From a LEGAL immigrant to you

Myself | 04/15/2006 | Mon

[Mon]

This is a letter I wrote to the US Senate, State Senate, House of Representative, my Governor/Lt. Governor, The White House and I'm in the process to send something simular to the local paper:

Knowing this will be complete ignored I will send it anyways!

I just wanted to express my disappointment in the Senate of the United States of America and our Government.

I am a LEGAL immigrant from Europe. Being married to an American I still had to go through the process, which is absolutely fine by me! I did everything by the book, paid money to come to this beautiful country, my parents-in-law here in the US even had to sign a form stating that they would have to take care of me financially incase I would need Welfare for the first 10 years. (that was a requirement to enter the US!!!!). We lived in California when I cam over in the 1990's; there as a LEGAL immigrant I could not receive Welfare for the first 10 years but ILLEGALS were able to. (I never planned on doing so but you never know what life has in it for you). Then when over 70% of the people voted to stop Wellfare for ILLEGALS there was an uproar. Excuse me? I at least pay taxes!

I see "en Espanol" everywhere or even the announcements at Walmart here in Mt. Vernon/Washington are in Spanish now, but what about other languages? That is not politically correct, that is singeling out a certain ethnic group and ignoring the rest of us. English being the official language or not, I don't care, it is the most spoken and everybody should learn it when living here. I WASN'T GIVEN AN OPTION, I love the English language, I love this country!

This is an absolute slap in the face for all of us who did and still do it the right way! And as a matter of fact, alot of LEGAL immigrants from Mexico do feel the way I do (personal experience), if the media would just bother and show them on TV or print what they have to say. Some call President Bush's reform "an insult to all immigrants." No, it is an insult to all LEGAL immigrants what the oponents want!!! But then it is all about getting new votes from people who don't understand 90% of what is being said, isn't it............

I'm a US Citizen now, it is a PRIVILEG you have to earn, not demand. Sincerely

[rodeocowboy]

I think that for every illegal we throw out, we expedite the application for one. Our giant government bureaucracy has helped to cause this mess, although IT IS NEVER AN EXCUSE TO ARRIVE IN MY COUNTRY ILLEGALLY (hear that Mel Martinez, Chuck Hagel, George Bush, Ted Kennedy, Hitlery Clinton!).

[Tammy8]

That sounds right. I knew the rates of illegals exploded during and after the last amnesty in anticipation of anther amnesty in the future and many managed to get amnesty by fraud last time around.

Illegal traffic has really grown recently because the rumor in Mexico is amnesty is a sure thing.

I guess I just didn't realize the numbers of legal immigrants from Mexico an amnesty creates. Amazing.

[dennisw]

But unfortunately, the illegal immigrants from Mexico have a built-in advantage: a good many of them have legal families living here. So millions of citizens here have a personal interest in this issue.

There are millions of mixed families with some legal and some illegal. Not that I have any sympathy. Lawbreaking is law breaking. I don't see any tax amnesty for anyone but I see hack politicians sucking up to illegal aliens and Hispanic illegal aliens slinging bullshit about how they have a right to be here

They know an amnesty when they see one!

[texastoo]

George H. Bush was president in 1990 and 1991. NAFTA was his baby except he couldn't persuade congress. He got Clinton to do it as they are and probably have been big buddies.

The Mexican economy took a hit when the president of Mexico, not V. Fox, floated the peso which almost hit bottom. Clinton bailed them out as American banks had invested in Mexico and they were losing money. The floating of the peso was a big shock to Wall Street.

[Mon]

Wow, what a history! We should email sometimes. My husband's Mom's side of the family came 20 years after the Mayflower. We have tons of documentation and photos (dining with George Washington one time, fighting during the American Revolution and the Civil War under famous Generals etc. etc. etc.)

[Mon]

I appreciate my life so much more since I started over when I came here!

[Mon]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I came over in 1992 and became a citizen 4 years ago :) Some ask why it took me so long, see, I wanted to make sure I stay here (I was very homesick for a long time for my family) and when taking the US citizenship Germany revokes your German citizenship (yeah unless you pay some money) so I had to make sure first :) Incase you all ever wonder about somebody taking so long rofl :)

[Myrddin]

My paternal grandparents did a fine job of family history research. My wife's family did as well. Our records stretch back to 1423 in Scotland, 1777 in Wales (much more to do there). I have direct lineage to 3 people who arrived on the Mayflower.

One of my favorite family treasures is a deguerrotype photo (emulsion on glass with a copper edging for safety) of my great grandfather dressed in his Union Army uniform. That dates to around 1865. Likewise, I have a photocopy of the guardianship document data 1851 when my great grandfather became the ward of his uncle after his mom succumbed to tuberculosis. The folks at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth produced the original paper document for me.

[JustPiper]

Thank you for your post!

[spectre]

Mon, you are exactly the kind of new American this country has always embraced. As the proud off spring of Italian Immigrants, I know all about the love and respect for our laws that most legal Immigrants have for this beautiful Country. We wanted to add to it, not take from it..

Welcome, Mon...God Bless America!

sw

[Mon]

Oh wow, that is awsome! I have to dig through my husband's papers. ON my side not much is known. After WWII my grandparents on both sides destroyed everything that had anything Nazi related on it, including the family trees back to 1800. Argh! I just know that on my Mom's side we were Barons at one point, and 1-2 people for sure immigrated to the US in th 1800's. MON

[Mon]

I love Italy! My husband's Dad's side is from Sicily, they came in the year 1900. I know what you are saying, we all do know how most of us feel, but the media ignores us!!!!!

[Myrddin]

If you come from a Catholic family, the church records of birth,first communion, marriage and death are probably still intact. The Presbyterian church exercised similar care in the Welsh records. I had to learn Welsh to be able to read through those records. Church records in Germany will probably be in German.

[RockinRight]

Very well said! We appreciate (and agree with) immigrants like yourself who respect our laws, and come here to be Americans.

[Mon]

Unfortunately during WWII alot of records that were stored in Churches in Germany were distroyed. I could hire somebody who legally has access to records that I don't have access to at cities, some churches, but very expensive! On my husband's site it all seems so easy to find!

[Mon]

Thank you! I always feel that I need to do what I would expect from others back in my home country you know!