Lately, it is hard to go anywhere without hearing debates about illegal immigrants.
Whether it is turning on the news, reading a paper, or even talking to someone in the grocery store, chances are there will be talk about illegal immigrants. Some talk calls for deporting all of them. You know, they're eating up all of our tax dollars. Other talk is more sympathetic and wants to give them things, because there's enough tax dollars to spare. At least that's some of the talk.
I had my own experience with a young woman who was here illegally and it made me rethink some of my views on the "illegal problem."
My son brought home a group of friends he'd met at work one day not that long ago. One of these friends was a young Mexican girl. They all stayed for dinner and when it was time for everyone to leave she thanked me profusely for my hospitality. It stayed with me how appreciative she was about a few slices of pizza.
She came back a few more times after that and spoke of wanting to attend college and trying to find a job that would pay a decent salary. Many of the jobs she was working at were very menial labor for very low wages. I have to admit that I took notice of how hard she hustled to find any kind of work and I thought of my own teenagers, one who worked and one who thought work was bringing his plate down from his room.
Finally I asked her why she was having such difficulty and she told me that she was not here legally. Her parents had brought her here when she was 2. They had two more kids who were citizens because they were born here. She was the one in limbo. Deportation wasn't a worry for her as much as making a decent life for herself.
Now before you all start screaming about the free education she received and our tax dollars that were a benefit to her educationally, please, just think about her as a person for a minute who had no choice in any of this. She was brought here by her parents. She was allowed to attend and graduate school. Now at 20 she is unable to work a regular job because she has no papers or social security card which also means she cannot graduate college.
Mexico is a strange land to her. She thinks of America as her country and who really can blame her? Living in a place for 18 years sort of makes a person feel as if they're home, even if a majority hates them.
Now you can scream. I don't blame you. I pay taxes too and I'm a single mom who has struggled heartily to care for my kids, citizens. I have gone years without health care because I couldn't afford the ridiculously priced COBRA payments after losing my job. I have avoided becoming one of the numbers at Social Services though I know many who were not as fortunate. We are having trouble taking care of our own. Why should we also take care of them? I know. I know. I've heard all the arguments and they aren't wrong.
But still. I watched how hard this girl has tried to build a life and the reality is here in America, the land of immigrants, she will be stuck working off the books jobs which means someone's cleaning woman or maybe nanny. What else can she do? And how can I scream and beat my chest in anger when I look at this poor girl who is a victim of circumstances, circumstances beyond her control. I can't.
I did make some inquiries to see what she could do to become legal, but it seems nearly impossible. Even though she was brought here as a minor, a toddler, she cannot petition from this country. Or at least that was the rule a few months ago. She needs a sponsor. Her brothers are her best chance though they aren't of legal age yet so she has a few years. Meanwhile she waits in limbo picking up odd jobs here and there, taking buses everywhere, never really getting anywhere.
You don't have to feel sorry for her. But I do.
I think another thing to look at is that regardless of whether or not they're getting citizenship, they're still coming and building their version of a life here. I'm not going to excuse stealing socials and things like that because it does have adverse affects on people. They're coming. Even without a promise of citizenship or what many Americans would consider a decent life. So what kind of preventative is there that would stop that, and one that wouldn't cost us billions of dollars in taxes. I do look at them as people just like us and I'm extremely grateful when I look at my 15 year old daughter and I think about her future vs that of a girl brought here illegally by her parents. We are very lucky.
While the plight of your son's friend is unfortunate, what do we say to our children about our society, if we are a society of laws, they need to be enforced, not just the ones we like. While I do feel bad for this young lady, as she truly is caught between a rock and a hard place, I just think of a friend of mine who is a legal immigrant who had to wait 10 years to come here legally, while others just hopped the fence. I hate to be the voice of dissent, but the Dream Act failed in Congress, it is time we enforce the laws and send those here illegally back to their country of origin, and when they are back in their country of origin; if we want to expedite their applications for a green card, I would be okay with that.
I know two other people who have lived here for many years and never became citizens. One is from Italy and another from Ireland. Both came as kids and their parents never filed papers. Both were eventually given visas but didn't become citizens and in one case the visa ran out so technically she is here illegally. Is there the same push to deport her?
I only know of 3 people personally who have landscaping businesses who are not Hispanic. They are pretty busy but overall landscaping doesn't seem to be a business that many Americans, at least here on Long Island, look to build. Is it because its seasonal? Long hours? Hard work? I don't know why that is but is it that the illegals are stealing that from us? And what other kinds of jobs are they stealing? And please don't take it to mean don't recognize a problem or even think that we should let everyone in and give them all citizenship. I just don't know that there are easy solutions to this and I am very sympathetic because of what I have seen.
Maybe when somebody breaks into your home and makes demands by force, you will think differently, very differently.
As far as someone breaking into my home, I'm going to hope that you are speaking theoretically.
The point is, who or what is running the show, to finally make the real and final decision. It is NOT me or you. It's our politicians--- of all people. If the politician knows he or she can win the election by siding with a particular group of people, he certainly will. It's all about winning the election, not what's best for society in general. We as a society are shooting ourselves in the foot allowing this to happen. We and our personal opinions and desires are overshadowed by our political system which allows candidates to say or do anything for their personal ."success". We can blog all we want, but OUR representatives will decide who goes and who stays.
Your point is a good one though and we should all be more involved in many of the issues facing us. Our country is in crisis right now and I understand people's frustration over people here illegally getting any kind of benefit, but again, I didn't write this hoping we'd let everyone in and give them things. I wrote it because I had an up close and personal view into the life of just one of them and I saw the sadness in the situation from a different side.
Dont listen to this crap how we should bend the rules for everyone who brakes the law to get what they think they are entitled to just because they seem nice or work hard. The Lifeboat is full, the hospitals are over crowded, residents are over taxed, and the schools speak for them selves.
Mexico does have some of the richest people in the world but I don't think they are the ones who are sneaking across the borders hoping to educate their children and get healthcare. Do you live in the US? Why if Mexico is such a land of opportunity are you living here?