I was just wondering about this. When these people, usually ones from Mexico or Central or South America, come to the US, why do they sneak in? Why don't they apply for a work card or for citizenship? Also how come many of them never want to learn English. This lady who works as a custodian where I work, has been in this country for 19 years, but still doesn't speak or understand English. Neither does her husband who also is a custodian.

answer to first question:
the list is so damn long its not even funny. im not joking when i say it takes 12 years for some people. the wait just isnt bareable.

answer to second question:
these people are uneducated so they dont know the way; they dont know to learn, and their families dont know of any better life than being a custodian or something similar.

Does the wait varies by country? I moved here when I was 12 from one of the Eastern European countries and I think we got all of our paperwork in about 6 months.

native Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does the wait varies by country? I moved here when
> I was 12 from one of the Eastern European
> countries and I think we got all of our paperwork
> in about 6 months.


Yes if you're Cuban you're homefree.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_feet%2C_dry_feet_policy

Plus wait times and application times have gotten longer after 9/11.

TRICKIE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was just wondering about this. When these
> people, usually ones from Mexico or Central or
> South America, come to the US, why do they sneak
> in? Why don't they apply for a work card or for
> citizenship? Also how come many of them never
> want to learn English. This lady who works as a
> custodian where I work, has been in this country
> for 19 years, but still doesn't speak or
> understand English. Neither does her husband who
> also is a custodian.

Trickie, let me explain something to you.

There are few LEGAL ways to get into the US.

1. Work Visa

2. Green Card Lottery (closed to some countries)

3. Marriage visa

4. Tourist visa


Now, # 1 2 3 = equals eventually citizenship

#4 - you come and you go, but a lot of people stay.


Citizenship wait is atleast 5 years.

Family reunion - could be 10+

They sneak in because their chances of getting a visa are very slim. This site has alot of info on how the visa and quota system works:

http://www.kkeane.com/general-faq.shtml

They probably don't learn English because they work in menial jobs that don't really require communication skills, and they probably do not socialize at all with people who speak English.


TRICKIE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was just wondering about this. When these
> people, usually ones from Mexico or Central or
> South America, come to the US, why do they sneak
> in? Why don't they apply for a work card or for
> citizenship? Also how come many of them never
> want to learn English. This lady who works as a
> custodian where I work, has been in this country
> for 19 years, but still doesn't speak or
> understand English. Neither does her husband who
> also is a custodian.

In US, english is not a requirement, everything is in spanish, korean, urdu, etc

They sneak in because places where they live are complete dumps.

and also, US is connected to these countries by land.

Immigrant Wrote:
>> They sneak in because places where they live are complete dumps.

I visited the city of Nuevo Laredo a few years ago, it's really surprising how completely trashed the place actually is. They have like open sewers on the street, garbage strewn everywhere, and so much auto exhaust you feel like you might choke. I'm sure if I were stuck living in a place like that I'd be looking for any way possible to get across the border.

Trickie, you have to remember that most of the folks you're talking about are illiterate in SPANISH, never mind English. I don't think it's that they don't want to learn English, it's just that they have no experience with education. Plus, most work multiple jobs and have no time for English classes anyway.

I believe that the illegal immigration problem will soon solve itself. As our economy continues it's meltdown, when the dollar is worth less than a peso, they'll go home or elsewhere.

Nah, US will simple turn into other mexico.

.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2012 10:13AM by Alias.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Immigrant Wrote:
> >> They sneak in because places where they live
> are complete dumps.
>
> I visited the city of Nuevo Laredo a few years
> ago, it's really surprising how completely trashed
> the place actually is. They have like open sewers
> on the street, garbage strewn everywhere, and so
> much auto exhaust you feel like you might choke.
> I'm sure if I were stuck living in a place like
> that I'd be looking for any way possible to get
> across the border.



And this is precisely what many of the illegals are doing to some of our communities. This is how they live and they don't know any better. They are just bringing it across the border with them. Call me a "racist" if you wish, but it's the absolute truth and most of America knows it or soon will.

Yup.

it is the truth.

ey mai hernandez (herndon) es ours mai! ain no white people mai la raza rule tha worl' mai! mai i jump da bordah lyk 40 times mai y we badda$$ mai

I wouldn't call it the absolute truth, more of an exaggeration of the truth, cuz there's no place around here that resembles anything like the mess they got going on down there. It's not even close. Even the scariest parts of LA that I've been in don't look anything like that.

Why spend the money and time if you can just jump the border and make twice the money you're going to make in Mexico.

Worst case is you get caught and sent back home(Mexico).

The problem is that our lax immigration enforcement policies permit Mexico to avoid being a responsible Government. They can be irresponsible because they do not have to -- the US is their social program.

No one who has studied Mexico thinks differently - everyone from the World Bank to financiers to even Government officials knows that Mexico has an impaired and corrupt political economy that doesn't provide for its citizens - and they have little incentive to change with social programs fueled by repatriated dollars. And cut the bunk about Mexico being "poor" - its per capita income is respectable and they are capable of doing so much better it is not funny.

Progressive, open border types by and large don't cotton to economics - it is not in their DNA - and I find this generalization true. But if they would look closely at, for example, PEMEX - Mexico's dying and corrupt and nationalized oil company - that is the cash cow that keeps the elites in Mexico fixed in their positions - they would begin to view this issue differently. It barely breaks even - at that is with oil with over 100 bucks a barrel!! And they don't invite or incent innovators to come in - so of course new fields are not explored, and neither are assets used efficiently. The result is lost wealth to a fair thee well and far less money for the state to build a functioning infrastructure. The worst thing we do for Mexico is not enforce our immigration laws - because most states have to act like states out of necessity - we let them off the hook.

There are very little people from mexico here.

Most of them come from other nations south of us.

Amazing how you people pontificate without benefit of portfolio - and you have the whole damn internet at your disposal...


http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4177.html

Mexico contributes the vast majority of illegal immigrants to this country. If this area has different demographics, then the statistics may be different here. And in any event, given the brutal, almost inhuman treatment that Mexico affords illegal immigrants from Central America (and it is brutal and far more immoral than anything anyone could possibly conclude about our practices here), it is hardly inapposite to point to Mexico as a huge source of the problem. If we truly wished to help Mexico and its people, then we would not be complicit in the present corrupt status quo by allowing its ruling families to export millions of potential dissidents and would-be reformers.

And failure to enforce immigration policy makes no sense from our own national interest. Everyone who lives in America generates costs to everyone else. One can show up at a hospital emergency ward and demand medical care. One can get in an accident and cause others injury, death, and loss of property (especially if inadequately insured as the law requires) . One can pollute the air or water, or commit crimes that cause both tangible and intangible costs - in some areas, such as California, very considerable ones. One can show up at a public school with kids (and in some cases, many kids - and in Fairfax, that is 11k per kid) that one wants to be educated (and not so easy to educate, either, given the lack of assimilationist culture that so often obtains). In all of these and many more ways we generate costs. The question is for each of us can we afford the kinds of costs we generate or will the society have to pay? An immigration policy that imports additional people every day who will, on average, generate more costs than revenues is a dumb immigration policy.

Yes, but so far the costs aren't affecting the people who make use of the illegal labor. Illegals piss in my parking lot, not in their flower gardens.

Let us not forget that there was also a significant amenesty for illegals back in the mid 80's. A lot of illegals (from hearsay) are waiting to see if that happens again. I hope it doesn't. If these people were fleeing persecution or something, I could bear it. But most of these folks just want cash to send home.

djbuddha - bingo, you got it right! Illegal immigration benefits the wealthy and the business class. They get to exploit the cheap labor, and do so with the connivance of elitist or out of touch liberals who cotton to the idea that these immigrants do the jobs that others won't do. That is an artificial contrivance. Heck, there is a labor market - let it work as we intend under our rule of law. If, by way of example, labor is too expensive to pick grapes, farmers will do as they do in Australia, a place with very restrictive immigration laws - they turn to mechanization. Right now, there is no incentive to make capital investment with illegal cheap labor. Ditto for lawn service - heck, if it gets so expensive that it becomes unaffordable, believe me, people will adjust - and might let trees and pasture or some other low maintenance design prevail. And so on....

Right now, illegal immigration depresses the wages of the poorest group of legal citizens - by some measures, quite a bit. Of course, these poor folks only intuit was is happening, and the rest are more than happy to exploit it, including politicians trolling for votes. It is time to be principled about immigration, and do so in a fair way the enforces the law.