Thread: "You Don't Speak 4 Me"(Hispanic/Latino 2 invaders)

http://www.dontspeakforme.org/

The new group You Don't Speak for Me! formed when Col. Al Rodriguez became fed up watching media coverage of the mass protests of April. "Their leaders were saying it was a march for immigrant rights and a Latino/Hispanic movement," says Rodriguez. "I thought to myself, 'Hey, those are illegal aliens, not immigrants!'" Col. Rodriguez began speaking out to others saying, "I'm of Hispanic ancestry and those people are acting like they speak for me. Well, you don't speak for me!"

Col. Rodriguez began asking others to help him reach more people who felt the same way and You Don't Speak for Me! formed from this loose coalition of individuals. It is a group of concerned Americans of Hispanic/Latino heritage, some first or second generation, others recent legal immigrants, who believe illegal immigration harms America and a guest worker amnesty will do the same.

For media seeking interviews please contact Ira Mehlman at 310 821 4283 or Susan Wysoki at 804 221 7084.

http://dontspeakforme.org/_wsn/page5.html

A Sampling of Hispanic Opinion on Immigration

The opinion of Hispanics in the U.S. regarding immigration policy is often portrayed by the media as monolithic and in support of amnesty for illegal aliens and expanded legal immigration. In fact, the opinion of Hispanics in the U.S. is as diverse as the population itself. While Hispanic opinion as a whole is more favorable to proposals that include amnesty for illegal aliens, when the survey sample is limited to Hispanic citizens, the views expressed tend to be much more in line with those of the rest of the American population.

The following are key findings of recent polls of Hispanics on immigration to the U.S.:

Oppose increasing overall levels of immigration:

A clear majority of Hispanics in the U.S. oppose increasing current levels of immigration. Forty-three percent believe that levels should remain the same, while 13 percent want to see levels reduced. Only 31 percent favor immigration increases. (Attitude toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy, Pew Hispanic Center survey, Aug. 2005.)

Oppose benefits for illegal aliens:

By a 60 percent to 29 percent margin, native-born Hispanic Americans oppose granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens. (Attitude toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy, Pew Hispanic Center survey, Aug. 2005.)

Sizeable minority opposes a guest worker program:

Fifty-four percent of registered Hispanic voters support a guest worker program, but a significant minority - 40 percent - oppose such a plan. (National Survey of Latinos, July 2004, Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation.)

Immigration is a low priority among Hispanic voters:

Among issues of concern to Hispanic voters, immigration ranks eleventh. Education (54%), jobs (51%), health care (51%) were cited as the most pressing issues among Hispanic voters. Immigration was only cited as the most important issue by 27 percent of respondents.

Oppose a "pathway to citizenship" for illegal aliens:

A majority of Hispanic voters (52.4% to 38.2%) support ". . . legislation stating that any person living in this country illegally cannot become a United States citizen unless they reapply for citizenship legally from their country of origin." (The Latino Coalition Poll, January 2006.)

Support enforcement of employer sanctions law:

A plurality of Hispanic voters (49.9% to 41.2%) support new laws to make sure that employers can only hire workers who are in the U.S. legally. (The Latino Coalition Poll, January 2006.)

http://dontspeakforme.org/_wsn/page4.html

Here are some of the members of You Don't Speak for Me

Carmen Morales

My name is Carmen Morales. I am a Puerto Rican, but an American first. I came to the United States at the age of 3 with my grandparents. I am the proud mother of 3 children and they are the main reason that I decided to get involved and speak out against illegal immigration. My husband, Joe Perez is a Vietnam veteran and retired after 40 years working with a New Jersey printing company. I am a school bus driver for the Plainville Board of Education in Plainville, New Jersey. The student body is predominantly Hispanic with some African American, and almost no Anglos. Every day I see children disappear and re-appear, not knowing whether they are dropping out, returning to their home countries, hiding from authorities or being deported.

I am often asked to translate for bi-lingual teachers, who barely speak English, and teach their lessons in Spanish instead. I notice the children's books teach Mexican history of Pancho Villa, not America's own founding fathers, like George Washington. Every September, our school offices are jammed with families, mostly illegal. As I translated for these families to help their children enroll in school, I noticed a pattern of lies and deception. Mothers and fathers none of whom spoke English, seemed to forget important information such as proof of address, or even their child's birth date. They would frequently communicate with a third party on a cell phone who would tell them what to say. As a result of these waves of illegal immigrants, American children are being pushed out of their own schools; lost and confused in classrooms, cafeterias and playgrounds where Spanish is now the language of choice. I know this to be the case in my own school district and have seen it firsthand in the Plainville School District with 10 schools, all of them dangerously overcrowded.

Like many American families, I have more than one job to help make ends meet. I also work as a realtor, and one day saw something that changed me forever. I was excited to show a prospective seller a lovely old Victorian home in the historic part of town. When I got inside the house, I was shocked to see that it had been virtually gutted, and turned into ramshackle quarters for more than 60 illegal immigrants. Inside walls were torn down and replaced by a single piece of plywood to divide families. Even the bathroom looked like a makeshift bedroom and rooms designed for one bed were crammed with 4 beds and multiple families. I woke up that day and realized that America had a huge problem. If we didn't do something to secure our border and protect our country, we would lose America's spirit, our culture, language, and history…what made this country great would be gone forever. I have traveled the country to support this cause. I am here to tell our legislators and politicians that the civil disobedience that has taken over our streets and communities is designed to bully them into giving amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. The cost of that kind of amnesty for our families our children and future generations, is one that none of us can afford!

Mariann S. Davies, Esq.

My name is Mariann Davies and I am a Hispanic American. My parents came to the United States over 45 years ago from Ecuador. My father served our military in Korea. They are proud, law-abiding citizens who taught us to respect the laws, customs and traditions of our country---America, with the expectation that all people do the same, no matter what their country of origin. They raised four children and instilled in us a profound respect for justice, the rule of law, and living by our convictions to do what we know is right.

Today, I am also the mother of four children, and my husband is a commercial airline pilot. I first noticed the magnitude of the illegal immigration crisis when I worked as a college volunteer during the chaotic implementation of the Immigration and Control Act of 1986 which gave some 3.1 million people legal status. I witnessed chaotic and inconsistent paperwork for people with no documentation. It was a mess, and we now know that much of the information provided by illegal immigrants was fraudulent. We also know that terrorists were also granted amnesty under the 1986 program, something that should shock and anger all Americans. We also know that all 19 hijackers from September 11 took advantage of our legal system, staying here on expired or fraudulent visas to wage their war of terror. Of course, as the wife of an airline pilot, September 11 hit our family in a very personal way.

I was amazed that on September 12, our borders were not secure, and here we are 5 years later with borders so porous that we now have the huge problem of 12-20 million illegal aliens in our country, many of whom came in since that fateful and dreadful day….not to mention the half a million known criminals already in this country, illegal aliens whose wherabouts, are not surprisingly, unknown. As a concerned American I know, as we all do, that there are not only 2 options as President Bush has suggested, either massive amnesty or massive deportation. The third option as the President and our lawmakers well know is that we would see significant attrition if we enforce the laws we have on the books, cut off the job magnet by punishing employers, and stop the social services and benefits for illegals and their families. Then and only then would we start to see people self-patriating. Americans need to know the real cost of illegal immigration and tell our lawmakers that enough is enough.

Miquel Perez

I am an American with Peruvian roots. I came to this country at the age of 9 with my mother, who raised 5 children on her own. I have a graduate degree in education and in my career, I have worked for both the INS and most recently for the Social Security Administration. The programs I administer are for monthly assistance and supplemental support for indigent families. I have confronted management in my own workplace about abuses in the system that I have witnessed. I know that there are U.S. codes of law that we are required to follow regarding aiding and abetting illegal immigrants. I also know that American families are at a fundamental disadvantage to apply for the same benefits that are given freely to illegal immigrants. Of course, to qualify for these social benefits applicants need to verify and show proof of income. For American families, their social security cards can give us the information we need. For illegal immigrants, we have to take their word for it ---literally. And, even though they cannot prove citizenship, or income, since we have no way of DIS-proving anything they choose to tell us, they are awarded benefits. The result is as simple as it is unfair. Illegal alien families receive assistance, while American families do not. It is an outrage.

As a resident of Newark, New Jersey, I have seen my own community change dramatically over the last 10 years as the illegal alien population has swelled. As an American citizen, I have listened to the debate and have become involved because of my personal convictions that we are promoting laws that are harming Americans while rewarding lawbreakers. As an educated person, I can see, as most Americans do…the unjustice of our current state of affairs, and have been outraged by recent demonstrations, including today's massive walkouts that don't represent my views as a Hispanic American. I know from working firsthand in social service administration that if we seriously enforce the rules already on the books, dry up the pool of benefits that illegal immigrants take advantage of, and punish employers who hire illegals, then eventually they will have to go elsewhere.

I am an immigrant, and I believe in legal immigration. I resent those that come to this country expecting and demanding rights that they are not entitled to. Our lawmakers need to stop pandering to special interests and do what is right. Enforce our immigration laws, secure our borders and get tough on illegal immigration.