. But they will follow the law because it is the law. Why should everyone not have to do the same? They don’t like it, but it’s the law. And neither will consider circumventing the law because it’s wrong. And neither is a christian. If an employer hires her then she can stay legally. She was totally upfront with our naturepath and explained the situation to him because they will not attempt to be deceptive. She’ll find out in a week if he’ll hire her to help him (she’s an ND) see patients in his office.
I know of someone who recently got saved and was brought here by his parents when he was 9 months old. It was not his fault that he was brought here illegally. I have had to ponder this a lot this past week. When it’s someone you know it takes on a whole new light. But the bottom line is we are a nation of laws for a reason. Ron and I finally concluded that although this young man (he’s 25) was not responsible for being brought here illegally, he is an adult now. At that, a christian one. The right thing to do would be to go to Mexico and start the process of coming here legally. Ron suggested he look for an employer that would be willing to hire him on a work visa (knowing this before he would go back and apply) and once here, he could apply for green card status. Or go back and apply for a student visa to go to school, look for a job afterwards, etc. Or, perhaps God in his omniscience, is waiting for him to go and be a witness to his own nation. But I cannot believe that a God of order and law (as well as mercy and grace) would bless a christian that does not at least try to make things right now. I believe this person will be more blessed in the long run to try and do things the right way.
Do I feel for him as a christian? Yes! But again, why should he be any different then anyone else who has to apply and ask to be let in?
Like it or not, America has laws for how to become a citizen. If we aren’t all subject to following the laws of this land, then we cease to exist as a nation and anarchy will rule. I fully support what Arizona has just done. Why should this people (many whom are criminals) be allowed to push there way into our country (there was another deputy shot yesterday by an illegal drug runner)? If a person gets caught in Mexico without permission, they are executed. And yet Mexico has the audacity to scream about human rights from America? I’m sorry. Pull the beam out of its own eye first. Ha! Yesterday I read an article where someone said that very thing to Mexico and they said they would “try harder” to address their human rights issues. Yeah? Prove it.
The monetary and human consequences of illegal immigration are HUGE. There are a lot of hardworking illegals, but there’s an even larger portion that crowd our emergency rooms looking for free care. I can attest to that first hand since I took Ron to ER last Monday. The ENTIRE waiting room was mexicans (perhaps some legal, but most probably not around here) except us. That is not an exaggeration. There were about 25 people, I think. And it’s worse in the county next to us. Many more whom agencies like ACORN help to get welfare benefits, government housing, mortgages (like those that caused our current housing crisis) etc. They are destroying our economy in huge ways.
National security. How many illegal muslims are here on student visas that have expired that are just waiting for an opportunity to destroy our nation from within? From a security standpoint, illegal immigration is dangerous. That doesn’t mean someone can’t come here legally and do the same thing, but at least America gets the chance to do as many background checks as they can if someone is trying legally.
The idea that illegals will do jobs Americans won’t is hogwash. Ask how many white men in this country would like a job right now! We have a friend that is a phosphorus engineer without a job, working at one of those “no one else will do it” jobs. He’s doing it. Illegals keep American wages down because employers (who are guilty as sin) can get away with paying someone else less. So wages are kept artificially low because of illegals who will work for so much less. Well, as a business owner, I know why they do it. I still think it’s wrong. We wouldn’t do it. And if we hired employees (which we’ve said we never will), we wouldn’t even hire someone that “looked” illegal because they can pay $125 around here to get a stolen social security card, birth certificate and drivers license. We’d have no way of proving, even with paperwork, if someone was truly here legally (short of seeing immigration papers). I think AZ’s new law requiring proof of legality is perfect. Either produce your immigration papers, OR when they go to check that drivers license, SSN, etc. it will pop up as stolen. I think it’s totally legit for them to do that. Identity theft is HUGE amongst illegals. And identity theft literally can destroy people financially.
We are far from a perfect country and far from what our founders envisioned. America has clearly lost her way in many areas and I believe God is removing his hand of blessing from her because of it. But I don’t throw in the towel to doing things right because of it. I continue to fight for what’s constitutional. And THAT is what we see the tea party movement as about. As a movement towards returning to our founding constitution as it was put in place. There have been things tossed about like returning all laws to a post-segregation time (like the year after). People have floated removing all laws that were made after that time and starting over. Clearly, there is history we don’t want to repeat. But we are headed for tyranny or anarchy otherwise.
And then again, even so, come Lord Jesus………
Administrator said,
May 1, 2010 at 9:46 am
Hi Patti:
Yes, I know what you mean about being tossed in with the tree hugger crowd. I agree and realize I take a chance when I talk about conservation of our land and resources, etc. I, too, feel that many people on the “green” revolution are overboard to the point of protecting animals and wilderness more than people, and I don’t agree with that. But I think we still need to stand up for what is right and healthful for us, both Christian and non-Christian alike.
Regarding the immigration issue, yes, it’s a very complicated situation, and I find it hard to take sides when I “know” that there is fault on both sides of the fence. There are definitely problems that I don’t deny. I agree that as much as possible we should try to do things the proper way. But the fact is that that hasn’t happened throughout history. America wasn’t “empty” or devoid of people before the Europeans came. They pushed out millions of American Indians by force, and as America became a nation the U.S. broke many, many treaties they had made with the various American Indian tribes. America has destabilized foreign governments for it’s own benefits, including Hawaii back in the 1800s when Hawaii was not part of the U.S. Is that illegal? Who’s making these laws and decisions? See that’s why I have a hard time with “some” laws. Who makes them and what makes them right? This has been an issue throughout history. What I see as good about our society is that we have a system (checks and balances and legal representation, etc.) by which these laws can be challenged. And that’s what’s happening now. It doesn’t always work properly, but at least there is some recourse to make one’s appeal. Laws are being challenged, and that doesn’t make it a bad thing. If it’s a bad law, it should be challenged. The fact that we are having trouble with illegals shows that our system is not perfect. And I do agree that something should be done to try to get a hold of the situation. But I don’t know if the solution Arizona has approved is the way to go. I mean that reeks of Apartheid South Africa, Nazi Germany, and the Antebellum South, each of which demanded the presentation of “papers” demonstrating the individual from the minority group was allowed to be in certain areas of town.
I was reading some replies and discussions to some of the immigration law articles and as an example of why some people are disturbed with it is explained that there are many people who are considered minority whose family have lived in Arizona for generations even before Arizona became a state. So while these people are truly American (maybe even more American than both you and me as their ancestors where likely here before ours), they still speak Spanish, have an accent, look like minorities, etc. yet are still treated like second class citizens by people who have arrived much later than they have. Many of these long-time citizens don’t have I.D. papers like original birth certificates. Maybe this resonates with me because I would be classified as a minority. I have seen and experienced what it feels like to be discriminated against. My parents arrived “legally” in the U.S. and still experienced not being served at a restaurant back in the 60s because of our skin. Like you said, when you know someone that is personally affected, it takes on more meaning. This immigration law in Arizona doesn’t just protect legal citizens, but harasses them, too. If it were not for the fact that I have a U.S. passport, I could be taken in in Arizona and deported since my birth certificate shows that I was born in Manila, Philippines. What other proof do I have that I am an American citizen? Many other people in my similar situation may not have a passport because they just don’t travel. That would leave no other “papers” to prove citizenship. I became a citizen when my parents became citizens back in the 60s. I didn’t get papers for that. My parents have been here for more than 40 years and still look like foreigners and definitely still have foreign accents. But they are “legal American citizens” who came here legally, who under Arizona’s law could be taken into custody if they don’t happen to have their “papers” on them. Do you think a rich Caucasian like Warren Buffet or Bill Gates would take that with a smile if they were taken into custody because they didn’t have their papers on them? Those types of people would never stand for it.
See, while I too do not want to argue about this subject, I do think that much more thought and consideration should be taken. I completely agree with taking the log out of our own eye first before pointing out the speck in our neighbor’s eye.
Oye, this took longer to type than I realized! Must dash!
Marla
patti said,
May 2, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Real quick – all anyone has to show is a drivers license. One of two things will show up when they run that drivers license number. 1) the person will match up with the info on file (picture included) and it will show legit (unless illegals can get DL’s in CA). Or, 2) the number will show up stolen, the picture won’t match, etc.
So in terms of “papers,” for the average citizen, a DL will work. The $125 they spend here to get these DL#s, SSN, etc. are from identity thefts. If those thefts were reported to the police, then it will show up as soon as anyone tries to show a DL, social security card, etc with that person’s info. Maybe that’s just Idaho. *Many* illegals drive around here without a license because they can’t get one legally. That is also a dead give away here. So perhaps it varies state to state.
Administrator said,
May 3, 2010 at 7:16 am
Hi Patti:
Being requested to present a driver’s license is a common thing accepted in all the U.S. states. That’s nothing new. Arizona appears to have gone “beyond” that and that is what’s causing the uproar. I have read of claims that people have already been taken into custody before the immigration law was even signed. The fear is that with this law, things will get worse for legal residents who happen to look Hispanic. One example is a story of a truck driver who was stopped and taken into custody, and his wife had to come down to the station with his birth certificate which showed that he was in fact born in California. That’s where I would have had a problem with my birth certificate because as I mentioned, mine is a Philippine birth cert. What if this man didn’t have a wife or a birth cert hanging around at home?
One would think that his driver’s license would have been sufficient, but when you think of it, no, a driver’s license does not reflect a person’s current legal resident status because there are many documents the DMV will accept, some of which can expire before the driver’s license does. For instance, not only does the DMV accept birth certs as proof of legal residence, but they also accept various visas and passes, which can expire or be revoked at different times. The driver’s license, on the other hand, can be renewed by mail if you don’t have any violation records. I think you can renew it this way twice, which would mean that you don’t have to go into the DMV for about 12 years. Even then when they do request you go in to renew, they are interested in your physical ability to drive, so they test your vision and look at you to see that you don’t have Parkinson’s and such. Basically if you look okay that way to them, you can theoretically go another 12 years. That’s like 24 years since first checking legal resident status. So you can see how even valid driver’s licenses are not good indications of legal residence and why police can easily disregard a valid driver’s license.
Then also consider that not everyone drives and a driver’s license is not mandatory. Plus you have to be at least 18 years old, and the new Arizona law does not restrict ID to only adults, as far as I know. Some high school kids are pretty big these days.
I understand that illegal immigration is a big problem, but I think they should tighten the borders and set up work visas so that certain people are allowed to cross back and forth legally. That way the various states don’t have to harass legal residents like this was the Soviet Union or something. What are they going to instill a one child policy, too, since there are also those who think we’re overpopulated? I read that since NAFTA was introduced, the Mexican farmers have not been able to compete with the cheaper produce being imported into Mexico. So they end up having to either go into the city to work for foreign companies who pay them very little wages, or cross the border in hopes of finding higher paying jobs. And we know that U.S. dollar has a higher exchange rate even if they work for less wages here. NAFTA is like one of those methods by which the U.S. destabilizes another countries economy. Sure there are a lot of criminals operating here (remember back in the 60s when most of the NY Narcotics division was involved with drug trafficking? The king pin wasn’t from Mexico or even the Italian mafia, and the drugs were actually being flown in by U.S. military planes from Vietnam. Just look up Frank Lucas (the drug lord dude) if you want to read more details on that), but a large part of the crime is because they take advantage of people who want to immigrate here for work and a better life. It’s like a business to get people over, which of course attracts the shady people who like to also mix in drugs and human trafficking and all that crap. Putting harsher restrictions on the legal residents of Arizona will deepen the already existing mistrust of the legal Hispanic population with police and also create conditions by which Hispanics will band together and form tighter communities where illegals can hide more easily. This new law is causing a rift, and could be in violation of the 14th amendment. It’s one of those “separate but equal” scenarios that was found to be against our constitution.
On a more personal note, I do think that there are a lot of nice Mexicans who are hard working. Around here they do a lot of construction work and housekeeping/babysitting, etc. Sure there are criminals amongst them just like any other nationality. But I do think that many illegals actually work hard, and actually do pay taxes through their employers even if they did use fake I.D.s to work. Many don’t take public services because they know they’re illegal. So it really goes both ways. Some take advantage, and some do not. You have to see how some foreigners live to understand why they risk crossing the border. Like the Bible says, the law was made for people, not people for the law. Is the law humane?
Marla