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Autry Hears Immigrant Activists: Mayor declines to apologize for using the word 'illegal'
Fresno Bee ^ | June 7, 2005 | Vanessa Colón

Posted on 06/08/2005 6:40:40 AM PDT by Irontank

Advocates upset with Fresno Mayor Alan Autry's proposed moratorium on immigration said after meeting with the mayor Monday at City Hall that they hope to find a workable solution.

About 20 activists and Autry plan further meetings to discuss issues such as health-care access, education and immigration policy....

Autry proposed a two-year moratorium on immigration in his May 26 State of the City address, saying the consequences that come after an illegal immigrant enters the country "are 100% local."

Among the local effects, Autry said, are strains on city services, hospitals and schools.

A coalition of advocacy group leaders sought an apology from Autry for using the term "illegal." They told him they believed his comments last week portrayed illegal immigrants as an economic burden. They said that image fuels hatred, especially when the contributions made by immigrants are left out. Members of the coalition asked Autry to use the word "undocumented" in the future....

"I cannot apologize for standing up against abuse, exploitation," he said. "If the word 'illegal' is demeaning, I hate the word, but we do have laws."

...

Hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open, Autry said.

Uncompensated care costs University Medical Center, Community Medical Center-Fresno and CMC-Clovis about $13 million a year, said John D. Zelezny, the interim chief operating officer for Community Medical Centers.

Noé Hernández, an immigrant advocate, said before the meeting that illegal immigrants are pigeonholed into seeking emergency medical care. Hernández said they cannot qualify for Medi-Cal or afford the high fees to pay for medical insurance.

He said in Spanish: "They [anti-immigrant folks] say they don't want immigrants, but they want them in the agricultural fields. ... Immigrants are not a burden. ...

"If this nation is great, it's because of immigrants."

(Excerpt) Read more at fresnobee.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: alanautry; aliens; california; fresno; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; mayor
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Noé Hernández, an immigrant advocate, said before the meeting that illegal immigrants are pigeonholed into seeking emergency medical care. Hernández said they cannot qualify for Medi-Cal or afford the high fees to pay for medical insurance.

In other words...if we racists would just allow these illegals to qualify for welfare, they wouldn't have to steal emergency medical care.

If this nation is great, it's because of immigrants

If this nation is great??? Some of those European colonists (and their millions of descendants) who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries, fought the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, wrote the Declaration of Independence, ratified the Constitution and built the foundations of this country...they may be justified in thinking that, in addition to the Mexicans sneaking into this country in 2005, they too had some role in making this country great...no?

1 posted on 06/08/2005 6:40:41 AM PDT by Irontank
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To: Irontank

"What part of ILLEGAL do you not understand?"

More specficially, ILLEGAL MEXICANS by any other name? Why should American CITIZEN taxpayers be FORCED by Washington to pay for these CRIMINALS ??? Why do these CRIMINALS NOT HAVE TO OBEY THE LAW, AND WE CITIZENS DO ???

Just a little something to stuff up the assets of these fools that support this illegal insanity and travesty against REAL American citizens.


2 posted on 06/08/2005 6:45:17 AM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: Irontank

Go "Bubba" Go! I always knew you would amount to something. Not just be a dumredneck cop from Missippy.


3 posted on 06/08/2005 6:48:27 AM PDT by Bar-Face
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To: Irontank

The word illegal is demeaning? I learn something new every day.

I see proponents of an open border have finally gotten around to dealing with the fact that it is illegal. Instead of dealing with the laws they are attacking the word itself.

Instead of conveniently ignoring the word 'illegal', they've now decided to villefy it. That's one way of getting around it I suppose.


4 posted on 06/08/2005 6:50:29 AM PDT by contemplator
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To: Irontank
It seems to me that the fight against illegal immigration is gaining momentum. Thanks to all those who are fighting for this great country of ours in the fight against illegal immigration.

Rove needs to start talking to W on how he can reverse gears and get on board with the rest of common sense Americans.

5 posted on 06/08/2005 6:50:54 AM PDT by frogjerk
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To: Irontank

"Autry proposed a two-year moratorium on immigration in his May 26 State of the City address, saying the consequences that come after an illegal immigrant enters the country "are 100% local."

These "activists" are obviously brain-dead, but Bubba ain't no shining light himself. He ran for the job on an education platform, where the mayor has no control over the education system. Now he calls for a moratorium on immigration in his State of the City address, when ONLY the Federal Government has the power to do such thing. And I'm not sure if he was actually calling for a moratorium on "illegal immigration" or not, that's the context in which the talk of illegals came up. Well, it's illegal already. Is he asking for a moratorium on illegal immigration? Duh.


6 posted on 06/08/2005 6:54:06 AM PDT by mlo
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To: Irontank

Actually two words need to be spoken and written:

"Illegal Aliens"

Illegal Aliens are not immigrants!


7 posted on 06/08/2005 6:57:37 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM has been a WMD, Weapon of Mass Disinformation for the Rats for at least 5 decades.)
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To: EagleUSA

Logic would indicate that "activists" are conspiring to further illegal acts.


8 posted on 06/08/2005 7:03:38 AM PDT by ncountylee
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To: Irontank
I think that a feasible solution to the illegal immigration issue is for the Federal Gov't to set a level of legal immigration equal to approximately the illegal plus legal immigration is currently. Estimates of the number of illegals coming in will be subtracted from the total and the legal numbers would be allowed to come in up to the total.

Business would no longer be benefited by illegals. The available labor supply would remain pretty much constant.

There would now become a large political contingent interested in stopping the flow of illegals. People who want legal immigration from anywhere else in the world would now demand control on illegal immigration from Mexico.

Rule 1 of legal immigration should be ability to speak English. Rule 2 should be to spread the immigration over as many countries, cultures and languages as possible. With so many Spanish-speaking Mexicans here, they can easily continue the remainder of their lives without ever leaving the culture they arrived with. If a few people from Ghana, a few Thais, a few Russians, etc. are allowed to immigrate, they will quickly become Americanized.

This country was built on immigrants and I have NO problem with immigration. I just want people who come here to "be Americans", not those who come for our economic benefits but want to change our culture to the one they left (i.e. the one that caused the incredible poverty that they fled.)

9 posted on 06/08/2005 7:08:57 AM PDT by Onelifetogive (* Sarcasm tag ALWAYS required. For some FReepers, sarcasm can NEVER be obvious enough.)
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To: Irontank
Noé Hernández

Thé númbér óf áccéntéd cháráctérs ín á pérsón's námé áppéárs tó bé díréctly córrélátéd tó thé véhéméncé óf théír súppórt fór íllégál ímmígrátíón.

10 posted on 06/08/2005 7:13:59 AM PDT by martin_fierro (Fingers of Fury™)
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To: Irontank
They told him they believed his comments last week portrayed illegal immigrants as an economic burden.

Well DUH! They are! To the tune of about $169 BILLION dollars nationwide, if I recall.

Hernández said they cannot qualify for Medi-Cal or afford the high fees to pay for medical insurance.

Join the club! We HAD medical insurance, but were forced to drop it when it went over $800 dollars a month.....800 dollars a MONTH!

That's almost as much as our FREAKIN' MORTGAGE PAYMENT, and almost 3 TIMES the monthly payment for our car!!!

My family FOUGHT for the existence of this country almost 400 years ago, but we are being taxed until we are BELOW POVERTY LEVEL to support the CRIMINALS and their spawn that just walked across the border!

11 posted on 06/08/2005 7:14:17 AM PDT by MamaTexan (YES, I'm absolutely IRATE that our OWN government is DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!!!)
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To: Grampa Dave
Illegal Aliens are not immigrants!

That would be a great tagline. I'd steal it, except that I already stole my own. ;-)

12 posted on 06/08/2005 7:28:41 AM PDT by truthkeeper (It's the borders, stupid.)
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To: Irontank
What's wrong with "illegal?" It accuratelt describes the status in the US of Mexicans who sneak across our border. Now, the term "wetback" many be offensive to those illegals who snuck across the border in the false compartment of a freight hauling Mexican 18 wheeler and never even got damp on the trip. Wetback, of course, is a perfectly appropriate term for those illegal Mexican aliens who snuck across our border by swimming/wading across the Rio Grande and got, well, wet doing so.

But, this is another great example of the anti-American, neocommunist, ultra-leftist trying to use language to accomplish political ends. Repirion of false labels allows them to control debate in issue after issue. These Mexican criminals are ILLEGAL and trying to call them "beloved visitors" doesn't change their criminality. And, yes, immigrants are contributors, even some of these criminal alien Mexicans, but, they are still a tremendous cost to our nation and will continue to be until we bring this invasion under control.

13 posted on 06/08/2005 7:28:53 AM PDT by Tacis ( SEAL THE FRIGGEN BORDER!!!)
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To: Irontank
They told him they believed his comments last week portrayed illegal immigrants as an economic burden.

And the problem is....?

14 posted on 06/08/2005 7:29:32 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: truthkeeper

Add it to your tagline. It should fit and the two tie in perfectly.


15 posted on 06/08/2005 7:30:41 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM has been a WMD, Weapon of Mass Disinformation for the Rats for at least 5 decades.)
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To: Irontank
He should have said, "Sorry, I meant to say criminal immigrants."
16 posted on 06/08/2005 7:31:31 AM PDT by Sloth (Discarding your own liberty is foolish, but discarding the liberty of others is evil.)
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To: Grampa Dave

Heh-heh. You mean like this?


17 posted on 06/08/2005 7:36:35 AM PDT by truthkeeper (It's the borders, stupid. "Illegal aliens are NOT immigrants!" (Stolen from Grampa Dave 6/8/05))
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To: truthkeeper

Great!

You might say "On loan from Grampa Dave". :)


18 posted on 06/08/2005 7:44:38 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM has been a WMD, Weapon of Mass Disinformation for the Rats for at least 5 decades.)
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To: frogjerk
Rove needs to start talking to W on how he can reverse gears and get on board with the rest of common sense Americans.

Wouldn't do him a bit of good. Obviously, V. Fox has a picture of W with a goat or something.

19 posted on 06/08/2005 7:46:09 AM PDT by houeto ("Mr. President , close our borders now!")
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To: 1_Inch_Group; 2sheep; 2Trievers; 3AngelaD; 4.1O dana super trac pak; 4Freedom; 4ourprogeny; ...

ping


20 posted on 06/08/2005 9:42:11 AM PDT by gubamyster
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