Thread: Lawyer: Immigration policies insufficient

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Lawyer: Immigration policies insufficient
Few legal options exist for Mexicans coming to U.S.
By ALMA BOWEN
The Times

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Gainesville immigration attorney David Kennedy explained the ways a Mexican citizen can legally enter this country Monday to the Gainesville Rotary Club.

The legal complexities of becoming a citizen, however, may be the catalyst for an increasing population of illegal immigrants, he said in his speech at the Gainesville Civic Center.

"If you're in Mexico and want to come here and get work, your only real option is to come illegally," he said.

Kennedy, an immigration law specialist, spoke about current immigration practices in the United States during Rotary's weekly meeting.

In his practice, Kennedy has represented clients from 29 different countries aside from the United States.

The immigration law, he said, usually is easier for immigrants from other countries, and if a Mexican citizen wants to come to this country legally, even if he has immediate family here, he will have to wait between seven and 30 years.

Intelligent, ambitious young people, who were brought illegally into this country as infants, now cannot go to college because they don't have a Social Security number, Kennedy said.

They also can't get their status changed even if their teachers, pastors and neighbors vouch heavily for them, he said.

Kennedy said he supports Sen. John McCain's immigration bill because it is employment-based, is not amnesty and would require illegals to earn legal status by background and work clearance, payment of fines, learning the English language, U.S. civics and more.

He also talked about the wave of Irish immigrants and the derogatory terms used for them including "NINAs," for "No Irish Need Apply," and the term for Italians, "WOP," for "without papers."

The U.S. is much better off today because of the previous three waves of immigrants, Kennedy said.

"In times like these, it helps to remember that there have always been times like these," he said.

The United States-Mexico border patrol has increased its number of guards and now is the largest arms-bearing branch outside the U.S. military, but immigration rates have not eased off.

The increase in armed guards only has made the would-be immigrants go to more isolated places to cross and increased their death toll, he said.

"The border patrol now catches one in 20 compared to one in three in 1986," he said.

Because the illegals now have to pay the coyotes, or human traffickers, more to get into this country, they stay longer to get their money back.

Also, because it is harder for them to get here, they are afraid they won't be able to do it again, so they stay much longer, Kennedy said.

It is a myth that immigrants take jobs away from Americans, he said, pointing out that this country's jobless rate is lower than it has been in years while the immigrant numbers are much higher.

Kennedy also said that immigrants do not use more government services than U.S. citizens do in the same income category.

"One million illegal aliens are coming into this country every year, and we are employing them," he said. "When U.S. employers no longer need to hire immigrants, they will not need the government to tell them."

Opponents of immigration have said the illegals will go back home if government service is given only to U.S. citizens.

"These people have crossed mountains, rivers and deserts to get here. They are going to stay here and work," he said.

"Every economy has a labor hierarchy, and every labor hierarchy has a bottom rung with crummy jobs," Kennedy said.

Increasing pay for low-level jobs, however, means employers would have to increase wages at every level, which causes inflation, he said.

Kennedy used Japan as an example of what happens in a county that does not allow immigration.

Japan's population is getting "top heavy," he said, and does not have enough people to support the elderly.

"He also talked about the wave of Irish immigrants and the derogatory terms used for them including "NINAs," for "No Irish Need Apply," and the term for Italians, "WOP," for "without papers."

So what's supposed to be his point here? We sure as heck couldn't get away with calling people names like that now and no one I know ever would. What? Am I supposed to feel guilty because bigotry was alive and well generations ago before I was born?

These "migrants" are law breakers. They have no respect for this country. And yes, the "system" for getting people through the citizenship process is a sham. Just like every other bureaucracy the government controls. Inept, at best.