A debate going nowhere (illegal immigration)

The Washington Times ^ | June 11, 2005 | Victor Davis Hanson

[neverdem]

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The Washington Timeswww.washingtontimes.com

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A debate going nowhere

By Victor Davis Hanson
Published June 11, 2005

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Citizens calling themselves the Minutemen patrol the border in an effort to stop illegal aliens from entering the U.S. Mexican President Vicente Fox says Mexican migrant workers in the U.S. "are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do."

    Meanwhile, many Republicans think President George W. Bush's guest-worker program either mocks the law or is unworkable. In California, a frustrated Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blurts out, "Close the borders in California and all across Mexico and the United States."

    Illegal immigration is again in the headlines, but the debate isn't going anywhere. Instead, all the tired controversies are again being aired.

    Some believe illegal immigration is a win-win bargain: An impoverished Mexico obtains critical dollars, while job-hungry America receives industrious unskilled workers. Critics counter that millions of illegal workers undermine the sanctity of the law and only abet a corrupt Mexican government that uses remittances to avoid needed reform.

    Both sides agree that when newcomers arrive legally from Mexico in the thousands, rather than unchecked in the millions, they become some of our best citizens.

    The politics by now are surreal. Those of the corporate right want cheap labor. So they join the self-interested multicultural left in politics, journalism and academia who don't mind seeing a growth of unassimilated and dependent constituents.

    Contradictory statistics -- showing illegal immigration resulting in either a net gain or loss to the U.S. economy -- are used by both sides. Human-interest anecdotes circulate about both the amazing successes and abject failures of illegal entrants. Yet rarely mentioned are...

[neverdem]

ping

[RS]

"Mexican President Vicente Fox says Mexican migrant workers in the U.S. "are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do.""

Sure, no prejudice there....

[Founding Father]

The invasion from Mexico and the treason in D.C. continues.

[lodwick]

Amen.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

"Mexican President Vicente Fox says Mexican migrant workers in the U.S. "are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do.""

Does anybody have this portion of Fox's speech in Spanish? I would like to read the original Spanish text.

[Savage Beast]

"Progressives are understandably proud of environmental legislation..."

The intelligent and articulate Hanson usually knocks it out of the ballpark. However this harebrained remark shows that even the intelligent and articulate can have falty powers of observation.

There is nothing progressive (or liberal for that matter) about those behind these cruel, oppressive, capricious, and often sadistic laws and those whom they empower.

Hanson needs to rethink this one.

[Nipplemancer]

unfortunately he's right, the debate is going nowhere. The leftists use immigration to create voters, and the President is afraid to offend hispanics (for whom 40% voted for him). We have people like the newly elected Mayor of Los Angeles declaring that he will not enforce immigration laws, and the only people willing to do anything about it are a private group of citizens calling themselves Minutemen.
What we need is a strong anti-illegal immigration policy that will be enforced. Abolish the DEA and transfer every swingin d___ in the DEA over to ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement), flooding the border with government stormtroopers to round up all the illegals. Then we erect a giant wall along the mex-am border chock-full-o electronic gadgetry to detect anyone who attempts to cross the border.
In reality we'll just get more of the same and millions will get in, get amnestied, and the cycle will continue until we're the Unitas Estados Mexicanos.

[inquest]

Wrong. There's no "debate". It's just politicians with utter contempt for the views of the vast majority of the citizenry, and not even feeling like they have to answer for it. Don't dignify their arrogance by calling it a "debate".

[R.W.Ratikal]

Meanwhile the illegal aliens flood into the U. S. The first then they do is plug into the welfare-state system.

It's not true that illegal aliens perform work Americans won't do. Americans won't do the work illegal aliens do at the wages illegal aliens are paid.

To someone just up out of the barrio below minimum wages looks like a lot. Americans' standard of living is higher, but it won't be long.

If illegal aliens were not available to work at sub-standard wages, employers would be forced to raise the wages they are offering -- it's called the free market.

The answer to the illegal alien crisis is:

1. Deport all illegal aliens.

2. Block and patrol the border with our military if necessary.

3. Allow no illegal aliens on the welfare rolls.

4. Place a moratorium on immigration for 50-75 years.

5. Require resident aliens to be able to speak, read, and write English, be self-supporting, and understand a little bit about America.

[DumpsterDiver]

Does anybody have this portion of Fox's speech in Spanish? I would like to read the original Spanish text.

The following is from Congressional Hispanic Caucus Responds to Divisive Remarks by President Fox It only quotes one sentence of Fox's sppech, but maybe that will give you a starting point for a Google search for the rest of the speech.

To be clear, these words were reported as: "Los mexicanos están haciendo trabajos que ni siquiera los negros quieren hacer allá, en Estados Unidos". We believe that the problem is not that your statements were misinterpreted, but that they were rightly perceived and unintentionally imply a class system based on race that we simply reject.

SNIP

[concentric circles]

"...this portion of Fox's speech in Spanish?"

Univision Online - 16 de Mayo de 2005
Acusan a Fox de comentarios racistas

"...El viernes, en un acto público, Fox dijo: "No hay duda de que los mexicanos y las mexicanas, llenos de dignidad, de voluntad y de capacidad de trabajo, están haciendo trabajos que ni siquiera los negros quieren hacer allá en Estados Unidos"...

[freekitty]

Why do we have to pay for these people?

[backtothestreets]

Good article. Here's a thought... The green card program is an absolute failure, and will continue to fail. There is a single area that can be could be controlled, and bring this to a screeching halt. That's housing. It's already against the law for illegal immigrants to purchase a house. Take this a step further and make it against the law to rent to illegal aliens, at the cost of property forfeiture if caught. This would send the message "You're money is no good here".

This can be done, and it can be done in such a way that any copying of documentation would lead to finding the illegal immigrants.

On a related note, I expect we will one day have to grapple with the task of going into Mexico and ending the 500 year history of tyranny for good.

[neverdem]

ping

[JustAnAmerican]

"The text of the speech in Spanish."

No hay duda que los mexicanos y las mexicanas, llenos de dignidad, de voluntad y de capacidad de trabajo, están haciendo trabajos que ni siquiera los negros quieren hacer allá, en Estados Unidos", dijo Fox durante una gira por estados del Pacífico mexicano.

Link to Spanish commentary

Doubt anyone will find the Transcribed speech since Fox and his enablers are doing their best to cover it up. Spanish to english word translaters seem to loose a bit in the process so it took me a while to piece this first hand quote together.

[JustAnAmerican]

Err, lose even.