What Gov. Arnie did got me thinking about illegal immigrants...

[rene moon]

So, Arnie repealed a controversial bill that granted driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

California is home to many illegal immigrants from all countries.

But when most people think of illegal immigrants, they automatically think of Mexicans. Granted, there are many people who come here that speka Spanish but not all of them are Mexican. Many come from Central and South America.

Secondly, does that mean that those who are here illegally but from European countries less of the threat than the brown-skinned people?

This is where I get pissy. I am Mexican descent and I am brown-skinned. So, even though my family has been here for several generations, we get lumped in with all the immigrants. I am not embarassed about being Mexican but I get angry about having to defend people who want a better life.

I know they are "illegal" but I don't get the viciousness of people who are for lack of a better term, xenophobes. What jobs are being taken? The ones we don't want?

How does the people of DU feel?

[Silverhair]

1. Illegal means not supposed to be here at all, no matter

what the country of origin. That means NO driver's liscense, No social security number, No social services, NO voting in elections, and deportation if found. However they are entitled to full protection of the law while here. They do have all the consitutional rights of a citizen.

Illegal is I-L-L-E-G-A-L !!!!!!!!!!

[tom_paine]

15. I agree completey, silverhair

Well, I'll be damned! Mark this one on your calendar.

[La_Serpiente]

2. Here is what I feel about it

we need to get away from the stereotype of thinking of immigrants as illegal. Calling another human a "criminal" because they are "illegal" is not really the right way to address immigration problems in the US.

[AP]

7. Americans overstay visas all the time when they're abroad. They just leave

the country, to some other third country, apply for a visa and move back.

Granting a visa should be a matter of course. What's the big deal? There shouldn't even be visas. People should be able to cross borders and travel between any two countries just as you can between Germany and France.

[Kellanved]

11. Your example is a little incomplete

Yes, there is no longer a visible border between France an Germany (nor most other two countries in central Europe, excluding Switzerland). However the EU demands to reinforce the borders to non-EU states to ward off "illegal" immigrants.
As an extreme example: Italy even wanted to issue a shoot-too-kill.

[AP]

16. Your vision is a little incomplete.

The world should be one big union, just like Europe is.

[papau]

3. There is a wink/wink to illegals needed for jobs others will not take

We need a guest worker program in addition to our visa work permit program.

Keeping illegal immigrants as the job title - but wanting/helping employers find illegals - is just a way to keep wages down and folks out of unions.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Illegal?

Well, my ancestors came over here and never were naturalized. No green cards or anything. The only reason they are honored by many is because they came in 1620 and not 1920. Immigration quotas were instated to keep down the non-WASP population. For this, I am ashamed of my country.

[benddem]

5. Quite Frankly

I'd rather have people be tested for their driving skill rather than just getting behind the wheel and making all of us their targets.
This is really a safety issue.
They have to get to work...they are going to drive whether they have a license or insurance or not...but the ability to pass a test and get a license might make them safer on the roads.:hi:

[AP]

8. Exactly. Driving licences are a measure of competence, not citizenship or

ideology.

I don't care about the nationality of they guy heading at me at 45 degrees at the four-way stop sign intersection. I just care that he knows how to drive and that he's insured.

[AP]

6. Little know fact about illegals and drivers licenses: for 65 years, it was

the law in CA. There was no residency requirement for drivers licenses.

In 1994, they changed the law during the anti-immigration hoopla of prop 187.

Prop 187 was struck down as unconstitutional. But the little racist bs of the drivers license remained until Davis went back to pre-94 law.

It looks like the legislature is going to work out some compromise law next year that's half-way between rational pre-94 law and stupidity.

[La_Serpiente]

9. Tu corazon esta en el lugar verdadero

In English, Your Heart is in the true place.

They are only illegal because they don't have the documentation. However, they remain, at least in the eyes of the law, illegal because it takes more than 5 years to get citizenship in the US.

I think you use the word "illegal" because it is the only word that is said in the media and in the White Neighborhoods. Strike the word illegal from your lexicon and replace it with human being.

[Silverhair]

12. By they are in violation of the law. That, by defination,

means illegal.

[Cleita]

10. It's true that many Europeans come in here illegally through

the other border, Canada. They seem to have no problems getting jobs, getting driver's licenses and getting bank accounts and eventually getting Green cards. In the meantime, brown skinned people are discriminated against in every way even if they are native born Americans.

Besides the blatant discrimination, the driver's license law is another legislation that the majority of Californians voted for because of the safety issue, and it is being overturned by a Republican governor of dubious credentials, who seems also to have entered this country under less than legal circumstances, but he's a blue eyed European, so it's okay.

We Californians are having our democratic elections and voice of the people overturned systematically by some very evil fascists who are ramming their programs and candidates down our throats. If you young people, especially those of minorities don't start fighting back, welcome to Poland before WWII.

[AndyTiedye]

14. We've Been Trying To Fight Back

Unfortunately, we are losing.

[NNN0LHI]

13. That is funny. When I think of illegal immigrants coming to this land...

...I picture a few boat loads of Pilgrims. Silly me.

Don

[proud patriot]

17. My great grandparents on my dads dad side

Came in illegally from Canada . My grandfather
was the first American in his family , and the
only reason he became a citizen was because he
was born here .

Who am I to judge anyone coming here to work hard
to get "The American Dream" it's exactly what my
family did 3 generations ago .