Thread: ALIPAC in Article: Was this land made for you and me?

Note: They slaughtered my quote. They changed the word fines issued to "complaints"


Was this land made for you and me?
Immigration bill elicits sharply divergent views
By Christine MacDonald, Boston Globe Correspondent | March 19, 2006

A contentious debate over immigration this month in Washington is echoing in Boston and around the country.

Immigrant and interfaith groups plan to march down Tremont Street on March 27, the day the US Senate is expected to vote on a bill dealing with the country's illegal immigrant population, now estimated at nearly 12 million.

The US House of Representatives already has passed its own bill that would expand the fence along the US-Mexico border and increase and expand the legal penalties for living in the country illegally and for aiding illegal immigrants.

It has drawn particularly vehement fire from advocates of immigrants who say the measure, if passed, would criminalize priests, social workers, and others who help illegal immigrants. People who work with immigrants would have to see documentation proving that the immigrants are in the country legally before they could provide services to them.

''It would, in essence, criminalize acts of goodness and kindness," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition whose group is helping to organize the Boston rally.

About 100,000 people protested the House bill on March 10 in Chicago and groups have staged smaller protests in recent weeks in Washington and around the country. In East Boston's Maverick Square, an interfaith group called for a more immigrant-friendly reform this month. The Boston City Council, meanwhile, weighed in March 8 with a resolution that noted that one in every four Boston residents is an immigrant and ''recognizes the dignity of all our immigrant residents, regardless of their immigration status."

Groups that support the House bill's emphasis on stepped-up enforcement, meanwhile, are using Internet chat groups and e-mail newsletters to urge members to call Washington about the bill being crafted in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The House bill is only one vision of what could become law. Pennsylvania Republican Arlen Specter, the Judiciary Committee chairman, has filed his own bill that would establish a temporary worker program and add high-technology security measures at the border. And a bill filed by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Arizona Republican John McCain would provide immigrants opportunities to become citizens, and would have the US work with foreign governments to reduce the immigrant flow.

Once the Senate passes its bill, the two chambers of Congress would have to work out their differences before presenting a version to President Bush for signing. Noorani, whose group supports the Kennedy-McCain bill, said spending billions more on expanding enforcement is an unrealistic approach, given that stepped-up border policing in recent years has not been effective.

According to a study published March 7 by the Pew Hispanic Center, illegal immigrants now make up about one in every 20 US workers, or nearly 12 million people. Efforts to slow their entry have shown little effect and, the study concluded, have had the unintended consequence of persuading people who are in the United States illegally to stay longer instead of risking movements back and forth across the border.

On the other side of the debate, Robert Casimiro of Weymouth, president of the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform, said the country should focus on securing the borders and deporting immigrants already in the country illegally.

''When the government gets that done, maybe we can talk about a guest worker program," said Casimiro, who supports the House bill but remains skeptical that lawmakers will provide the necessary funding and enforcement to make a difference.

''It won't mean a thing unless they get serious about it -- unless they back it up with funding and a commitment from the executive branch," said Casimiro.

He said his group has nearly 250 Massachusetts residents on its mailing list.

One of those on the list is Thomas White, a live-in supervisor of a Beacon Hill condominium building who is concerned that illegal immigration is threatening the country's security and way of life.

''We don't know who is coming over our border," White said. ''If we don't have protection of our border, we have no country."

Business leaders have long maintained that the country's economy depends on immigrant workers. The American Hotel and Lodging Association and the National Restaurant Association reiterated this view last month in a joint letter to Congress urging lawmakers to pass a measure that would address national security without curtailing the flow of immigrant workers its members rely on to head off ''a mounting labor shortage." The letter went on to state that ''foreign-born workers are necessary to help fill the jobs where no Americans are available."

But White isn't buying the argument. He said he has nothing against immigrants but fears the growing illegal population is taking middle-class jobs and driving down wages.

''I'm a Christian man and I know that I'm supposed to extend my hand outward to my fellow human beings," White said. ''But if you had 10 or 20 people storm into your house, how would you feel?"

William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration, a political action group based in Raleigh, N.C., that states it has members in 50 states, said what's needed is enforcement of existing immigration law, noting that the federal government has essentially abandoned efforts to police companies that employ illegal workers.

''Under George W. Bush, there were zero complaints filed [against companies] last year," said Gheen, who believes lax enforcement has emboldened illegal immigrants. He said ''75,000 illegal aliens marching down the streets, out in the open, is utterly ridiculous," referring to the March 7 march in Chicago to protest the House bill.

According to press reports, illegal aliens and immigrant advocates, who took to the streets chanting, ''We are not criminals, we are workers," actually numbered about 100,000 people. It was one of several marches across the country this month to voice support for more immigrant-friendly legislation. In Washington, thousands of Irish immigrants and Irish-Americans, clad in green and white T-shirts, rallied on Capitol Hill on March 8. In Los Angeles, meanwhile, Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony has said he would order the priests he supervises to defy any law that would require them to ask for immigration papers before providing help to anyone.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... ou_and_me/

added to homepage

https://www.alipac.us/article1113.html

The Irish have been in this country for over 200 years and we're not leaving! They have a history of being good workers and contribute much to their communities. there are an estimated 50,000 illegal Irish immigrants in this country. They do not take others' jobs, they own businesses, property, and are an asset to this country. THis country is a welcoming one and one of opportunity. Visit the Irish communites in New York and Boston and see our wonderful communites that will fall apart if earned legalization does not occur. Our communities are enriched because of the many Irish that live here.

Any notion of deporting 12 million people is ridiculous. In regards to the Mexicans, who will do the jobs they do now? Are you going to work in the kitchens of restaurants across this country? There are plenty of American citizens on welfare. Maybe you should focus on getting those people off the system and into jobs!!

Sorry but if you break our immigration laws I don't want you here regardless of the country you came from. Do it legally and you have my respect and blessing to be in the country.

Irish, you are gonna get MY Irish up, so to speak with talk like this, and my people have been here for well over a hundred years.

The key word in our gripe is illegal.

We don't care where the illegals came from or how they got here. They are illegal and we don't want them to stay. We can't start saying: let's see now, I like people from Kenya so let's let all illegal Kenyand stay and throw out all illegals from Oman.

I'd suggest you tell your Irish friends to apply for citizenship or climb on a plane or a boat for home.

As for the Mexicans you speak of working at the restaurants, do you realize how many of those Mexicans came into this country carrying diseases like TB, AIDS, etc? Do you realize that by letting them work illegally you are advocating that they spread these diseases? I don't think so. They need to come legally and go through the screening processes like everyone else or not at all.

If people could simply apply for citizenship, we would not have the current situation where there are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in this country. We are not looking for special treatment but fair and humane treatment. I'm sure you agree that the Irish are not seen as a threat (as your pal Tancredo has said) because they speak English and they work hard. Most overstayed their holiday visas but there is currently no path to citizenship.

For further information (if you'd like to see the other point of view)
see www.irishlobby.org

One issue I forgot to mention was that 500,000 US troops (on route to and from Iraq) a year land at Shannon Airport in Ireland as planes refuel. I didn't see a special deal made there, did you?

I think there needs to be fair deals made. Do you feel the war in Iraq is worth it when there are more issues unresolved here in the US?

Originally Posted by irish

One issue I forgot to mention was that 500,000 US troops (on route to and from Iraq) a year land at Shannon Airport in Ireland as planes refuel. I didn't see a special deal made there, did you?

I think there needs to be fair deals made. Do you feel the war in Iraq is worth it when there are more issues unresolved here in the US?

Am sorry, but your point is?
We are talking about illegals coming across our borders, as an American citizen who entered this country legally, I am offended that other people think they can just cross our borders at will.
There's no other country in the world expected to take in over 15 million illegals but we are suppose to accept it & be happy?

''It would, in essence, criminalize acts of goodness and kindness," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition whose group is helping to organize the Boston rally.

It's called "aiding and abetting". Look it up. It has NOTHING to do with acts of goodness and kindness. There are thousands of people who need "acts of goodness and kindness" who live by and obey the Law. Surely, they could be helped. But the "ideologists" don't have time for them, they got to help the criminals. What a upside-down world!! I think these "do-gooders" should invite a couple dozen of the illegals over to their house. Who cares if you know absolutely nothing about them! They are just good honest hard-working people, right?

"When people are immigrating faster than they can be assimilated, then you have a recipe for disaster." _Frosty Woolridge

Originally Posted by irish

One issue I forgot to mention was that 500,000 US troops (on route to and from Iraq) a year land at Shannon Airport in Ireland as planes refuel. I didn't see a special deal made there, did you?

I think there needs to be fair deals made. Do you feel the war in Iraq is worth it when there are more issues unresolved here in the US?

I don't see the logic of bringing the Iraq war into this. Because we stop in Ireland to refuel planes is an excuse to grant amnesty? Fair deals? If you came here illegally I say you're last in line for citizenship. The economy in Ireland is booming, so you have something to look forward to back in your country upon returning. I've read several articles that a lot of illegal Irish immigrants are going home because the economy is good, and the effort trying to get amnesty isn't worth the hassle.