Thread: Idaho’s Illegal Immigrants Concern over Crackdown

Idaho’s Illegal Immigrants Concern over Crackdown
Posted: May 13, 2010 9:11 PM PDT Updated: May 13, 2010 9:23 PM PDT


Idaho may soon see the same harsh immigration law Arizona passed.

Many undocumented immigrant families said they are scared if a harsh immigration law is passed here in Idaho.

Some have said they would be forced to leave the state without their children who are natural citizens.

Everyday it's like living in the shadows, families in fear because they are breaking the law.

They do it because of what they don't have and for what a few small steps across the border can bring.

"To live here, to live the American dream," said one undocumented immigrant.

But they know the risks. That's why one undocumented family would only talk to us in the shadows, a place they try to stay after several attempts to come here legally failed.

"It's hard, it is very difficult to get a VISA because you have to be a rich person and you have to have properties in Mexico," said an undocumented immigrant Enrique.

Many undocumented immigrants said they will do whatever it takes to find work to support their families. Some of them will find a job to work out in a field because they don't have to show any identification.

The ones who suffer most are the children. Like 13-year old Luis. He said his life is hard because he never wanted to break the law. He had no choice. His parents brought him from Mexico when he was only 4-years old.

"They can just arrest me and I think that's kind of scary," said Luis.

Just some of the reasons undocumented immigrants agree that it's a broken immigration system. Something that everyone wants to see fixed.

Every May chants of hope are heard across the country as voices are joined looking for immigration reform.

But now that one state's taken the national issue on, many are calling Arizona legislators racists.

"I'm an American like any other American here," said an Idaho Community Action Network board member Alicia Clements.

It's a fine line the boarder state's new immigration law is walking trying to give citizens more protection but also allowing what some deem as racial profiling.

"I don't think I should be stopped just because I'm Hispanic. That's against my constitutional rights and my basic human rights," said Clements.

One Idaho Senator wants a law similar to Arizona's passed here.

"I can guarantee I will bring an identical bill to that this coming session," said Republican Senator Mike Jorgenson from Hayden Lake.

Senator Jorgenson has said Idaho needs to do crack down on illegal immigration. Just in March the senator proposed a bill that punishes businesses who hire illegal workers.

That bill died when the senate overwhelmingly voted against it.

"It's a bill through attrition through enforcement, if you make these jobs not available then they leave, it doesn't cost us anything to get rid of them," said Senator Jorgenson.

Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney John Bujak said something must be done.

"We need some common sense way for people who want to come here to work legally and work. And it's not amnesty and it's not absolute zero tolerance to remove everyone from the US," said Bujak.

But until that happens we'll still see scenes where 25 men were shackled during a Twin Falls raid ultimately sent back across the border.

Yet, for most undocumented immigrants the risk is worth it.

"I know we broke the law, that's true but now I've been here for almost 12-years," said Enrique.

The Idaho Community Action Network that participated in IPTV's debate on immigration said reform is a federal issue and not the state's responsibility.

"The reality is as Americans, as Idahoans, we have become addicted to immigrant labor and if that's the case and that's the reality we need to make sure we have a system that works, orderly, that's legal, and that's fair as well," said ICAN's spokesman Leo Morales.

Both sides did agree that some type of comprehensive immigration reform is needed, whether it is border security or dealing with the backlogs of VISA work permits, something is needed for the whole country.

http://www.kivitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12480696

Wake Up Idaho. Get an AZ bill passed in your state, and do it now. And Enrique, you need to gather, pack, gas up and hit the road home, no matter how many years you've been here. There is no statute of limitation on breaking US Immigration Law.

And Luis, just pretend you're a child of a foreign diplomat, and lived in another country for many years as a child, and now you're going home. My husband who is a US citizen born to 2 natural born US citizens lived his whole life in a foreign country until he was 16, then his parents retired from their foreign job with an American oil company and came home, and of course brought all their children home with them just as yours will do.

Why, I even spoke with an attorney today who is a US citizen, a child of a CIA family who lived overseas since he was 4 until he came home to attend college.

These planted articles by National Council of La Raza make these people look stupid and weak. They're degrading and demeaning to illegal aliens. Most of these characters in these articles aren't even real, they're fabricated fiction created as sob stories to try to tear jerk Americans.

It will not work. The gig is up. And the party is over. Illegal aliens are going home where they belong with their families intact, no child left behind.

Period.

Some have said they would be forced to leave the state without their children who are natural citizens.

NO ONE but no one is forcing them to leave their children! They choose to leave them behind for the same reason they had them... an anchor ( or a future "in") into the US for themselves.

What parent would leave their children behind, citizenship status or not? Take them with you, Mexico will grant them nationality because both parents are citizens. This is the most ridiculous argument of all, second only to Jesus was an illegal immigrant.

Everyday it's like living in the shadows, families in fear because they are breaking the law.

Arghhh!! Stop with the living in the shadows routine. We know it's not true when we see you marching in the streets waving your Mexican flag.

Just some of the reasons undocumented immigrants agree that it's a broken immigration system. Something that everyone wants to see fixed.

Of course illegals think it's broken. Our laws won't allow them to walk across the border and have the full rights of American citizens. And not "everyone" wants to see the system fixed. There are many, many citizens that only want to see our current laws enforced, especially when the "fix" means amnesty.

"I know we broke the law, that's true but now I've been here for almost 12-years," said Enrique.

Sorry, there's no statute of limitations on being illegal.

"To live here, to live the American dream," said one undocumented immigrant.

In the meantime, the American dream is fading for citizens because of you stealing jobs and freeloading on the backs of taxpayers.

Originally Posted by jean

Some have said they would be forced to leave the state without their children who are natural citizens.

Everyone in the USA has a choice, even illegal alien trespassers.
Who passed a law saying the anchor baby has to stay?
Take the States burden with you, idiot!

Everyday it's like living in the shadows, families in fear because they are breaking the law.

Here we go with living in the shadows rhetoric again! As ReggieMay said so well, they seemingly have no problems finding the light of day, when they march down our streets, shoving their beloved rag of mexico in our faces -while demanding rights and privileges for which they are not entitled!

Sure they want to leave their children behind. They know damn well how they and other Messirats treat Americans.

Let me tell you, they are fighting hard here to see that Senator Jorgenson doesn't get re-elected because they know he will keep fighting to get his bill passed. One of the Idaho Representatives in my district, who is against the way Senator Jorgenson's bill is written, has helped and has endorsed some yokel to run against him. I've been trying to help Senator Jorgenson as much as I can because we need this bill. I've never seen such dirty politics in Idaho.