Johnd said:
Since we've been sorely missing Buckeye's posts here of late, how about this?
While immigration literally means "to move" or "go into", I submit, that certainly in 21st century America it has come to mean more than that. It means "legal immigration" by way of the INS.
Allow me to state for the record that we are all immigrants, even though the American Indian was here first. So we must treat Mexican "immigrants" with respect and dignity, and the issue of Mexican "immigration" with temperance, justice, fairness, equality, amongst other things. The Mexican immigration issue is being touted as a legal and political issue on the right, and a human rights issue on the left. I submit it is all of these: political, legal, ethical, social, religious, philosophical, economic, industrial. So it must be treated with the utmost importance.
The next time President Fox expresses his disdain for our treatment of this urgent issue, I submit we agree with him, and will therefore immediately adopt Mexico's immigration and non-citizen policies. Any thoughts?
Strange enough for me. Here is a thread that I started at 5:46PM yesterday on another site. 8 minutes apart from yours.
Quote me:
Should illegal aliens all be made citizens?
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Should we wave a magic wand and make it all OK?
My wife is from the Philippines. We started on her paperwork to come here, before we were married, back in the summer of 2001. Her visa was denied that October. Then I flew there and we got married in the Philippines with the USA's blessing in writing. Many phone calls, fees & forms later, I flew back here without her. We then began filing more paperwork. Paperwork to Albany. Paperwork to NYC. More paperwork to several other cities around the country for different departments of the INS. Each time there was a fee. My wife had to fly back & forth within her country to file paperwork, get tested, get interviewed and pay more fees. 9 months later she was allowed to come here. Then more tests to make sure she isn't sick with TB or AIDS. Blood taken every few months and trips to the health department every month. Lots of fees here. Then began, you guessed it, more paperwork to have her status adjusted to permanent. But to work, she needed more forms filled out. Sent those to Albany with yet another check made out to the INS. They sent us more paperwork and we made an appointment to drive to Albany to have her picture taken. We get another letter a few weeks later telling us to make another appointment to come back to have her fingerprints taken. Oh, more fees each time, every time. We get another letter in the mail. Albany says that she can't apply for her permanent status there. We have to go to NYC. Oh boy, more fees. More paperwork. More fingerprints. And more pictures taken. They said we would hear from them in between 60 to 180 days and not to contact them before the 180 days plus 30 have gone by. OK, we do the wait thing. We call them to say we got nothing yet. Please wait they say. But her authorization to work will run out in 2 months. Don't worry, you'll hear from us before that. BS! Her authorization runs out. We have to apply again to Albany to extend it. Why did we wait so long we're asked. So we send the paperwork with another check. We get the letter and make a new appointment to drive back for more pictures. We get another letter to make another appointment to drive there again for more fingerprints. We asked them why we couldn't do both together but got shot down again. Oh, more fees. This went on another year. More letters, trips, pictures, fees & finger prints. Finally in fall of 2005 we get a letter saying that we can make an appointment to go to NYC for her interview. We went down in January (sorry I didn't get to stop by Kam, my car was giving me trouble that day) So we get there at the appointed time. 7:30 AM. We wait until her name is called at 3:30 PM. We go in. This lady asks my wife if she's a drug dealer or a prostitute. Asks for proof that we are married. A bunch or other stupid questions that they didn't even listen to the answers to. Then we're told that we are done. Oh, except to go to another building in the city to have her picture and fingerprints taken. WTF! And we have to get there by 5 PM or they close. More forms & fees.
A few weeks ago my wife finally got her green card. Now she only has to wait 3 more years before she is allowed to apply for citizenship. More waiting, more paperwork, more fees, more tests and I bet more fingerprints & pictures.
So, all this because we did it by the book. We should have flown her into Canada and snuck her over the border. That way she would be eligible for the wand waving. Bang, zoom, you're a citizen. No fees, no lines, no forms, no way!
Are they kidding?
Nothing against hard working family orientated people, but why do they get the free ride? We are hard working, family orientated, do it legally people. Why do we get the shaft?
Unquote me
