Illegal Immigrants Sue U.S. - Page 2

thought I'd bump this up in case if someone missed it!

Ty, I thought you'd appreciate seeing that petition!

Just found this thread...

We have a huge number of illegal immigrants here in San Antonio - it's getting to where you almost need to speak Spanish just to get by or get a job here. Our representatives are hard at work trying to find a way to legitimize the presence of the illegal immigrants - the ILLEGAL part is just ignored, while people who are waiting to immigrate legally wait on...(and an exploding population simultaneously drains our water supplies and paves over our aquifer).

One really neat thing that I heard this weekend on National Public Radio was a story about some people that had come to the U.S. from Mexico, made a successful living, then RETURNED to Mexico to run for office & try to change things. That's what really needs to happen...instead of blaming the U.S. for not doing enough to accomodate an illegal activity, they should look in the mirror and wonder - Why are people in such a hurry to risk their lives and leave family & friends behind to get out of Mexico & into the U.S.? Mexico is very rich in natural resources; if the country was well run, they could be just as well off as the U.S.! Instead, the government is corrupt, and crime & poverty are completely out of control.

Rather than stay here & try to turn Texas (& eventually the U.S.) into Mexico, they really should go back & try to turn the country around. I greatly admire those who do - they've got a long, tough road ahead, but they're doing the right thing.

And bill the Mexican government for the transportation services, too!


As a child growing up in New Mexico, I remember visiting my Grandparents' ranch 'out in the middle of nowhere' and hearing a car go down the highway (sound travels far out there) once every day or two in the seventies and early eighties. Now, the land is getting split up into smaller and smaller portions, rivers are drying up, and there is traffic on the highway! TRAFFIC!
Families here in Texas that have owned ranches for generations are being taxed off of it, while endless housing developments blight the countryside.

Are our children and grandchildren going to wonder what trees looked like? What 'wide-open spaces' were? Because other countries that can't control their population growth send their overflow here? I know this sounds callous, and the suffering in some countries is really terrible, but the problem needs to be resolved in the country of origin, not exported. People and individuals are only appreciated when they're not crowded too closely...community is wonderful; seething crowds are a nightmare!

BTW, we Americans really need to work on reducing the size of our 'environmental footprints', too, but that's another subject.

Very interesting discussion! I don't know about any of the specifics of this issue, but I won't let that stop me from drawing a possibly inappropriate analogy. Since we're all cat people (and to be sure some of us will feed any stray cat that comes our way) we can understand the situation. I mean, stray/feral cats are definately considered a nuisance in many neighborhoods; they dig up yards, leave their "gifts" lying around, howl, fight, mate, produce loads of kittens, and generally annoy. Most people feel the way about these cats the way we tend to feel about illegal immigrants.

I guess one thing to consider is, why do we show such compassion, patience, and understanding with cats but we can't do the same for human beings? The other thing, and I think it's important, is that we consider why these people are coming over here. Why do cats come to an area? Food source, plain and simple. Without the food source, they won't come. So who's the "food" source for immigrants? Whoops, we have to point the finger at good ol' Americans, who are ready and willing to take jobs away from us hard working "legals" and give them to the illegals for half the pay. As long as that system is in place, they will come, and no amount of mass deportation will stop that (just like removing a cat from an area will only create a vacuum). It always bothers me when people (not anyone here, just in general) complain about illegal immigration without considering the cause of it. Kind of like how some people (again, no one here) complain about black people in America, and conveniently forget that they were brought here for free labor.

As far as countries sending their overflow to America, well, isn't that how this country came to be? I'm sure the Native Americans felt the same way; "Why are these British coming over here, taking our land, destroying our ways and culture, just because they don't like the religious and political situation in their country? Why can't they just stay there and fix things?"

Oops, forgot to talk about the actual topic! Uh, yeah, they shouldn't have the right to sue. I just wonder who was on the jury that found in favor of the guy who hurt himself while robbing someone. It just boggles the mind.

Good point, and not too bad of an analogy, either. The difference is that we're dealing with human beings who should ideally be able to organize & change things, rather than cats responding simply to instinct. Education can change humans; we have the power to affect our destinies.

I do like the cat analogy in the mention of following the food source. It's irresponsible to continue to allow the influx of immigrants without addressing the root of the problems in the nations of origin, just as it is pointless (though it can be gratifying) to feed a stray colony without addressing spay/neuter and immunizations. You're right - as long as there is desperation at home, people will try to get to the food source. The Mexican people who succeed in the U.S. and return to try and improve the desperate situation in Mexico can (sort of) be compared to test/spay/neuter release programs in feral colonies. Or is that too much of a stretch? Hopefully they can make a difference in their home countries, so that people will stop abandoning family, friends and country, risking their lives to get to the U.S..

*As far as America's immigrant history goes, yes, I'm sure that the Native Americans (who were also immigrants waaayyy back when, too) would have loved it if everyone else had stayed away, but what's done is done, and it may be sad, but I'm worried about the future - and everyone's future, too. Things need to change in these countries - there simply isn't enough inhabitable land left to accommodate an endless influx of people, and still allow us to be the world's breadbasket, too.

My worry is that if things don't change in these desperate countries, and we don't change our policies, that we'll end up in the same boat - then where will people go for refuge?

OK, ok, this is getting to be way too for me...

Yes, the immigrants were stupid to come in spite of warning signs and even more stupid to sue.

Don't forget, though, that there are good and bad people of all races, and there are positives and negatives in all cultures. Sounds like you've been exposed to more of the bad. There is a lot of it, unfortunately.

Please remember, as stated in the rules-

We are a worldwide forum and therefore a mix of different cultures, races and religions; there is always room for different opinions, however, intolerance, bigotry, and religious ridicule will not be tolerated.