Thread: Debate rages on in Greeley

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... /112290068

Wake up, Greeley


Guest Commentary
December 29, 2006

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Greeley, wake up. Some people say that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no right to come to Greeley and take their loved ones away. That this has disrupted their family unit, and they will be left with little ways to take care for themselves.

Crooks don't like to be caught. What they did was a federal offense. A lot of these family members are illegal, as well, and know exactly what was and is going on. The illegal families could have been taken and checked for offenses as well. That did not happen. I guess they should consider themselves lucky. One illegal even stated that Swift & Co. knew their loved ones and others were illegal and had no documentation.

Many illegals have taken other people's identity, destroyed their credit and in many cases, have even used other people's Social Security numbers for tax purposes. They have taken our college loans or grants and even completed college degrees using other Social Security numbers. Stealing someone's Social Security number or using it as your own is a federal offense.

I have been amazed at the amount of offenses the illegal population has gotten by with. Illegals have more confidentiality, more benefits (that they do not qualify for because they are illegal), and they cry "poor me" at the drop of a hat if anything comes against them. They feel they are entitled to any and everything. They have become more aggressive, more verbal and have no respect for our laws or our town. They feel it is their town and tell people that all the time. They are not afraid to tell you that they are illegal; in fact, it has become a badge of honor to say so. They are allowed to have anchor babies without any legal marriage license to prove they are married to a United States citizen. Most are not legally married to anyone, or they have another wife or husband in another country. They teach these children not to be a part of the United States. In many cases, they use their children to come against our country and its ideals. In many families, they are taught from childhood to be gang members of the same group that the other family members belong to already. They are a part of a gang by grade school. Their goal is population and power.

Many people in Greeley seem to think that this is all right. They seem to forget the condition our schools and hospital are in. How many people have left Greeley because of all the things this town has allowed to happen?

They say the children will suffer. What about the families and businesses that have lost everything because the illegals have taken over their jobs, undercut legal businesses or have illegal workers that they legally cannot hire? Don't tell me that just because a person is legal and does things the legal way, he or she is not able to do a job. How on earth did we ever manage before they came? Only if you are illegal are you able to do just about anything. Technical jobs to the jobs our teenagers used to have, are going fast to the illegals. Are the illegals more important than those who are legal, than those who care for our country and its welfare?

Greeley needs ICE because the illegals have gone too far. This is Greeley, Colorado, which is a part of the United States. It is not Illegal, Colorado, which would be a part of any law you wish to break.

Joy Breuer was born and raised in Greeley. She is president of Greeley for God.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... /112290067

Greeley, Weld law enforcement are doing their jobs to rid us of criminals


Letters to Editor
December 29, 2006

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What part of "criminal" does the Weld County citizenry not understand? Assault, menacing, theft, kidnapping (of which I have first-hand knowledge) are all, among others, criminal acts. Included in the criminal category is identity and Social Security numbers theft. It is stealing! If you break the law, you are a criminal, and you should expect to at some point be caught and pay the consequences for choices you have made. Being a citizen, legal or otherwise, has nothing to do with it. If you are an employer who chooses to hire a criminal, you in turn should be held accountable. Illegal activity in Greeley and Weld County, from slight infractions to the most heinous, is beginning to be dealt with, and yet in the entire front section of the Dec. 13 paper all we see are law enforcement people being subjected to obscenities and threats as they do their job.

Face it, Greeley, we have problems here that we must be realistic about, and then we must all work to become part of the solution. To stand by and allow criminal activity to take place while turning a blind eye will make all of us more vulnerable to becoming victims. As a lifetime member of the Greeley community, I applaud those who are making an effort daily to help those who are in need and deserve help, and I applaud, as well, those who are willing to take it on the chin as they begin to clean up our problems.

Our law enforcement agencies must remain transparent, from the district attorney on down, and our citizenry must be willing to accept the fact that we have criminals among us and be willing to stand by our law enforcement agencies as they make the effort to clean up the mess.

Wake up, Weld County. It is up to all of us to help keep our country clean!

Colleen Flack, Greeley

American citizens are the ones who have the right to any employment

This is a comment toward the illegal immigrants that come into the United States and the Tribune articles on the Swift meat company.

I am a born American citizen. The United States is my country, and I stand by it. I do not have a prejudiced bone in my body. I like everyone no matter what color, race or creed. But when it comes to jobs in the U.S., American citizens are the only ones who have the right to these jobs, any job! They look for work to take care of themselves or their families.

Now the illegal immigrants who sneak in or are brought in to the U.S. do this knowing what could happen if they are caught. Even the ones who have been here for a year or more know what could happen if they are caught.

What also makes me upset is the Latino U.S. citizens. They get mad at our police and security forces when their illegal friends or family members are caught and deported. What right do they have to feel this way? They know it's wrong and illegal, but they harbor the illegals anyway. They call it racism when they're caught. Why don't they blame themselves for doing things that are against the law? This is America, and they should uphold America's laws and quit blaming everyone else for their mistakes. If you become an American citizen, then you should act like an American citizen. You are no longer in Mexico. You left that behind.

And all companies or farmers that hire illegals should be punished. They also know they are going against the law.

Jeff Lindsey, Greeley

Raid was a publicity stunt to make us think something was being done

The Swift & Co. raid was nothing but a huge publicity stunt. It does nothing to solve the real problem. You can't hold employers accountable for hiring illegals when a federal program (Basic Pilot) says they're legal. Fear of deportation does not keep illegal immigrants from coming to this country. Rounding up 12 million illegals and sending them home, if it were even possible, would send the economy into turmoil.

It's true that fewer immigrants would benefit the economy in the long run and raise wages for low-income earners. However, there are some jobs that Americans won't do for any price, and immigrants have always filled those jobs.

The real question is just how many immigrants do we need? Reasonable estimates put this number at far more than we currently legally allow. Since most of our immigrant workforce is undocumented, the government has no way to effectively monitor and control the number of immigrants working in this country.

What's the solution? Eliminate the underground system that currently controls our immigration policies by creating a better alternative. A reasonable guest-worker program would create a legal way for employers to find workers for unpopular jobs. A new federal employment verification system (more advanced than Basic Pilot) would make it possible for employers to know who's illegal. (And harder for them to say, "But I didn't know.") This has been known for years, yet our lawmakers have sat on their hands and done nothing. They don't want to upset their corporate campaign contributors by denying them their cheap, undocumented labor. So instead of a real solution, we get a publicity stunt aimed at making you and me think they're doing something about immigration. Yet, illegals keep coming.

No more publicity stunts! Let our lawmakers know that we want the immigration problem fixed!

David White, Greeley

Column a misguided attempt at humor

The Dec. 16 Gnarly Trombone piece using Eugene O'Neill's illusion shattering play "The Iceman Cometh" for a title was a "misbegotten" attempt to have fun with the immigration raid at the Greeley Swift plant.

Identity theft, victimization, loss, suffering and humiliation are not amusing and teach no lesson about the pipe dreams and misconceptions held by those who buy the false promises of the human trafficker and the corporations which look the other way in favor of the bottom line.

And like the character Hickey in O'Neill's play, it's all sell with a tragic undertone.

Jim Whiting, Greeley