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  1. #1
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    Immigrant says illegal labor is vital to county

    http://www.gazette.net/stories/042706/f ... 1965.shtml

    Immigrant says illegal labor is vital to county
    Former professional soccer player fled Mexico two years ago to earn better money at Frederick County restaurant

    Thursday, April 27, 2006
    E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

    by Rebecca McClay

    Staff Writer


    Silvestre Bareilla said he has no regrets about fleeing his upper-middle class, gated community in Mexico to work illegally at a fast food restaurant in Frederick County.
    The $900 paychecks he earns by maintaining equipment and sanitation there support his wife and provide a private high school education for his children in Mexico, he said.

    Bareilla, 44, said he has lived in Frederick County for two years, and believes the labor illegal immigrants provide is vital to the local economy.

    To raise awareness about the benefits of granting amnesty, or permanent, legal residence to illegal immigrants in the United States, Bareilla plans to participate in the Immigrant Solidarity Day by remaining home from work May 1.

    On April 10, Bareilla said he joined hundreds of thousands of other immigrants at the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice rally in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the National Capital Immigrant Coalition.

    He said he believes that uprooting the country’s immigrant population could have dire consequences on businesses, such as fast food restaurants, that rely heavily on illegal immigrants.

    ‘‘Americans would not want to empty trash cans,” Bareilla, who speaks limited English, said in Spanish. ‘‘For me ... what’s important is that I have work.”

    Crossing the border

    Bareilla said he first set foot on American soil after crossing rivers and scaling fences. With two friends, he walked for two weeks carrying a knapsack and wearing a dark outfit to disguise himself. Often, he lost his sense of direction, he said.

    The trio slept outside, weathering several rainstorms. They tried to fend off thirst and hunger by drinking contaminated river water and eating thorny cacti. Bareilla described several circumstances during which he feared for his life near the Mexican-American border when he heard border patrol guard dogs barking or helicopters overhead.

    Jennifer Freedman, director of development at CASA of Maryland, an advocacy and service organization for immigrants in Montgomery County, said many immigrants have struggled through similar plights. ‘‘The story doesn’t sound unusual of an immigrant coming to the United States,” Freedman said.

    Adapting to a new culture

    Frederick County’s Hispanic community is growing, especially the El Salvadoran and Mexican populations. A group of Bareilla’s friends, who are Hispanic, occupy an apartment below him, and more are finding work and homes each year, he said.

    Bareilla said he walks two miles to and from work to cover a 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift six days per week. Bareilla has owned three bicycles, but they have all been stolen. He plans to purchase another for transportation to work and for leisure cruising to nearby attractions like Harpers Ferry art museums.

    Settling into a routine

    Bareilla said he relishes living in Frederick County, which he said is more peaceful than the crime-ridden cities he has known in Mexico.

    He said officers treat him fairly, unlike some he encountered in Puebla, Mexico, who encouraged and accepted bribes.

    He said he likes the tranquility of Frederick County, but often thinks of his family — wife Alicia and three sons, Marco Antonio, 23, who has a wife and young daughter; Juan Carlos, an 18-year-old artist en route to college; and Christian Alan, 14, a high school student.

    Bareilla received his first pair of shoes after graduating from his sixth year of school, he said. He continued studying for three more years before joining his city’s professional soccer team, where his income pushed him out of the poverty bracket.

    After a leg injury in 1986, Bareilla said he became the director of the organization, but lost much of his income during a robbery. His calf still bears bullet-pocked scars from the incident.

    Bareilla said the move to America has been successful, but he is crossing his fingers he will be granted amnesty to continue sending 4,368 pesos, or $400, per month to his wife in Mexico.

    ‘‘If I don’t receive amnesty, I would return to Mexico permanently,” he said.
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at http://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  2. #2

    Join Date
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    Excuse me?

    I love emptying garbage cans---as a matter of fact, that was part of my job last summer, when I helped a woman with her landscaping business.

    Don't tell me what I love doing,Bareilla, and what my fellow countrymen are capable of! But, since you are interested, here is another thing I WOULD LOVE TO DO; Kick your Bareilla gluteous so hard with my size 12 shoe that you end up in Mexico---where you belong you little groveling sycophant!

    The problem you face, Bareilla, is that this country plays FOOTBALL! Not soccer. You will need to start wearing helmet and pads if you insist on getting tackled! There will be no referee giving you a "green card" in this game my friend---and no penalty shot!

    Someone in the great State of Maryland find this restaurant, and this ILLEGAL, and turn him in to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, before he falls and hurts himself.
    Title 8,U.S.C.§1324 prohibits alien smuggling,conspiracy,aiding and
    abetting!

  3. #3

    Join Date
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    Ever get the feeling your just scream typing at an article on the comp screen? Kinda like real screaming at a tv.....lol

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