Column: Another side of the immigration debate
February 20, 2013 at 6:00 pm in Worthington Daily Globe
The Acosta family is one of millions whose fate hangs in the balance as President Barack Obama tries to convince Congress that it’s time to overhaul our immigration laws. Continue Reading
And your point is?
ILLEGAL means ILLEGAL
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illegal
Hot debate. What do you think?
29 
19
Very grown up reply. Point is, that the US has helped create the illegal immigrantion issue that it wants resolved. Kill their economy (NAFTA), make our prices lower, utilize them as labor to keep costs down, punish the worker with threat of deportation and seperating their family but don’t go after the company that hires them, then complain they are here. The entire time keeping a whole group of people near or below the poverty line. All you see is ILLEGAL, maybe once try to see a person attempting to better their place in life and improve their childrens future.
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
25
This is a “very grown up reply”!
I have no doubt a lot of illegals are here to make a better life for their kids but, when the first thing they do is thumb their nose at our laws, that’s not a good start. When does it stop? We were told in the 80′s that the border would be secured if we would just grant amnesty and the ILLEGAL problem would go away…it didn’t.
A Reuters poll yesterday shows more than half of the U.S. does NOT want amnesty and would like to see all the illegals deported. If that is mean, racist, or cold-hearted, so be it. I agree with your point that companies should be fined to the point of going broke if they hire illegals…the jobs dry up an they go home and come back the right way. What about the strain that illegals put on communities schools, Police, Social Services, ect?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
33 
17
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
16 
29
Yea, speeding is just like entering the USA illegally. What a ridiculous comparison.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
26 
11
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
11 
23
If only that could have been done legally and without infringing on my place in life and degrading my children’s life. That just didn’t happen so it is still thumbs down. I do agree that the first offender is big business and second is the government for allowing it. Next come the illegals that knew what they were doing and took the risk. Everyone involved here should be punished except the U.S. citizen who is the victim. When we get that straight and the boarder secured and we really do need a worker program that would be the time to work on that.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
29 
12
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
13 
30
That is one huge ( IF ) and just is not the reality. What is the reality is that we would not have this mess if laws had been followed. Here is a short story a friend of mine tells every now and then. He says: you know if I wouldn’t of had to go back to work for 1/3rd of what I was making back when the plant started illegal immigration things would have been better. I might have been able to buy both my kids a decent car for graduation. He says he was about to buy a nice house for them to grow up in. None of that happened, he is probably lucky the kids graduated at all with all the chaos in the schools. My own kids have backed that up! He was finally able to buy a new car this year but it took 3 decades of illegally oppressed wages. A story but all to real. I know your going to say, but he could have left, not really, but do you think it fare he would have had to? There is a long, long list of costs involved here!
Hot debate. What do you think?
28 
16
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
11 
27
I believe in equality so let’s adopt the immigration laws of Mexico, and treat them as they would us. Seems fair.
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/lillpop022707.htm
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
34 
10
Excellent post ellamay.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
28 
10
The company would have never lowered the wages it there weren’t, illegals to hire.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
25 
9
Barb, there wasn’t even illegals here to hire, at least not then. The company actually went to the border put up signs and recruited them, bused them here! There was an article in the globe a few years ago where the company admitted they were stopping the recruiting as they thought they had enough here so that word off mouth and family would keep the supply coming! SWEET!!!
Hot debate. What do you think?
23 
12
Strom Engineering hired several immigrants from the MPLS area to fill white vans full of people to work at a factory that locked out their employees making it even more difficult for the employees to come to a fair labor contract with management. Nice huh…no it isn’t. Not when it’s your job on the line.
Hot debate. What do you think?
22 
8
Click RED, he does blame the company first and then the government for not enforcing the law. The fact is it would have been imposable without the illegal immigrant! Yes, he did move for a while but he had generations of family here so he ended up coming back. If you remember hundreds did leave, they had to they couldn’t live on $5 hr. The ones I know are elated now but it was devastating then. He used the money he saved for that house to live for a few years. You asked so I gave you an example. Yes he has the blame exactly in the right spot! Although I never worked in that industry I and everybody else here were and are effected by these illegal actions and ( ILLEGAL ) is the key word here! No citizen of this country should have to suffer oppression because of the actions of illegal alien citizens of another country. I’m thinking Worthington should qualify as a disaster area and the government made to compensate the citizen victims! These were not jobs Americans didn’t want but jobs they were cheated out of.
Hot debate. What do you think?
26 
13
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
7 
20
I wouldn’t say I’m white. I’m a United States of America citizen who would like to see laws enforced that were but there to protect myself, the citizens and especially their children. You see something wrong with that!
Like or Dislike:
12 
6
Perfectly said!
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
10
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
11 
23
My ancestors immigrated to Canada first and then waited to be allowed to enter the US. Many people did this back in the day.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
24 
7
What year did they do this? If it was prior to 1920 they did not wait. My great-grandfather walked over the border around 1900 from Canada after first migrating there from Norway.
Like or Dislike:
10 
15
Giglio is an Italian name Stan … Italian not Norwegian.
Like or Dislike:
17 
4
Come one Satan’s Spawn you did not answer. Oh wait you found out I was right and they did come prior to 1920 by just walking over the border. How many years before they took out their naturalization papers? As for all of you negative checkmarks this applies to all of you also. Kind of is a big let down to know that your ancestors were illegal aliens also.
Like or Dislike:
11 
17
There’s a good chance that you are right Stan. I just looked it up. It was 1887 when my great-grandpa settled in the Hamilton, ND area. His parents and several of his siblings stayed in Ontario. I recently found out that I have more Canadian relatives than US relatives. Who knew? I sure didn’t.
Like or Dislike:
8 
11
Highly unlikely. The largest portion of the early homesteaders in North Dakota came from Canada. They just walked over the border. Where they either got 160 or 320 acres of free land.
Like or Dislike:
9 
15
Yep, worked out good for everyone back then, it was needed. Today we pass out hundreds of millions and get nothing. Last thing we want to be doing today and certainly not needed.
Like or Dislike:
17 
10
Actually we need to fix the problems of today with today’s laws. Below is the first real immigration act (1891) there was no real laws before that. The laws before that dealt with Naturalization and some specific undesirable groups, a different issue. I don’t see what 1920 has to do with anything. Anyway no mater how you want to read the laws and there is a bunch the only one you really need is the one that applies to today! Here’s the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_immigration_laws as far as everyone before 1920 being illegal I can’t see that and wouldn’t care anyway; it’s not the issue today!!! I would suggest more research if it matters to you.
1891 Immigration Act · First comprehensive immigration laws for the US.· Bureau of Immigration set up in the Treasury Dept.· Immigration Bureau directed to deport unlawful aliens.· Empowered “the superintendent of immigration to enforce immigration laws”.
Like or Dislike:
14 
7
From your link look at 1921 Emergency Quota Act and 1924 National Origins Act. Maybe you should have a history degree before you try arguing with someone who does.
Like or Dislike:
8 
14
deano, I forgot to say thank you for proving my point for me.
Like or Dislike:
8 
14
Well I skimmed them and still can’t conclude that everyone before 1920 was illegal; I think you would need a degree in immigration law not history! You said prior to 1920. I googled it and basically came away with the consensus that there were no immigration laws to break then, just some naturalization laws before that. Illegal immigration actually started about 1920 when the real laws started. You need to have laws in order to be guilty of breaking them. Now a lot of people did just show up and they were welcomed and admitted and allowed to stay because they were needed. But just showing up was not illegal as it is today, that’s why immigration laws were started. Anyway degree or no we need to stay focused on today not a hundred years ago.. I’ll admit this country made mistakes in the past that we don’t want to repeat and allowing illegal immigration is certainly one!
Like or Dislike:
15 
10
One more important point. The reason for the 1921 and 1924 laws? The group that became so important to keep out had one thing in common. They were Catholic. The Nativists were protestant and considered these Catholics as a extreme danger to the good WASP work ethic. They were considered lazy uneducated peasants that had no place in their America. Furthermore, it was believed that these dirty Catholics were trying to take over America for the Vatican. Now 2nd and 3rd generations of these dirty Catholic immigrants are doing the same thing to other immigrants. Isn’t it ironic.
Like or Dislike:
9 
17
Yep, ironic and irrelevant to today’s problem! Lets fast forward about a century!
Like or Dislike:
15 
10
“Now 2nd and 3rd generations of these dirty Catholic immigrants are doing the same thing to other immigrants.”
Actually, i’m pretty sure its more “Protestant Nativism” that is driving the dislike towards immigrants….AGAIN. Catholic church here has been more than welcoming.
http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/63033/
Like or Dislike:
7 
14
Giglio,Ok I get it, you said: “they did not come here legally” then said: “Most of you are the results of illegal immigrants”. You’re right they didn’t come here legally, nor did they come illegally, but that in no way makes them illegal immigrants or us the result. There were no laws against immigration thus no illegal immigrants. Degree or no degree your credibly just went down the toilet with me, reminds me of obama! I think my IQ finally trumped your degree!
Like or Dislike:
14 
10
Now you have really helped make my argument for me. You just proved the lie as to people always saying that their ancestors came here legally. Thank you. So now you can not say that your ancestors came here legally all this time when you now admit that they didn’t because there was no legal or illegal.
Like or Dislike:
8 
15
So what are we left with? If they didn’t enter legally or illegally what is the proper term to use?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
20 
3
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
7 
18
Undocumented = illegal
Like or Dislike:
16 
7
Let me see if I got it now! What ever I’m doing cannot be legal because there is no illegal way to do it. That logic could be down right dangerous!
Like or Dislike:
16 
7
The object as Satan’s Spawn figured out that when you say your ancestors came here legally they could not have because there was no legal or illegal. Second objective was to show people the reason for the 1921 and 1924 immigration laws and how there ancestors were subject to discrimination based on their Catholic beliefs. Third was to show the hypocrisy of their beliefs.
Like or Dislike:
7 
15
We are left with his admission that our ancestors didn’t enter illegally and his original post is hogwash, and his feeble attempt to back out of it. I have heard some really flawed reasoning here but that is right at the top. You can’t have it both ways it’s either legal or illegal and they definitely were not illegal so they were legal.
Like or Dislike:
14 
8
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
5 
17
Since there was no illegal they had to be legal!
Like or Dislike:
15 
5
Since there are laws against illegal immigration today if they don’t enter legally you must agree they are illegal!
Like or Dislike:
14 
5
“Sorry to tell you this folks but if your grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents came to the US prior to 1920 they did not come here legally. Most of you are the results of illegal immigrants.” You still sticking with that…
Like or Dislike:
8 
3
By Stan’s reasoning Columbus was an illegal immigrant. So were the Pilgrims. I guess I’ve never heard that the Indians had a unified government with laws that needed to be followed in order to immigrate to America.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
19 
4
By Googling it appears the first Naturalization Act was passed in 1790. They was no prohibition against anyone entering the US but you did have to meet certain criteria to become a United States citizen. There were several naturalization acts passed in the 1790′s and through the 1800′s. The Page Act passed in 1875 was the first one that prohibited people from even entering the country unless they met certain standards. That was well before 1920. It also appears that people were indeed documented dating all the way back to the 1790 Naturalization Act.
Like or Dislike:
11 
2
That’s true but remember that naturalization and immigration are two separate things. Naturalization being the process of becoming a citizen once legally qualified to do so. Immigration being the act of entering a country legally not illegally. Today Legal immigration being the first qualification of naturalization.
Like or Dislike:
15 
5