Illegal Aliens Demand Help From Obama
The Washington Post wants you to get out your handkerchiefs:
‘Mixed-Status’ Families Look to Obama
By Kari Lydersen
Sunday, November 16, 2008; A04CHICAGO, Nov. 15 — The people were of different nationalities and backgrounds, but they had a common refrain: Don’t split up our families.
The 300-plus people who attended the meeting Saturday at St. Pius Church in the Pilsen neighborhood were sending a reminder to President-elect Barack Obama to keep his promise to address immigration reform.
“I expect Barack Obama, our engine for change, will do everything he can to keep his promise for comprehensive immigration reform that reunites families who are already separated and keeps families together,” said Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D), who called the meeting and who in the next Congress will reintroduce immigration legislation he co-sponsored last year.
Chicago, Obama’s home, has in recent years been at the forefront of the battle over immigration. The wave of massive marches for immigrant rights in 2006 started here, and Chicago groups — including the grass-roots organization La Familia Latina Unida — have for several years taken the lead nationally on “mixed-status” families.
The Aguirre and Pulido families that gathered in a Mexican restaurant after sharing their stories at St. Pius are among the nearly 2 million families in the United States with at least one undocumented parent and children who are U.S. citizens. The families’ stories, as well as those of others who filled out forms documenting their hardships, will be put in a report and given to Obama…
“President-elect Barack Obama is committed to reviving immigration reform. This has been a priority throughout his career in public office and will continue to be a priority in an Obama administration,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said…
Chicago has led the way in shedding light on such mixed-status families.
In August 2006, Elvira Arellano, the single mother of a U.S.-born son, defied a deportation order and took refuge in a church on Chicago’s west side for a year until she was arrested after a speaking engagement in Los Angeles. She now lives in Mexico with her son, Saul, 9, and continues to lobby for immigration reform.
Another Mexican immigrant with a 2006 deportation order, Flor Crisostomo, is “taking sanctuary,” as she and supporters say, in the same church.
Some advocates are worried that the administration will not make immigration a priority because of the economic crisis and the controversial nature of the debate.
But Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said the economy makes it imperative to address the situation.
“In a time of economic crisis, it’s important to prevent unscrupulous employers from pulling down wages by hiring undocumented workers,” he said…
Here we go. (Not that the drumbeat from our open borders media has ever stopped.)
But now we have a new cry: “Save Us Obama.”
How soon before the heroic (felon) Elvira Arellano returns to the US in triumph?
Another Mexican immigrant with a 2006 deportation order, Flor Crisostomo, is “taking sanctuary,” as she and supporters say, in the same church.
And why didn’t Aunt Zeituni go this route?
But Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said the economy makes it imperative to address the situation.
“In a time of economic crisis, it’s important to prevent unscrupulous employers from pulling down wages by hiring undocumented workers,” he said.
Yes, nothing helps an economic crisis like opening the floodgates to more people to compete for jobs and public services — and to go on the dole.
Apparently, there is never a bad time to have open borders.
Still, the question always arises — why can’t these families unite in their own countries?
Sincerely, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting if I were these Latino families. Obama scored big with Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and other Rust Belt states. Those voters will revolt if Obama floods the job market with lots of cheap naturalized labor.
The Latinos who voted Obama thinking they were going to get an immigrant paradise will soon hear lots of excuses from the O Bomb.
I hope it will serve as a lesson to the 67% of Latinos who voted Obama — Stop voting based on immigration policy and vote based on libertarian principles, sound economic policy, strong defense. In other words, forget the Democrats — they’re not really your friends!!!
Having said that, I agreed with McCain’s view on immigration. But I realize I’m the minority on the conservative side, and I don’t hang a lot on that one disagreement since I find that Democrats typically give us the same damn policies on immigration anyway. Remember the naturalization act that Reagan signed? He went on to a landslide in 1984.
“Remember the naturalization act that Reagan signed? He went on to a landslide in 1984.”
Latinos4JohnnyMac, President Reagan signed that act in 1986. It wasn’t an issue that Reagan won with or was even associated with in 1984.
I respect your sentiments about the Latino issue of wanting a better life for your wife and kids, then busting into our country to obtain them. For you, a Latino, I can tell that your allegiance between being an American and being ethnic are in conflict.
I just wish you were able to feel the weight of what you advocate for.
I’m part Cherokee, and mostly ScotsIrish. But that doesn’t cloud my thinking on what’s right and wrong when it comes down to the Constitution. The right way to behave in this world is to avoid having a baby until you can afford one. I’m not at fault as an American because you as a Mexican or South American got yourself into a situation where you need to break my laws to support your bad decisions.
Does that make any sense to you, man?
And I don’t care about the problem of lack of sex education in Mexico or southward as the real culprit; it doesn’t cause me to rethink what I know to be right and wrong. After all, I’m 41, was raised in a poor, mountainous community at a time when sex education was nothing more than listening to the agriculture teacher talk about livestock, and I cared enough about our society to keep from getting some girl pregnant and ending up on welfare because I couldn’t afford it. (I still haven’t had a child)
Why am I wrong to insist that others show the same care about America that I have?
QUESTION: Would you be advocating for some McCain-like amnesty program if we lived on the border of Bangladesh and you were still of Hispanic heritage?
How soon before the heroic (felon) Elvira Arellano returns to the US in triumph?
I can’t help but think of the old Oak Ridge Boys song whenever I see that name.
As for amnesty? Bad idea.
“Help Us Oba-ma, you’re our only hope!
Help Us Oba-ma, you’re our only hope!
Help Us Oba-ma, you’re our only hope!
Help Us Oba-ma, you’re our only hope!
Help Us Oba-ma, you’re our only hope!
Help Us Oba-ma, you’re our only hope!”
This isn’t the savior you’re looking for…
“Still, the question always arises — why can’t these families unite in their own countries?”
I don’t know about other countries, but in Mexico their education costs money, even since elementary school. So the majority drop out of school in elementary or middle school to work, like my mom who starting working at 9 years old and dropped out of the 6th grade to help her family pay the bills and buy food.
THAT SAID………all of her brothers and sisters worked hard, hard enough so that their kids could go to school. Now the majority of them (my cousins) are architects, accountants, teachers, successful business owners, etc. in Mexico.
My Mexican peeps need to know they really can make it in Mexico. Easy? No. Harder to get ahead than the U.S.? Absolutely. Possible? Absolutely.
@John Galt,
Thanks for the point about 1984 and 1986. I suppose I still have one small case in the general cause of my argument: Bush Sr. went on to win in 1988, so the Republicans “survived” an amnesty bill signed by a Republican. If Reagan had run again in 1988, maybe he would have won.
About your general uneasiness with immigration, all I can say is, relax. I don’t feel tension between my ethnic and national identities, since I am a proud Latino and see that as part of being American. The thought of 7 million Latinos getting amnesty doesn’t scare me because I’ve lived my whole life interacting with Latinos and, to tell you the truth, I like them. Also, I am a Christian and my Baptist faith always behooves me to view others with faith, hope and charity — alas!
If someone is a criminal or something sinister, by all means throw the bum out, I don’t care if he has nowhere to go. But the vast majority of illegal aliens simply came for a better life. So I will have to be in permanent disagreement with you on this issue, and we’ll look for areas where we can agree (plentiful space for that.)
Having said all the above, I would like to remind you — I support building a wall along the border and heightened security. I hate the Democrats for giving Mexico mixed messages, saying we want you but we don’t want you. It confuses and destroys people. A wall says one message: No open admissions! Get in line and fill out an application.
The problem is that we can’t remove 11 million people, many of whom are innocent, from our country without re-enacting a pogrom or even the Holocaust. The Europeans tried this with Jews for hundreds of years, and lo and behold, evil is not only evil, but also impractical! So that’s why I am with McCain on amnesty.
Ciao!
“I suppose I still have one small case in the general cause of my argument: Bush Sr. went on to win in 1988, so the Republicans “survived” an amnesty bill signed by a Republican.”
Nice attempt at squirming away from your original claim, which was completely wrong. And as far as your next comment, “If Reagan had run again in 1988, maybe he would have won”, that is a poor attempt to improve upon your original problem.
“About your general uneasiness with immigration, all I can say is, relax.”
“Relax”? What makes you think I’m taking to the streets with placard in hand to demand justice about immigration? Or shaking my fists and yelling?
No, Latino, I haven’t done anything like that, so you are outside your bounds to tell me that I need to relax. It’s your brothers who need to relax, Latino. After all, when they are protesting in the streets, shaking their fists at me, don’t they realize that good ol’ America will still be there for them to stomp on and rob?
C’mon, Pedro….relax. You don’t need to clog my streets and threaten us–you’ve gotten everything that you want–you broke my laws, robbed my people, got free health care and education. What else do you have to protest about?
Judging from how things in this country have turned out, maybe I’ve been TOO relaxed. Along with hundreds of million other Americans.
And one last thing about “relaxing”: Tell those Mexicans that instead of creating more babies they can’t afford, jumping our borders, and forging social security numbers that THEY should relax.
“The thought of 7 million Latinos getting amnesty doesn’t scare me because I’ve lived my whole life interacting with Latinos and, to tell you the truth, I like them.”
Right–you’re Latino first, American second. Big surprise. If you could see past your ethnicity, you’d see that America isn’t an infinite welfare check. You talk like someone who hasn’t had to do the hard work of defending this nation, and it shows.
Happening to like them is not the issue. This isn’t a popularity contest. I’m sure there are several robbers who only wanted good things for their families. Our country didn’t get here because we decided every court case according to whether we liked them.
Latino, you may want to try this one on for size, too: when you’re wrong, don’t come back at the person who was kind enough to show you your error with spite and condescension. You were wrong, and maybe you need to think on it for a while.
I think the problem here is a lack of familiarity with the English language. People who cross a national border without first obtaining permission to do so are not “immigrants”, they are “invaders”. Immigrants go to another country because they want to become part of that country, invaders go to another country because they want make that country part of their country. It shouldn’t be difficult to see to which group the “Por La Raza todos; por los otros nada” people belong. When you are ready to describe yourself as an American of Latin descent rather than a Latino, you will have taken the first step toward becoming a real citizen of this country. In my hometown, the chief of police was an American of Spanish descent and he spoke English. There were many others, but they all thought of themselves as Americans first. Myself? I’m an American of French, English, Scots, Irish, Creek, and Cherokee descent.
“Immigrants go to another country because they want to become part of that country, invaders go to another country because they want make that country part of their country.”
By and large, my experience has been that most do want to become a part of this country, and not that they want to make our country a part of their own. However, I do think that many immigrants demand things that they have no right to because they are made to believe they have that right.
A major re-education has to be done. I do this in my personal/local sphere of influence, and you would be amazed at how enlightened they are when they hear the conservative ideals, beliefs, and agenda. Of course, I try to be respectful and I think that goes a long way for any kind of civil discourse.
By the way, in regards to your last statement, I do consider myself an American of Mexican descent. But fyi, some Latinos get offended when we call ourselves American when they are technically “American” because they are from Latin America, South America, Central America, etc. I’ve always thought it a bit silly, but that’s just fyi.
Have an excellent day.
I am a democrat – but at one point in time once considered voting for John McCain. During the PRIMARIES I LISTENED to EVERYBODY…I was not going to vote for someone just because they are from my party. My BIGGEST concern(during that time) was illegal immigration. I was waiting for SOMEONE to step up and stop trying to be politically correct and say “hey..we have no problem with immigration – BUT IF YOU ARE ILLEGAL YOU HAVE TO GO”..but to no avail NONE OF THEM DID.
Some people consider me harsh – but the key term here isn’t immigrant it’s ILLEGAL. How can you call an ILLEGAL person – INNOCENT!?? What if all americans thought like that? Well I am illegal for robbing that bank – but I am a GOOD PERSON so I am INNOCENT!!! We have immigration laws for a reason and they should be enforced…and ANYONE who breaks them – latinos, french, african, whatever – should be treated like the other criminals that break laws…Since we are giving a pass to illegal immigrants – we should excuse the rapists and the burglars and the pedophiles and anyone else that breaks a law…I mean our country doesnt want to give a break to Gays, or to the poor, or to single mothers, or to people that want abortions or any other people that want civil liberties that do not personally affect us – but yet we feel we can control it – so the same applies to illegal immigrants…if ALL americans are not created equal the illegal immigrants should not even be up for discussion…
Why give them a pass?? if they are innocent – SO ARE THE LGBT PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GET MARRIED – SO ARE THE WOMEN THAT MADE A MISTAKE AND REALIZE THAT ABORTIONS SHOULD NOT BE USED AS BIRTH CONTROL BUT AT THIS CURRENT TIME CAN NOT TAKE CARE OF A CHILD SO WILL REQUIRE ONE – as a dem, until we give these issues a pass and no longer bring them up – I WANT EVERY ILLEGAL OUT OF MY COUNTRY!!! Whoever runs for president next BETTER MAKE THAT HAPPEN….
Good day
Ease up on the caps MissCarter You bring up good points, but throwing caps around like that makes you appear like you’re shouting kinda and diminishes the points you are trying to make.
Anyways, am I the only one who doesn’t think about people working in the fields for their families when the subject of illegal immigration? I have this nasty habit of thinking about the larger groups of individuals who come into the country and commit rapes, murders, bring in drugs, work for gangs/cartel and other things of that nature…
It’s not the majority, but it’s large enough for where we should start being more picky on who we give amnesty to instead of tossing it around.
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
I don’t seem to recall it mentioning criminals or people who will not benefit us as a society.
So I guess you’re new here Miss Carter? And did you vote for the One? Seriously, we can all say during the primaries we would all have rather voted for x, y or z but in the end was the Messiah your choice? Just curious as he does have the auntie in Boston who still has yet to be deported. What say you, to quote Bill O’Reilly.
Um…. Miss Carter, since when does a pregnant woman who cannot take care of a child “require” an abortion? Last I checked, adoption was still an option. Of course, it is a difficult and painful option. No doubt about that. But why is a woman’s comfort and convenience more important than a child’s life? If she’s truly honest about what she’s doing, and not just pretending to push a magical “do over” button, she would realize that once the pregnancy is a done deal, she’s a mother. Her choices are then to be a mom who raises her child, a birthmother who places her child for adoption, or the mother of a dead child. You can’t unring that bell, though plenty of people pretend they can. That’s the real inconvenient truth.
But you’re 100% right on immigration! :-)
Right on, Lorione.
To Flession: Once again I apologize for the caps. I was not screaming, but I like people to pay attention to certain things. I will stay away from that – as I don’t want anyone to think I am coming to this website to be ignorant or a trouble maker. I am here to offer a different view on things. That’s all.
To Catie: Yes, I did vote for Obama. However he is not a messiah to me. Nor do I crown him “the one”. He is human just like the rest of us, and can make mistakes just like the rest of us. I do not hold him to any higher standard than anyone else. I considered voting for McCain solely because I was sure that he would say what I wanted to hear about illegal immigration – but he didn’t. That was the only issue I would have agreed with him on – so since that issue was looked over I voted for the person who I agreed with more. I agree if his aunt is here illegally, she should be deported. However, if the latinos are looked over then how do we choose who to deport and who we shouldn’t? It should go across the board.
To Lorione: You have a very valid point and I respect it. I just look at things a bit differently. The argument will always be about the viability of the fetus, and the debate does not seem to be going away anytime soon. The only thing that I can do is watch out for my own body and not contribute to the problem. I hope that people will find ways to not end up in that situation, and maybe one day this will be a non-issue. The one thing I can say is that I wish that people (not talking about you but just in general) would put the passion they put into the abortion issue, into issues that will protect our children after they are born. People fight so hard to make it that each pregnancy will be carried to term, but once the child is here, people stop fighting. Let’s get a law passed so that pedophiles will never get out of prison, or people that abuse children get more than a slap on the wrist. It makes me sick to see that a man can rape a 5 year old child, and still be around to see the light of day and walk amongst us – as if it were okay. I will just be glad when the day comes where we will leave people’s personal decisions within them to deal with and fight for things that seem to fall through the cracks.
Miss Carter-it’s obvious you are an Obama hack and you want us to see your point of view that we must “listen” to yourself and all the other Obama supporters because you all have so much insight to offer the neanderthals who didn’t vote for him. I seriously doubt you ever thought about voting for McCain but happened upon this site and decided to give us the benefit of your wisdom as a democrat and Obama supporter. Speaking for myself, I am sick and tired of those of you who voted for The One, telling us we must march in lock step with him. I will give him the same respect that your ilk have given George W Bush for 8 years.
It is the liberals who wish to give pedophiles a second chance and you are mistaken if you think people stop fighting for children once they are here, well conservatives do can’t speak for liberals like yourself. You should seek answers from the one you voted for. He is extremely liberal and will put liberals in the judiciary who have no problem with letting the abusers back on the streets. Perhaps you should study up on this issue and also look at the MA and VT legal systems as well.
As for immigration, we should make Auntie Obama an example but I will be surprised if she is ever deported. Yes, there are millions who should be deported and here is a newsflash for you-they’re not all Hispanic. Seems a bit racist to me that you point to that group first.
@Miss Carter you’re right, I don’t know you’re thinking but you are typical of Obama supporters who show up on conservative leaning blogs saying “I had thought about voting for McCain but some reason or another that just came up I couldn’t” so forgive me if I don’t quite believe you.
As for Hispanics-you mentioned them not me. If you were around earlier you would have known we have had this discussion multiple times and I have relayed a story that I will not relay again regarding an illegal who impacted my life and he was from Germany. Not everyone mentions Hispanics. Yes, all of the illegals should be deported and an example should be set by deporting the Auntie. BTW did Obama ever articulate what his immigration policy would be? I am curious as the lack of McCain’s clear policy made you “move on”.
I don’t know what your agenda is-his agenda is pretty clear and you by virtue of admitting you voted for him and for his agenda must want to be on the gravy train (you know spreading around the wealth) like Peggy Moore. I am not a Marxist like Obama is, I am a capitalist ergo I voted for a capitalist not a Marxist. So, it appears your agenda is the same as his is. Remember he said on the campaign that when he was elected the planet would begin to heal, the oceans would decrease and that he was the one we’ve been waiting for. Those are his words not the words of John McCain. While I certainly didn’t agree with everything McCain said-again if you hadn’t just showed up late for the party, you would see that none of us did-he was the lesser of the two evils.
Again, forgive me but I’ve seen far too many of the Obama supporters trolling on to sites that are conservative leaning espousing his greatness.
Right on, Catie.
Miss Carter, Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. You are an idiot; if you even understood the incompetence of the LA government during Katrina then maybe you would have a clue. As for “speading the wealth” again you are clueless. I don’t work hard so that you and Peggy can mooch off of me but it seems your messiah is going to get his way and penalize those who work hard so you can sit on your deductions. How nice it is for you to live off the fruits of other peoples labor. I give 15% to the poor and if you don’t believe me, I don’t care. BTW you have completely misconstrued everything that was said so go back to the Kos Kids and Puffington Post and tell them how mean we were to you. That’s the liberal way. Later gator.
Dear God, what happened here?
Catie, I do believe you gave Ms. Carter a shiner. Dattagirl!
Hey — I just wrote a long rough response to Miss Carter, but then her long post disappeared. Oh well. Have a good night, all!