Mexicans Fear U.S. Immigration Plan

From the AP:

At the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey, which hands out more temporary work visas than anywhere else in the world, Edmundo Bermudez, a 36-year-old from the northern city of Durango, was especially offended by reports that preference would be given to migrants with degrees and specialized skills.

"The United States already has enough people with college degrees. Who is going to cut their tobacco?" asked Bermudez, who has been working intermittently in the U.S. for the past eight years. In Mexico, he makes about $10 a day, while in the U.S. he earns $8 an hour.[snip]

Mexican newspaper and television news broadcasts led with news of the proposal Friday, with El Universal newspaper headlines reading: "Immigration reform divides the United States" and "Latinos: It isn't what we hoped for."

Gilberto Escalante, a 41-year-old fisherman from Topolobampo in Sinaloa state, said the current guest worker program is better than the congressional plan because it gives Mexicans the option to freely enter and leave the U.S. while maintaining their lives in Mexico - instead of forcing them to choose between the two countries.

"We don't want the house or the latest car in the U.S. We want to go and work so that our families can have a good life in Mexico," said Escalante, who came to the industrial hub of Monterrey to apply for a visa to work on fish and shrimp boats off the coast of Mississippi.

Yet the congressional plan came as welcome news to the millions of Mexicans who depend on the $23 billion sent home each year by Mexicans living in the U.S., many illegally.

Yeah, it is great for Mexico and a disaster for the U.S. This Bill allows all of the illegal aliens to remain in this country indefinitely. Mostly poor, hispanic socialists who would almost exclusively vote democrat and for social programs.

Did I mention it actually decreases the size of the fence? Yup, from over 700 miles to just over 300 miles. You remember the fence Bill was signed into law last year and no construction was ever started.

The proposal would allow illegal immigrants to obtain a "Z visa" and ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of households would have to return to their home countries first.

It is also good news for the Mexican government, which has spent years lobbying the U.S. for a comprehensive immigration reform that allows more people to work legally in the U.S. Many had feared the U.S. would only approve more border security measures, such as adding to National Guard troops at the border and other high-tech security measures.

Gee, How do the illegal aliens feel about this bill...

From the International Herald Tribune:

They said key components of the proposed deal regarding illegal immigrants, such as having to return to their home countries to apply for legal residency and pay a $5,000 (€3,700) fine, would be financially impossible for low-wage earners.

Many also said stepped up raids over the past year made them distrustful that U.S. immigration authorities would let them return to America.

"If I go home, who is going to guarantee that I'll be let back in?" said David Guerra, 44, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador.

Guerra, who works as a day laborer in Los Angeles, said his wife and four children survive off the $300 (€222) he sends home each month.

Missing several weeks of work to return home, plus paying the fine and thousands of dollars in application fees, would be disastrous for his family, Guerra said.

Amy Ndour, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from Senegal who lives in New York, said she would be willing to pay the $5,000 fine, but not to return home because her family there depends on what she earns as a hair braider.

"I'm helping myself" here, she said. "I'm helping people there too."[snip]

Some illegal immigrants said returning home presented another major hurdle: having to apply for residency at U.S. embassies in their home countries.

Carlos Velazquez, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant in Los Angeles, said the lines at embassies in his native Honduras are so long that people often have to pay bribes just to get in the door. Velazquez said he applied twice for visas in Honduras, and both times had to pay several bribes to local embassy staff.[snip]

Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card — except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens — and new limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.

Many illegal immigrants said they had little incentive to apply for residency because the process was long and did not give them much hope of bringing their families.

"If I'll never be able to bring my family, why should I apply?" said Jose Monson, a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala who has lived in Los Angeles four years. "I prefer to just stay here illegally."

"If I get deported and need to cross the border again, that's not a problem," he said.

Awe, aren't they sweet people? The nerve of our government not to give them blanket amnesty for free and allow as many Mexicans to come here that want to come here.

SB 1348 will destroy our country. It will be the first step towards communism/socialism in this country. We need to call the Senate and tell our elected cockroaches that this is NOT their last best chance to deal with this issue. Tell them to secure the border and enforce the laws on the books. If we increase deportations by just 20% we can deport all the illegal aliens by 2015 while preserving the rule of law. We cannot legalize poor socialists that have no respect for the rule of law or private property rights.

Contact your elected cockroaches immediately!

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

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