WP: Flow of Illegal Immigrants to U.S. Unabated

[DeepModem Mom]

Flow of Illegal Immigrants to U.S. Unabated
Mexicans Make Up Largest Group; D.C. Area Numbers Up 70 Percent Since 2000

By Sylvia Moreno
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 22, 2005; Page A02


Despite tighter border enforcement and a post-Sept. 11, 2001, economic slump, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has continued to grow steadily, with many moving into states that traditionally have small foreign-born populations, according to a new report released yesterday.

Based on Census Bureau and other government data, the Pew Hispanic Center, a private research group in Washington, estimated the number of undocumented immigrants at 10.3 million as of last March, an increase of 23 percent from the 8.4 million estimate in 2000. More than 50 percent of that growth was attributable to Mexican nationals living illegally in the United States, the report said.

Most of the overall growth has been in states that previously had small foreign-born populations, including Arizona and North Carolina, as well as the Washington metropolitan area....

***

.... "What drives the growth in immigrant populations in general is employment opportunities," (emographer Jeffrey S. Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center) said, especially in fields that do not require formal education....Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, which favors a plan to legalize illegal immigrants, said the continued growth of that population simply shows that current immigration policy "is broken."...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55202-2005Mar21.html

[TahitiNut]

1. "What drives the growth ... is employment opportunities"

Start jailing the employers! It's a no-brainer!

[skippythwndrdog]

5. Seal the damn border, jail their employers, and start deportations NOW!

I'm sick of it!

[ugarte]

2. Econ. 101: Supply and demand

The 'invisible hand' at work.

[Wright Patman]

3. Yeah, most Americans

are not yet willing to work at coolie wages.

Check back in 10 to 20 years. They will have to by then. Either that or the revolution will have begun.

[Robert Oak]

4. wrong o

these people are working the system like no tomorrow.

With fake social security numbers and under the table money,
they are getting welfare benefits plus Medicaid plus tax free
"coolie" wages...

which is way more income than most Americans at this point and they
even have health insurance through Medicaid, unlike most working
poor Americans.

[High Plains]

8. Wow, maybe you should follow their example!

Those "illegal" immigrants have it so good! Dude, get out in the vegetable fields and earn some of those big coolie wages if you think you can do better at stoop labor than you can with a job in the formal sector. You have got to be kidding.

[Robert Oak]

17. i'm not kidding, I see it here in Oregon

and they aren't working in the fields, they are working at the local
businesses...from construction to maid service. 7-11 bucks an hour,
all under the table, tax free.

and yup, for people w/o health insurance desperate, I've certainly
mentioned getting a fake social security number so they can
get Medicaid and survive.

[barb162]

13. once fairly high-paying jobs have become "coolie" jobs, such

as landscaping, manufacturing, etc. Employers who hire illegals, need to get huge fines, assets seized, jail terms, etc. Slaps on the wrists won't work.

[ghardy68]

6. Stop Granting Citizenship to Children of illegals!

This might sound rude but I think that it is time to stop giving citizenship to those children born to illegals. This would stop the flow somewhat but I think that we should sue companies that hire them and demand that they hire citizens. Also stop banks from processing transactions by illegals. Being illegal shouldn't mean that you have access to everything that citizens have except the vote. The drain on the resources for our children and our standards of living outweigh the fact that Mexicans need jobs. Politicians have no incentive to close the borders so illegals continue. The only champion we have in this cause is Lou Dobbs 6pm EST on CNN, he has the balls to say the truth and we should pressure safe havens like LA, Texas, Utah, New York and etc that they are breaking the laws. If the government tells the citizens of this country that they must obey all laws, why does the government get to pick and choose what laws they want to enforce? It's BS! there will be a backlash from our citizens and it's going to happen sooner than later!

[High Plains]

7. Excuse me, I thought I was at DU

I'm suprised at the tenor of most of the comments on this thread. They seem more akin to the FR ranting and raving, although thankfully not as blood-thirsty.

These people come here for the noblest of reasons: to work to support their families. They are obeying a higher law than the immigration law of the United States: the law of supply and demand. I find it ironic that in these days of NAFTA and globalization, where capital and jobs flow wherever they feel like it, we somehow think that people will not flow as well.

If we don't like "illegal" immigration, then we should institute a guest worker program so these people can be regularized. That would both protect American workers and protect undocumented workers, who currently get screwed by their employers and the migra.

[ugarte]

9. Yeah, I know

Even at DU there are people who like to jump on the underdog. Too shy to blame the corporate overlords, they blame the poor.

[ghardy68]

11. Say WHAT?

A guest worker program equals amnesty. This isn't right and regardless of the demand they are still breaking the law while depressing the wages of the poor already working or trying to find work. Also think about the dynamics of millions of people of the same background achieving voting rights and pushing a new agenda perhaps Vincente Fox's agenda. Illegal immigrants are sending billions to Mexico and abroad so how are they supporting our economy? They are also using false social security numbers to obtain HUD Home Loans (Denver) and drivers licenses. Yes big corporations love easy money but so do our citizens. They are here now asking for voting rights and draining Medicaid and other social programs for the native born Americans stuck in a system of PIGS.

[High Plains]

15. Them damned Meskins

So what is your solution? A massive roundup and deportation of the estimated 11 million undocumented workers? And just who is going to pick the grapes, wash the dishes, mow the lawns, etc?

A guest worker program need not equal amnesty, although I personally have nothing against amnesty. These hard-working immigrants are the kind of people who traditionally made America great. What Bush proposed was a limited guest worker program, with people being able to stay in the country to work for a few years. I am no fan of Bush, but I haven't heard the Democrats say a damned word about the huge issue, which is apparently pissing off Democrats as well.

As for the dynamics of millions of people of the same background voting for Vicente Fox's agenda, give me a break! I'm more worried about people voting for George Bush's agenda. That notion also assumes Mexicans have monolithic political views. Simply not true.

Undocumented workers do send money home, but they also consume while they are in the US. I don't know anyone who is giving them free rent, free food, free cars, etc. So yes, as working people who are ineligible to receive many benefits due to citizens, they make a contribution.

Ooh, they're getting false social security numbers! Well, why don't we move ahead with the Fox suggestion to allow for the US social security deductions taken from them to be applied to their Mexican social security? And what else, they're buying homes? Ohmigod!

And God forbid an undocumented worker should be able to drive legally and purchase insurance and all that. Let them have drivers' licenses, for goodness' sake!

All this talk about "native born Americans" carries more than a faint stench of racism. It is understandable that people on this board are upset about immigration issues, but it is disappointing indeed to see such fearful and hateful reasoning here. I expect it on Free Republic, not here.

[barb162]

21. Is this supposed to be the laugh of the day? Gee, are they saints??

"They are obeying a higher law than the immigration law of the United States: the law of supply and demand"

Give them medals for being capitalists? Come on.

Guest worker programs are already in place. Illegals should not be here. People who want to enter this country should apply legally and wait their turns.

[barb162]

14. I love Lou Dobbs. He tells it like it is. Yesterday he read a letter

from one of the listeners about we're paying $68 billion in free health care and education to the illegals and the veterans can't get health care. Click!

[High Plains]

16. Lou Dobbs, friend of the working man

Lou Dobbs has been on this anti-immigrant schtick for years. Ooh, a letter from a listener. Now that's a real source of unbiased information.

I thought Democrats were supposed to be the party of working people. But it seems from this thread that it is the party of the Know-Nothing nativists.

[barb162]

19. And what are your sources for unbiased info? The comic book from

Vincente Fox's government about how to criminally enter the USA? Sounds like you are from the straight ol' Know Nothing party.

[barb162]

20. I would say that 13 million illegals in this country is one hell of a

lot of illegals and one hell of a problem.

[barb162]

22. and one more thing, Lou Dobbs is a friend of the middle class and

the working man and woman. Illegals aren't

[Bridget Burke]

10. Throw the illegal employers into jail.

Not for long, just enough for them to get the feel of the place. And levy big fines.

The workers wouldn't come unless there was a demand.

[Peter1x9]

18. exactly

The Fascists don't want guest worker programs, they want and demand a population that is willing to get screwed by their employers: an endless source of cheap labor.

Americans simply can't compete with illegal immigrants who work for less than minimum wage. When they come here they displace American workers and drive down wages. And they are only able to do it because they have the (almost) full support of our government and full support of our businesses.

The way to fix this problem isn't through an underfunded and undermanned border patrol. It also isn't through deportation (the illegals just come back over and over again). The way to fix this problem is to fix our laws and enforcement on businesses. With actual enforcement of the laws and fines on businesses that employ illegal immigrants, the immigrants would have to come here the legal way. And the ones already here would either have to apply for citizenship, employment visas, or leave.

And yes, I am for immigration, as long as it's done the legal way.

[Megahurtz]

12. I think Bushitler's plan is to

covertly turn the other cheek and let illegal immigrants in so he can eventually make them legal and draft them all. Hey, more soldiers!

In the meantime, it's just more cheap labor for his corporate buddies.

All it is for him is only more people to EXPLOIT for his gain.

USER!!!:argh: