To be able to immigrate to the USA, you must first get a green card. The only way you can get a green card is by having a close relative who is a US citizen. The immigrant must show he or she won’t become a public charge of the government, must pass a medical exam and, in many cases, get a sponsor who will attest to accepting financial responsibility for the immigrant.

The current wait time for a Mexican citizen to get a green card is 22 years. Yes, 22 years.

Now do you people get it?

In the 1980’s I spent a year traveling in the affected countries by car. The people were wonderful and made me feel very welcome..

Unfortunately, the U.S. can not accommodate the world’s population. What we can do is to help those countries with the problems that make their homes undesirable.

Ok, “legal,” I’ll be sure to refer to you as a “non-alien resident” from here on out since we are sticking to strict terminology. “Person” and “human” weren’t good enough.

They mostly do not do not qualify for “free stuff”, yet somehow manage, usually by very hard labor, doing jobs that most American citizens have not applied for. Perhaps you missed the statistic I offered, which is that they contribute 63 BILLION dollars more to our economy over a 10 year period than it cost to support them. They normally do not want to leave their native country to come here and bust their asses at difficult jobs, but make the trip because of the changes (for the worse) that have taken place in their native country due to corporate interference. Such as duly and legally elected leaders being assassinated by our CIA and replaced by dictators who brutalize the population and allow the spread of violent crime. This has happened all over South America. In countries like Mexico, heavily armed drug cartels, funded by the massive amount of addicts in America, run rough shod over rural populations, leaving rape,death and destruction in their path. Just what would you do? I say we man up and begin to take some responsibility for our very negative influence on these people’s lives. It is indeed a complex problem. But blaming the victims is not going to solve it.

“A general summary of U.S. immigration terminology follows. Any references below to USCIS refer to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Alien

An individual who is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.”

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/immigration-terms-and-definitions-involving-aliens

“illegal (adjective)

Definition of illegal

(Entry 1 of 2)
: not according to or authorized by law : unlawful, illicit also : not sanctioned by official rules (as of a game)”

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illegal

So, UnReasoned, they ARE “aliens” and they ARE “illegal.”

“We’re all just trying to feed our families.” Really? Well, that’s just fine- I’m feeding my family here in my country, and they can feed their families there in their country. But what many of them are actually trying to do is bring their families here for US to feed THEM. And, if they really are genuine in their intent to become Americans, they can verify that by obeying our laws of entry in the first place and then carrying out the process to become legal citizens.

And your feeble attempt to blame the whole migration issue on the Reagan administration foreign policy 30 years ago is utterly laughable. That used to work with some people- it just doesn’t anymore.

As for all of you who boast the “legal” way their families came to this country, good for you. Just attempt to educate yourself to the previous ease of that process. There was a time, for instance, when a willingness to kill Indigenous People for their land was a sufficient qualification.

It is not the workers who are driving the wages down. IT IS THE GREEDY EMPLOYERS. Their salaries have risen by over 300% and in some cases, much more, while lower tier employees have actually fallen. They are the ones who are paying less for work. If we had the kind of solid minimum wage laws and trade unions and trade agreements that were in place when I was young, we would have the same solid middle class we had then as well. Simple logic. Voting to deregulate these things got you where you are now. But don’t let that stop you.

Also, although many of you will attack me for mentioning this, a recent study showed that over a 10 year period, immigrants added $63 BILLION dollars more to our economy than they cost to support.

You are definitely getting screwed, no doubt about it. But it is not the poor who are doing it. If they were, they wouldn’t be poor. But don’t let that logic get in the way of a good scapegoat..

Go ahead and attack me for saying this. In a culture where we glorify people for self centered, sociopathic behavior, never blinking at tax breaks for those who already have more money that God and admire them for it, it is to be expected. Make the nastiest, most ridiculous comments you can think of, it is very trendy in some circles. Because that will certainly be easier than taking some responsibility for your problems.

There is also a question of international responsibility. The interference of the US into the internal affairs of Central America and Caribbean nations during the Reagan administration has lead directly to the instability and poverty driving these people from their homes.
Assassinations, covert military aggression, and cultivation of drug markets (Iran-Contra scandal) were all inflicted upon these formerly developing nations. The instability then contributes to them defaulting on their IMF and World Bank loans which loses them the right to self determine their economies.
All this was happening while I was a child and I had no way to influence these events. Still, I know how lucky I was to be born on this side of that imaginary line. I can’t help but have a softer stance in immigration knowing the US had a hand in creating this problem.
They are not “aliens” and they aren’t “illegals.” They are just people. Don’t let the rich, powerful interests in this country blind you to the reality. We’re all just trying to feed our families.