Illegal Immigrant solution discussion...

[Didereaux]

(I offer this as NOT flamebait, but as a starting point. Do not boither to argue my reasoning, simply post your own thoughts. I assure you I am capable of plenty of nay-saying myself....this is NOT a thread for that! Thank you)

Edited on Thu Dec-20-07 09:47 AM by Didereaux
With home construction now less than 50% what it was a year ago, there already is a stream of illegal immigrants heading back south. they are used to the $10-$18hr wages which allowed them to sustain themselves both here and to send substantial amounts home. Busboys, dal labor and such cannot meet those needs, so the skilled laborers are going back so as not to waste their savings maintaining a place here and hoping for more work. However those who have chosen to stay,of which many have brought their families here or created one here, are now starting to strain welfare budgets and charity groups. This will only worsen as the economy continues to shrink in '09.

What is to be looked at as most worriesome is that these lingering illegals are going to be hit by low-end citizens who are pinched further by either lost jobs, and or food, fuel, clothing inflation. It is a lead pipe certainty that you will see a very marked rise in anti-illegals movements, it will NOT be pretty.

Who to blame? What can or could be done? Blame the kneejerks who instead of helping the illegals either gain legal status(to much boring work, no glory etc) or working to stem the flow of even more into this country, work only to get celebrity for themselves.

The answer is to fight for funding to help these illegal immigrants to get back home. Pass a budget to PAY their way back AND give them say $1000 or so to readjust. It would cost the taxpayer FAR less than the emergency medical care, schooling, welfare etc. The USA is in such financial straights, for reasons we all know, that it is nigh well impossible to officially enroll 10-12 million people onto the poverty rolls in one fell swoop...that is fact, and no amount of charitable notions can change the reality.

I throw this out not as THE solution, but as a suggestion in hopes to generate a discussion that might lead(however futile its possible implementation)to a possible working solution to this problem, before the atrocities begin in earnest.

[OregonBlue]

1. Not a bad idea but the Pukes would have a field day with giving them

$1,000 resettlement money. Still, I do wish we would have a serious discussion about this on DU. Unfortunately, it always degenerates into a shouting match.

If Du'ers put their head together I think we could come up with a much better Dem position on this issue. It is gonna be THE BIG ONE in the next election and could cost Dems in several districts, especially in Calif, N.M., Ariz and of course the mid-west.

Still I think the idea of paying for people to relocate that want to is a very good idea. There are probably families here that would like to return home but do not have the means. Even though they are getting buy, several of the immigrants I have talked to are very homesick and don't think the U.S. is so wonderful. Most are migrant workers and fruit pickers in my area and they really struggle through the winter.

[meowomon]

2. Different take on this

I say let them stay here but prevent further illegal immigration by taking away the incentive. Fine the hell out of those who knowingly hire undocumented workers! It is too easy to prey on people who are in fear of being deported.

Right here in N. Florida a few years ago there was a ring of slave laborers. Many of the (mostly mexican) undocumented workers were given drugs and alcohol, substandard housing, and the women were sexually assaulted. They felt they had no recourse with the law because of their undocumented status.

In addition, and this may piss a few people off, around here some joke that the Mexicans are the now new "n!**#rs". One African American co-worker laughed and said "You won't find any black folks picking vegetables around here anymore; let the Mexican n!**#rs do it!"