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Illegal immigration 'a dagger aimed at our hearts'
The Globe Gazette ^ | 8/20/2005 | Linda Kane

Posted on 08/21/2005 3:31:38 PM PDT by 4.1O dana super trac pak

ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Illegal immigration is a dagger aimed at the heart of Americans, according to U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a leader in the fight against illegal immigration.

Republican Congressmen Gil Gutknecht from Minnesota and Tancredo, chairman of the 70-member House Immigration Reform Caucus, spoke to 100 people at a luncheon Tuesday in Albert Lea.

"Please think about national security," Tancredo said. "People are coming across our borders to do very bad things to us."

The topic was based on immigration, whether legal or illegal.

"It has nothing to do with race, ethnicity or country of origin" but everything to do with the problems that stem from it, Tancredo said.

Those include economic, employment and labor issues as well as crime rates, to name a few, he said.

He said illegal immigration wouldn't be such a big problem if the federal government would enforce the law.

"We have national security problems," he said. Not securing America's borders is the most shameful act on the part of the federal government, Tancredo said.

"This issue of massive immigration is a dagger pointing at our heart," he said.

Tancredo said momentum is growing to combat immigration issues, but a "great wall of opposition" remains.

"I want you to ask your local elected officials — I don't care if it's the county commissioners or the governor — ‘What are you going to do about this issue,' " Tancredo said.

A woman in the audience asked Tancredo if he planned to run for president.

"We need you," she said.

Tancredo said he would if the issue doesn't gain attention at the presidential level.

Gutknecht told the crowd that immigration is an issue that deserves national attention, and he provided many statistics and facts about immigration.

His family emigrated from Germany, Gutknecht said, and he fully supports legal immigration. However, "We cannot encourage individuals to break our laws and enter the country illegally.

"Border protection is important to our national security and economy. For more than two centuries, Americans have fought to protect our sovereignty and secure our borders. Sadly, today our borders are a sieve, allowing illegal immigrants to pour into the country," he added.

Gutknecht offered what he called a snapshot of a typical illegal alien: 32 years old with an average education of seven years, an hourly wage of $5.45 and an annual individual income of $8,982.

Other facts he presented:

-- 42 percent of births to immigrants are to illegal alien mothers. In 2005, births to illegal aliens will account for one in 10 births in the United States.

-- Illegal aliens are eligible for emergency Medicaid services and other medical services.

-- More than 29 percent of federal prisoners are aliens.

-- 55 percent of hired farm workers are unauthorized to work in the U.S.

-- In Minnesota, the cost to educate children of illegal aliens was more than $276 million.

"Facts are stubborn things," Gutknecht said.

Ken Dalager traveled to Albert Lea with at least 10 others from Austin concerned about illegal immigration.

"The people that go to the trouble of getting citizenship, I don't think they're much trouble," Dalager said. "The others slip in undercover and just kind of do things how they want to do them."

Conversations grew heated before the congressmen started speaking, however, as people debated the issue during dinner conversation.

"A simple way to stop illegal immigration is to find the companies that hire them," an Austin woman said.

Everybody is an immigrant, Dalager said. His family migrated from Norway, but years ago policies were different, he said.

"My cousin went to country school and the school board went to her house and said she had better talk English before they sent her to school," he said. "Today they're bending over backwards. You've got to hire two teachers," one that speaks English and one that speaks Spanish.

Paul Westrum of Albert Lea believes in "a common- sense approach to our immigration policy."

He was invited to Tuesday's luncheon by Gutknecht.

"If we don't do something about this immigration issue, we're going to lose our country as we know it," said Westrum, who has researched immigration issues for nearly a decade.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: aliens; bordersecurity; bushamnesty; gutknecht; illegalaliens; immigrantlist; invasionusa; openborders; tancredo
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To: palmer
Now we need to fix the problem of labor overregulation and welfare for illegals so that real Americans get their fair shake.

I totally agree, but that gets overlooked on these threads on FR.

Nary a word about welfare and over-regulation.

Just knee jerk slogans, ala jorge arbusto, etc.etc.

81 posted on 08/22/2005 8:12:16 AM PDT by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: palmer
$100 /day minus the $1500 / year sent back to Mexico.

Minus their monetary and social cost to the rest of us.

82 posted on 08/22/2005 8:13:19 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: Dane

When I bring those up I get "yeah I know but". It's like arguing with the yeahIknowbutts.


83 posted on 08/22/2005 8:14:27 AM PDT by palmer (If you see flies at the entrance to the burrow, the ground hog is probably inside)
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To: skeeter

Liberal policy sucks doesn't it? I hate having my hospital bill jacked up to pay for care for illegals. But the government requires it and that's the problem.


84 posted on 08/22/2005 8:17:44 AM PDT by palmer (If you see flies at the entrance to the burrow, the ground hog is probably inside)
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To: palmer
When I bring those up I get "yeah I know but". It's like arguing with the yeahIknowbutts

Knee jerkingly complaining about the below, mucho gusto on FR.

Making the point of welfares destruction below,

Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil, to some on FR.

85 posted on 08/22/2005 8:22:08 AM PDT by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: exnavychick

Save your breath. Logic escapes the anarchist contingent here.


86 posted on 08/22/2005 8:23:34 AM PDT by Regulator
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To: palmer
Liberal policy sucks doesn't it? I hate having my hospital bill jacked up to pay for care for illegals. But the government requires it and that's the problem.

I'm not sure I understand what you're proposing... should we not provide medical attention to illegals, not educate their children, in other words, not pay the social costs of having them here, but welcome their labor?

We gave slaves more consideration.

87 posted on 08/22/2005 8:26:17 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: Redbob

"First, tax money transfers to Mexico at 25%.

Second: Children only get US citizenship if both of their birth parents are US citizens, or if they're naturalized"

I like your idea. We must hit Mexico and other countries in their wallets. This will get them to react.


88 posted on 08/22/2005 8:35:06 AM PDT by doc
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To: Regulator

Apparently, since I got no answer to my post.


89 posted on 08/22/2005 8:39:16 AM PDT by exnavychick (We're damned if we do, damned if we don't...so my vote goes for "do.")
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To: palmer

.......and their "allegedly" conservative partners in crime within the "alleged" conservative party. They've all been complicit in creating these welfare schemes, Motor voter, Social Security for illegals, etc. Anyone who believes otherwise is very naive.


90 posted on 08/22/2005 8:40:23 AM PDT by american spirit
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To: skeeter
BTW its estimated illegals cost Californians 9 billion in social services per year.

California could end this problem tomorrow by eliminating all of these "social services" (for ALL Californians, not just illegal immigrants), but they don't have the political will to do this -- so I don't have much sympathy for them.

91 posted on 08/22/2005 8:40:31 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free.)
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To: A. Pole
This "profit/wealth of all people" does it include high labor costs or high wages? I mean do you see the workers wages as being on the side of costs/expenses or on the side of gain/profit/wealth?

(Once again - Economics 101): If I employ you, the wages I pay you are an expense to me. I may or may not profit from the product or service you are helping to create - that depends on a lot more than the cost of your wages. Many other expenses add to the cost of production (raw materials, energy, insurance, taxes, etc). Wealth is created when the value of a finished product is higher than the sum of the values of the raw materials that created that product. This is the result of the labor that was employed in the production process - and it is the reason I agree to pay you in the first place - so that I will have something of value to offer a customer who wishes to buy it. You benefit from this arrangement because you have a source of earned income, and I benefit from having taken the financial risks in creating and managing the production process. The reward for taking such risk is called "profit".

92 posted on 08/22/2005 8:41:25 AM PDT by andy58-in-nh
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To: skeeter
should we not provide medical attention to illegals, not educate their children, in other words, not pay the social costs of having them here, but welcome their labor?

I think you are starting to catch on. OTOH, I contribute to the free clinic in the neighboring county which gives care to anyone. Church-based schools could provide reduced price or free education.

93 posted on 08/22/2005 8:46:05 AM PDT by palmer (If you see flies at the entrance to the burrow, the ground hog is probably inside)
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To: palmer
I think you are starting to catch on.

Did I give you that impression? I think what you are proposing is insane & I want no part of it.

No one gets in my country without permission. Borders secured against migrants & the occasional terrorist. Anyone caught gets immediately transported deep into the interior of their country of origin. Any greedy sobs caughtgaming the system by employing illegals gets stripped of their business, possibly to serve time.

THAT makes sense to me.

94 posted on 08/22/2005 8:56:06 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: flashbunny

No everytime he opens his mouth he proves that the only thing he has to say is a condescending attack.

He doesn't offer a thing constructive to any conversation he's a part of and that's why I no longer even acknowledge his posts.

He never has anything worthy to say.


95 posted on 08/22/2005 8:58:52 AM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (3-7-77 (No that's not a Date))
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To: skeeter

Makes sense to me too. Your logic is better than your previous assertion (illegals contribute nothing to the economy). But I think you may also start to see the benefit of getting rid of liberal policies like free school, healthcare and taxes and regulations on businesses. I would much rather attract fewer illegals by giving back taxes taken from legal workers and employers.


96 posted on 08/22/2005 9:03:21 AM PDT by palmer (If you see flies at the entrance to the burrow, the ground hog is probably inside)
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To: palmer
It's an infinitesimally small part of the economy. The greatest amount of the wealth is sent back to Mexico, which is spent in Mexico on Mexican goods.

Meanwhile, as they are buying drinks, food and gas, they are costing millions in medical services, incarceration and welfare claims, not to mention Balkanization of language, culture and entitlement politics.

All of the above is part of the economy, too.

97 posted on 08/22/2005 9:06:31 AM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)
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To: William Terrell
It's an infinitesimally small part of the economy. The greatest amount of the wealth is sent back to Mexico, which is spent in Mexico on Mexican goods.

Incorrect. The money sent to Mexico (using the numbers from your friend in post 73) is $17 billion. There are 13 million illegals plus many more legals sending back money. So $1000 / person is not an unreasonable estimate for the average. A hardworking illegal around here can make 20k a year tax free. Where does the other 19k end up?

98 posted on 08/22/2005 9:13:43 AM PDT by palmer (If you see flies at the entrance to the burrow, the ground hog is probably inside)
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To: TheCrusader
Just an aside, can anyone tell me exactly why President Bush turns a blind eye to illegal immigration, especially as we live under the constant threat of terrorism these days?

Try cheap labor and the Latino vote.

99 posted on 08/22/2005 9:17:45 AM PDT by Euro-American Scum (A poverty-stricken middle class must be a disarmed middle class)
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To: Redbob

Double ditto, but add a third - fine the Holy he!! out of employers that hire them. No excuses!


100 posted on 08/22/2005 9:37:01 AM PDT by gopheraj
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