Without starting a political backlash, why don't folks who are in the US illegally just become legal citizens?
And I really don't want to start an argument to ask this either, please.
Answer:
A few among the thousands of reasons that have led individuals to choose illegal entry
Criminal record
Petition denied
Wait for visa number availability (In several countries wait can be 20+years)
Convenience ... One I knew here was told by friend that the friend was going to US, would he like to go along? Next day he was in US ... worked here for a year & went home again
Employment visas require you work for a single employer ... get fired, lack of work, bad working conditions all mean go home and reapply for the farm down the road ... much easier for illegal, that one just walks off the job and hires on at the farm down the road.
You'll find almost as many reasons, both good and bad, as there are illegals.
For some it is the fact that the employment visa system is broken. For some it is that Family Re-Unification which is what several of the visas are supposed to do, doesn't work. For some it is the ban on re-entry for overstay. For others it is the ban on criminals & other undesirable aliens. Many more reasons are out there. Some are due to system problems & some due to the system working properly :P
The folks who declare that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem have never thought to examine the problem they are solving
Until I started the long process of bringing an immigrant into US I to was unaware of most of these problems. Now I know from my experience & the experience of many other frustrated US Citizens, Permanent Residents and foreigners dreaming of living and working in the US legally just how difficult and arbitrary the system is.
Amnesty is not the answer. This leads to most of those who would quite properly be turned back at the border being given a Green Card and invited to make themselves at home.
What is needed is a full overhaul of the process and a means for non-immigrants looking for temporary work to walk away from abusive or dishonest employers without having to go to the expense in time and money of returning to their home country to reapply for the job they were offered 2 miles from the one they are leaving. Also a lot of harvest jobs are short term & for the migrant workers may involve 3, 5, 8 or more employers during the harvest season when various crops ripen at different times. The employment visa holder cannot work those jobs. The solution in Washington State has been for the state government to encourage illegal immigrants to work illegally so that they can follow the work from farm to farm or orchard to orchard without all that hassle of flying the 3 thousand mile round trip and a week or so applying for visa to shift to the cherry orchard across the road after the apples are harvested.
They are encouraged by the thousands of companies that hire them and pay cash (untaxable/traceable). Start going after the companies and you will really slow immigration.
If they can't come here to get a job, most won't come as it will be nearly as hard here with no money.
That is what I am wondering. I asked people I know who are immigrants legally. They said that they feel that most of the illegals are coming here because they are people who are already criminals and cannot risk getting caught. So they cannot be documented. They also said there are a few large fees in the beginning and most people would not have those fees.
I think a lot of the people who are here illegally, also are just too lazy to fill out and turn in the forms required to keep up with them.
They have more benefits by being illegal. If they commit a crime they can disappear back over the border. They don't want to be Americans. They just want free services.
Just like they claim Americans are too lazy to do the work they are willing to do... Mexican illegals are too selfish to wait their turn to come to this country. We must deport them all.
Because it takes them too long and they don't want to wait.
Because there are too many of them for the US to process at a fast enough pace to satisfy them. Many wouldn't pass a background check or health check.
Then there are the complaints that it costs too much (but they can pay thousands of dollars to be smuggled in)
And finally why would the US want to make them citizens after they have already broken the law.
It's because they can't get in anytime soon. We already have a huge constant flow of mexicans coming legally.
The illegal ones are those who wont wait in line, convicted criminals, drug traffickers, human traffickers and those who are part of a movement to colonize US soil.
very hard to immigrate legally--you need relatives or a fiance(e) already (legally) here, or a bunch of $ to invest in a business that will employ Americans, or a skill which is in short supply...the folks that come in illegally don't have such qualifications, so it's come illegally or don't come at all.
Our economy exploits the neediness of these folks to fill the hard jobs no-one else wants. Law of supply and demand.
because it takes years for the system too process your files & too get your whole background from a different country and such. Like me and my best friend are also immigrants. I came from Florence, Italy and she came from the Philippines(excuse my spelling) and it took her a few years for her to become a full and legal U.S. citizen as for me I had a false passport because they weren't allowing my parents too take me over because I was so young and I wasn't even registered in school yet. but eventually it happened. so its a lot harder than it sounds to be.
there is no way you can fix your legal status living in the usa already...the only way is to fix it while your in your own country and that takes 10 years.
trust me if there was a way there wouldn't be ANY illegals.
tylergirl..it's not just mexicans you ignoratnt.
Most illegals have no intention of becoming law abiding Americans. They laugh at us for our generousity and social welfare give-aways and only want to take all they can get.
The Big losers?
American poor people, especially Blacks who already have two strikes against them when they apply for even a job that only offers "survival wages".
Canadians have it great where they are. Theirs is a fantastic country. Therefore they have no need or want for coming to the USA. Unwelcome Mexicans come here and stay illegally mostly because they get jobs and can rent places to live. Eliminate those attractions, and they go south again. Our efforts do deport them and deter their settling have been insufficient. Now is the time to stop swatting at the mosquitoes and drain the swamp...so to speak
Most don't know the language to even start, others we don't want as citizens and those people know who they. I'm for amnesty for those who can prove contribution to the system. And severe disqualification for those scamming the system in any way. It is a reasonable response to want out of Mexico, a country that is a bad faith neighbor that we do business with, shame on us for allowing the stink to linger.
I'll answer your question w/ another question. Do you know how long it takes to come here legally.It doesn't make it excusable but to some just more understandable.
There are too many perks with coming and remaining an illegal. By being illegal they don't have to pay into they system
Asker: How does one become a legal citizen? Hmm? Answer this question first, and you will understand.
(By the way: if you ever need lots of money, why don't you just become a millionaire?)
Illegal Immigrants from whatever country, are entitled to receive substantial amounts of welfare, food stamps, low cost housing, free health care and free education. These are benefits that should only be given to CITIZENS.
The problem with Illegal Immigration is that they are treated with more consideration and respect than any middle class American Taxpaying Citizen.
Therefore, WHY would these Illegal immigrants WANT to become citizens?? There is no motivation. They get everything they want, including a country who bends over backwards to cater to their Native Language.
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