Share some stories about illegal immigrants you know personally

[cally]

I live in a state with many immigrants. I sometimes know those who are illegal. I've tried to not ever hire illegal immigrants because I know the consequences to me could be huge. I don't expect INS to go after the large contractors, hotel chains, and WalMarts but they do go after individuals. Still, I know many illegal immigrants and I know how difficult, no impossible, it is for them to gain visas and legal entry.

One person I know well fled a Latin American country during their civil war. Her family left in fear of their lives because they were on the wrong side of junta. They didn't have time to wait for papers but just came and started working. They applied for visas through a lawyer who didn't file them correctly. Recently they found this out and tried to get the papers refiled. Now their home country is stable so the INS is claiming they can't stay. During the past twenty years, they've worked, paid taxes, bought a house, and their children are now working. Their children do not remember their homeland but all may be sent back at any time. They may not have time to sell their house before being sent back. They still fear what will happen to them back home since in their view they are still in danger.

Another person is an illegal immigrant from Europe. They don't fear being sent back because the INS rarely send professionals back who are illegal immigrants. They've been told by well paid and connected lawyers that they may have to pay a fine, if anything. Employers don't ask them for immigration papers because noone suspects they are here illegally since they are white.

I wish we had a system that allowed workers to enter this country legally. The current system is broken and very corrupt. I haven't heard many good outcomes from anyone who becomes entangled with the INS. My state relies on immigrants and it's one of the many reasons I love my state.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I wish we'd ramp up legal immigration

Most of the illegal immigrants I know get screwed over regularly by employers. They either pay them shit wages, treat them like dirt, don't pay them at all, or all of the above. But, they don't have any recourse because they'll get thrown out of the country and into an even WORSE situation.

Illegal immigration doesn't benefit ANYONE. Crackdown on illegal immigration, which is a huge national security risk more than anything else, and ramp up legal immigration in a big way.

[TahitiNut]

11. Increased legal immigration wouldn't serve cheap-labor corporatists.

In some sense, I think of Mexico (among other countries) as a pressure cooker. The lid (quotas on immigration) is kept on to increase the pressure. The fires of a neo-colonialist plantation economy are stoked to keep the heat on. The 'leakage' of those workers with strong backs and legs drive the economic engines where 80% of the value of that labor is confiscated by the plantation owners in the big house - instead of the 'mere' 60% that citizen (and legal resident) workers have been driven to. The cheap-labor corporatists who can't off-shore the jobs (treating human labor as a commodity) benefit from this steam engine.

Unless the people who create these pressure cookers are brought to account, the predations will continue.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. I agree

There definitely needs to be a crackdown on WalMart types, if absolutely nothing else.

[IdaBriggs]

2. My only story is about someone I *don't* know: the guy who got

someone I know pregnant. Apparently he was an illegal who dealt drugs, and was kicked out of the country on a fairly regular basis. He was physically abusive to his then girlfriend. After he got her pregnant, she turned him in (so he was kicked out AGAIN) so she could surrender the child for adoption. She left the state she was living in so he couldn't find her, and seemed very blase about the fact he was both illegal, and able to re-enter the country repeatedly at will. (This was in 2000.)

She's kind of a moron; she ended up marrying a guy who tried to rape his best friend's wife while she was sleeping in her own bed -- an incident that happened while she and Loser Boy 2 had "just started dating" so, as she explained to everyone, it wasn't like they were "exclusive" or anything.

:banghead:

She's still friends with a couple of other friends of mine; I don't associate with either her or her husband since learning of his "questionable judgment."

Does that help? :)

[cally]

3. Your acquantaince sounds very bizarre

I hope her children are protected somehow.

[IdaBriggs]

8. She only had the one child which she surrendered for adoption.

And you are correct; she is very ... bizarre. Yes, that is a nice word. I like it. Bizarre. :)

[cap]

4. me... but not in the US

in Europe... waiting for my work permit... technically worked illegally for a major NGO on a tourist visa for 3 months until the permit came through. What the general public doesnt realize is that all immigration systems except for Japan are bureaucratic nightmares designed to make it as difficult as possible for people to follow the law. Applications are regularly lost; appointments to straighten things out take months to schedule; even with attorneys involved it is not easy or short to obtain a permit. There are quotas on the number of permits issued, etc.

No one is bringing up these issues. Fine...follow rule of law;but dont make the law be a Kafkaesque nightmare.

[cally]

5. Thank you...you got my point

It's almost impossible to follow these laws. Unfortunately many corrupt lawyers prey on the new immigrants and they get caught up in expensive battles with the INS. Even if you want to follow the law, it's very difficult to do so. I doubt I would try to get legal status if I immigrated from Mexico or most Latin American nations.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. I was in a church in Tucson that had an illegal immigrant for a pastor

Oh, cut with the stereotypes! He was a lily-white Canuck, who entered the country some 15 years previously for college and "overstayed" his visa because he was gay, in love with an American citizen, and it was easier for him to stay here than to get his lover in to Canada.

He eventually went to seminary and became the pastor of a MCC church I attendended for a few years. He was paid under the table by the church's administrative council because he did not have a SS number. When a general amnesty was extended in the late 1980s, he went for it.

[TAPat]

7. I lived in a Central American country

for a few years and ran a small business there. I hired a woman to help around the house and in the business. I paid her $100 a month (at least 3 times the going rate) which allowed her to do alot of financial catching up for her extended family and send her little girl to school - she cried when I told her how much I was going to pay her - this woman worked her ass off.
When I decided to come back to the US, I tried to get visas for her and her daughter to come with me to absolutely no avail - I couldn't have bought them with all the money in the world.
It still breaks my heart that a woman who would have made a fine contribution to this country while making a better life for her family back home had to be left behind.

[Sinti]

9. I've known quite a few illegals

The Central American immigrants I've known all came here to escape wars that we helped foment down there. Mostly El Salvador, though I've known a few from Nicaragua and other hot spots, as well. All of the "Mexican's" I've ever known were legal immigrants, oddly enough. They came here, because there was absolutely no guarantee they'd see tomorrow back home, with the death squads and what not, or they didn't want to be forced into the military. I've never seen an illegal making $3 or more per hour, that includes those in management type positions. $2.75 is the max, .75 the minimum.

I've also known a couple of Irish illegals, and a couple of Englishmen. The Irish came here to escape the violence at home, the English came to escape the unemployment until they could get a job at home. They both got paid the same as U.S. citizens. Then again, skin color is a factor in that I'm sure.

[Coastie for Truth]

10. Three of my four grandparents were "illegals"

Paternal Grandfather- "Unaccompanied Minor" - He was "big for his age" and an orphan. His mom's brothers chipped in to buy his steamer ticket and a rail ticket to where they thought a cousin lived.

Maternal Grandfather - "Anarchist" and recently released from Czarist Prison - He became a political activist and union organizer - supported himself by teaching "English As A Second Language."

Maternal Grandmother - "Unaccompanied Minor" - She and her two sisters were orphans, living with an aunt and uncle and working in the aunt's restaurant (the did learn to cook well). Aunt and uncle bought them steamer tickets - and they connected up with family in the US. Grandma was a student in Grandpa's "English As A Second Language" class, shyly and bashfully introduced herself to him, brought pastries to class, and they were married within a few months.

[Ron Mexico]

12. There are plenty where I live, to include about 15 down the road from me.

Even if I just told the truth in the most neutral terms possible, someone on this board would call me a "xenophobe" or a "racist." Suffice it to say that not all illegals are just hardworking types down on their luck - and even for those who are, if there's that so more opportunity here, then registering with the INS and following our laws is not too much to ask. I have no sympathy for people who violate our immigration law, no matter how screwed up it is.

[elehhhhna]

13. The Irish A& Polish illegals I know of in Chicago went HOME when

their economies improved.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

19. elehhhhna, check out this article from the Chicago Sun Times

by Mark Brown:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/brown/cst-nws-brown091.html

There are still thousands of Irish illegals in Chicago and believe me, they're not going anywhere...

[elehhhhna]

20. Thanks -- people in Houston are amazed to hear that there are

brazillions of aliens (many Hispanic) in Chicago.

[KharmaTrain]

27. Also Lots Of Polish Illegals In Chicago

I had the pleasure of working in ethnic radio in Chicago for many years and got to meet many people...legal and illegal. My favorite was a man named "Mr. Nice"...his gimmick was to come up north during the summer...do a radio show in Chicago where he'd make a lot of money promoting bands that he'd bring up from Mexico to Chicago...then during the winter take his money and go back to Auguacalientes for the winter. He made no bones about being an "extrenos"...how he could earn in 6 months in Chicago what it took him 2 years to earn in Mexico.

I've also seen a lot of undocumented Poles and Russians in recent years. Some had green cards that expired and they never left, while others snuck in through "coyotes". The fall of the Berlin Wall only increased the number who came here as it became easier and cheaper to leave those countries...most vanish into the construction trades around here; building those monster homes for the multi-millionaires.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

28. Yeah, I'm aware of the many Polish and other Eastern European

illegals in Chicago and you're right about them vanishing into the construction trades and building those monster homes... and like the Irish illegals, they're not going anywhere either.

[FSogol]

14. When I was in college,

I worked nights and weekends managing a large full-service restaurant and bar. We had about 150 employees and about 30 working at any given time. We hired anyone who was sober. It was the only way to keep the restaurant fully staffed. We sponsored a good number of illegals to help them get their papers.

One guy, from Honduras, started as a dishwasher and in ten years bought his own house in Fairfax County. His son and daughter both attended the University of Virginia. He is now a successful Contractor and US Citizen.

Another guy, from El Salvador worked for us for about 5 months a year and then went back home. He always came back the following year. The reason? He taught Calculus in High School in El Salvador, but could earn more chopping vegetables in our restaurant part of the year. He spent the money he earned on improving his town's elementary school.

I have dozens of stories like these. The majority of these people are good decent people who care about the same things we care about. They did not take the jobs of anyone, since no one was ever turned away. The typical white college student would work 2-3 months and quit. The typical white high school student would work until he was scheduled for a certain weekend he wanted off (concert, festival, etc.) and then he/she would quit. Without the illegal aliens the restaurant would have closed.

[slide to the left]

15. It was pouring

It was pouring down rain. We were in the car, 25 minutes into a 90 minute drive and not going anywhere. Finally traffic started to move. The road was wet and we assumed the sound was something on the road. Nope, it was a flat tire. Did I mention it was pouring, and that we were late, and there was traffic, and there in the car were 4 women, and that it was pouring?

So after calling the road side assistance and them telling us that it will be around an hour, we decided to tackle the tire ourselves. Ok, busy highway, nice area, lots of rain, and we are late. Good. Well, one other woman and I are the only ones who can change a tire, so we jump out and start changing it... in the pouring rain.

The ONLY car to stop and help up was a truck full of Mexican guys that speak no english. Well, I live in Texas and they worked construction and that means only one thing, they were illegal. The changed our tire in the pouring rain.

We were still late and wet, but not as late as we could have been nor as wet as we could have been.

[AzDar]

17. Here's one : My Hubby, straight out of college, took a management

postion in a subsidiary of a VERY well-known American food production facility here in AZ. He was shocked to learn that the company knowingly and routinely hired illegals to run production equipment. Once, during a meeting, he brought to the attention of his 'superiors' that one of the undocumented workers had almost lost a hand in a piece of equipment, because he didn't speak English, and was unable to understand the command of "shut it DOWN".
He relayed that this was, in his opinion, a matter of safety (as well as liability), and posed serious risks to those workers and those who worked along side them, who couldn't understand English. He was promptly "written up" for making "anti-diversified" (whatever the hell THAT means!) statements. He resigned immediately.

[crispini]

18. A friend of mine does fancy finishes on walls in new homes.

Most of her co-workers on the construction sites are illegal immigrants, and I've met a few of them when I've gone out to lunch and she's brought one of them along. They're usually real nice guys, don't speak much English but are very affable and friendly. They will very readily tell stories about going back and forth across the border, sometimes get caught, and then try again. They typically send most of their pay back home and bunk 5 or 6 guys in a one bedroom apartment to save money.

I haven't made up my mind about any of this yet. All I know is, it's complicated.

[elehhhhna]

21. That's more proof the numbers of illegals are inflated--as so many

go back home a few times a year

[Hell Hath No Fury]

22. Hey Cally

:hi:

Living in San Francisco, I have a long history with the plight of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.

In the 60s, it was worker's right with Chavez -- many of the migrant field workers were here without visas. Back in the 70s, we were flooded with refugees from the American-backed wars down in central America -- San Francisco was an official safe haven for refugees and our police were told not to arrest Latinos they ran across who were undocumented. Now our biggest immigrant groups (both documented and undocumented) tend to be from China and Mexico.

Right now I work with three gentlemen from Mexico who are here without papers. They are all great, hard working guys who were sent here by their families to act as the breadwinners. Every extra dollar is sent back home to Mexico to take care of their family. Two of them have already been deported once and came back. They each have green cards, social security cards and CA drivers licenses. They pay into Social Security and Medicare, pay local, federal and state taxes. Each year, the owner gets a notice from the Social Security Administration that the SS# for these guys is not right. Each year they come up with new numbers that will keep then working for another year. This has been going on for seven years.

These men work at jobs that pay $15 dollars an hour and they have full medical and dental benefits. In other words they work at jobs many resident would like to work at.

And that is part of the quandry.

What do you tell hardworking, good people who are here illegally but only want to work and take care of their families? Is it our country's job to accommidate them? Are we heartless bastards if we say we want you here but through a legal process? What do we say to the folks who have been here without documentation for years and years, with children who have been born and raised here? Do we say I don't care if you are here illegally so long as you do the work cheaply and without complaint?

For me, this is an incredibly complicated issue. I work with undocumented workers, I socialize with them, I patronize their businesses, and I personally benefit from their labor.

I am a big believer in our country being made better and stronger through immigrants from all over our world coming to our shores. With that said, I must acknowledge a few things. Do undocumented workers (of all nationalities) work in jobs that residents might be able to work at? Yes, undoubtedly. Do undocumented workers add to the costs of our local health services? Yes, they do. Are businesses who chose to hire undocumented workers (for a variety of reasons) the real cause of the influx of undocumented workers? Absolutely.

I want every immigrant, regardless of where they come from or their reason from coming, to our country to go through some sort of legal process -- something that will give the workers LEGAL STATUS and PROTECTIONS, which will benefit the workers and which may take away some of the reasons unscrupulous business owners may be hiring undocumented workers. If businesses are forced to provide proper wages, protections such as OSHA, and can be held accountable for what happens to their documented workers, then part of the incentive for hiring the undocumented is moot. And then enforce the rules on hiring undocumented workers. Basic human compassion requires some sort of amnesty is in order for the folks with families who are already here.

As I have said, it is complicated. I think there are genuine issues on all sides of the argument that need to be addressed.

[cally]

23. You raise good points

For me, I don't believe the current immigration laws are fair. If we had better laws with some sort of amnesty, then I think everyone who works here should be here legally. We do need to punish employers more because without employment, illegal immigrants will have less reason to come here.

I think there are issues that need to be discussed.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

24. Absolutely!

There is a lot to discuss. Reading through many of the threads on the subject I see it can be hard for some to do. I think Skinner handled it well when he pointed out that one can be against allowing undocumented workers free access to jobs and not be a bigot. And with that said, yeah, some DUers are bigots!

It can get a bit touchy. ;)

[CottonBear]

25. My German friend got married after 5 or 6 years here.

She came over from Germany with her German husband to live here and then he got cancer and died. :(
I suppose she's no longer illegal since her new marriage. She just was real quiet and low-key for the time she was illegal. She has her own business.

[annabanana]

26. Fell in love with one, once...

years ago. I lived in the City and had nothing and nothing to lose. He was a wild man from Northern Ireland who worked with a horse & carriage at the South of the Park. A charming ne'er do well staggeringly blue eyes....He had jumped ship off the QE2 and he could spin a yarn.....
(trashy romance novel to follow)

[radwriter0555]

29. Daysey Garcia walked to Los Angeles from El Salvador.....

my former housekeeper of many years.

She walked.

From El Salvador.

Lovely woman. I miss her.

[cally]

30. Wow

How old was she when she did this? I was watching a snippet on CNN this morning seeing all the mostly men hanging onto 'death trains." They illegally hang on the trains and many die. One man interviewed left Honduras, I think, with $10 to come find work because there was no other way to support his family. I don't know what the answer to immigration is but I want a world where everyone can support their families. That matters more to me than whether someone has proper papers.