Posted on 09/23/2008 1:16:36 PM PDT by AuntB
–Luis Martínez went from being a successful Dallas businessman to a struggling alfalfa farmer in rural central Mexico because of a North Texas crackdown on illegal immigrants.
"You make $10 an hour over there and $10 a day here in Mexico," said Mr. Martínez, who added that in addition to his recycling business he has Dallas property and pays U.S. taxes.
Of the 500,000 Hispanics who have lost their jobs since January 2007, he estimates 60,000 are illegal immigrants from Mexico. Some have been forced to take jobs that pay much less.....
Meanwhile, U.S. authorities are deporting Mexican immigrants at a rate not seen in 50 years, including more than 208,000 "removals" from the U.S. interior in the current fiscal year, which ends this month.
While Mr. Martínez toils in alfalfa fields, his wife is in Dallas..... Another sister, Edith, said the children she teaches in elementary school depend on remittances from relatives in the U.S., but while the amount may have fallen, the money continues to flow like always, which encourages further immigration.
"These kids want to follow in the footsteps of their fathers – to leave, so they can build a house back home and have a car," she said.
He called Dallas a city with "a small-town spirit" and the United States "a nation blessed by God." For those, and many other reasons, he is working his way back through the immigration service while hoping U.S. policies toward immigrants become more tolerant.
"We have hope something will happen in the U.S.A., something that can give us the opportunity to go back and keep working over there," he said. "I spent 20 years of my life in that country, so that means I am part of that country."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Boo-frickin-hoo
SORRY!!
Better link here:
Mr. Martinez, the trick is to work and vote to change the government of Mexico so it is more like the US.
Then you won’t have to come over here to get economic freedom.
The US didn’t get where it is by magic. It got here by having a certain attitude about government and freedom.
Bush should bail them out.
EVERY one of the students would rather be in Mexico, but there is no money there.
Our economic slowdown may be exactly what we need for these guys to go home. That's where they want to be anyway.
If the U.S. would stop giving them free health care, education, food, etc. there would be a steady stream back to Mexico.
"Businessmen" getting paid $10 an hour. That's not much more than $8 an hour minimum wage and generally requires a degree and office wardrobe.
Makes my glass half full.
Too much corruption in the Mexican government, law enforcement, and military.
Well stated.
Re Mexicans “feeling pinch”.............
QUE LASTIMA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry to reply like this, but I just registered to ask a question. I have been a lurker for a long time. Is anyone experiencing a very slow Free Republic? I have a very fast Bellsouth DSL and only Free Republic is very slow. I know the server was down a few times. I use MSN Explorer and Bellsouth internet explorer. Both are slow.
It’s been sluggish lately.
ping
From the WHAT IT IS WORTH DEPARTMENT from a FREEPER SOUTH of the RIO GRANDE in OLDE MEXICO, wages have gone up over the last few years considerably here, and some of them are actually not doing that bad working here in the mother country....
well ain’t that just too buckin’fad ?
I don’t care how many chillin you had while being here illegally. I don’t care how long you’ve been here illegally.
If you came here illegally you should be sent back to from where you came. Get in line and do it in a legal manner.
Women and minorities hardest hit....Bush’s fault....
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