CanwllCorfe

This whole thing is confusing. I can see valid points on both sides but I have to side with Arizona because I can't point a finger at them and say they made an unfair bill while they suffer from high crime rates and issues with illegal immigrants.

On a side note, does anyone know what happens to someone who illegally crosses into Mexico? It's hard to find any info on it and it could be pretty interesting

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duga

^

Maybe something should be done, sure, but the way the bill is worded it may as well be called the "profiling bill". That's really what I would criticize.

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CanwllCorfe

Oh I know people will probably be unfairly profiled but who knows how long it would take for them to create a bill that would solve the problem and make everyone happy. We've had issues with illegal immigration for how long now and still no one has come to a decision on how to solve it.

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mr dave

i'm with CO on this one for the most part.

last time i looked into the illegal immigration issue south of my border the estimates were something like 5 million illegal aliens living in California. that's the population of Toronto. according to Reuters the number is closer to 11 million across the nation, that's about a 1/3 of the entire population of Canada.

this bill strikes me like the legal move equivalent to asking for the Eastern seaboard when all you really want is Delaware. what law is never amended? this is an important first step in curtailing the flow of people ignoring international borders and laws. sending money back to their families in whatever country they abandoned doesn't exactly help much of anything aside for bleeding hearts. whatever economic benefit to paying them less is lost when their wage is spent outside of the US economy.

on the other hand, wouldn't having a bill in place to deal with individuals make it easier to introduce and enact a new bill and law that would in turn limit corporate behavior in regards to illegal immigration?

basically this seems to be one of those issues where this old saying really applies - 'if you're close to 20 and don't believe we can enact the change necessary to create a social utopia you don't have much of a heart, but if you're closer to 30 and you still think social change will lead to a utopia, you don't have much of a brain.'


i also worked as an illegal for a summer a decade ago. doing software development of all things. while i was there i was provided with food, and a nice place to stay, and ALL the money that was in my pocket... when i first showed up. and even though i'm whiter than a cracker i was still told to keep my Canuck mouth shut about certain things in public.

no matter how you slice it this is a hosed up situation. there's no way it can ever be handled without stepping on some toes. as for identification, aren't Green Cards about the size of a credit card and something you could easily just keep in your wallet? not unlike say... a driver's license / photo ID which pretty much every person is *gasp* expected to carry on their person *the oppression!!!!*

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someonecompletelyrandom

I don't know about you, but if I was asked to show such a card because I was brown I'd feel a little pissed off.

crash_override

Ever been to Mexico? They do the same thing when they see whitey...

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Engine

Wha..show a card? I've been to Mexico a bunch of times on business and pleasure. The only anti-whitey sentiment I ever experienced is in the actual-town parts of resort-towns on the coasts. The interior doesn't seem to notice the outside world - let alone my skin color (I'm white). Lots of interior Mexicans are whiter than me in skin tone anway.

O on topic? The bill is ridiculous bullshit but my voice doesn't count much in US politics as I don't care about political borders in the first place. I feel that people should be allowed to go and work wherever somebody wants to hire them -- worldwide.

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crash_override

I was speaking more of the Tijuana area specifically. As that's the only part of Mexico I've been.

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CanwllCorfe

Really? I wouldn't. If they ask me to show a card because I have brown skin, and they assume I'm Spanish, why should I feel offended? I don't see anything derogatory about proving that you live here.

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mr dave

exactly, if i've got the card then i wouldn't care who asked to see it. BAM! there it is.

the only downside is that it could be a hassle for the legitimate immigrants. it's unfortunate that the illegal ones cause these hoops to be created for them but until a better solution is proposed i think some action is better than no action.

i don't see how this is much different than being asked to provide photo ID when dealing with the government or a health card when you visit the hospital. then again i live in a 'socialist' country. basically, if you're going to leech (immigrate illegally, work illegally) and not make an attempt to carry your part the social burden (pay taxes) then i think you should be prepared to be treated like a leech.

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