The Undocumented Immigrant: Heroes or criminals?

Univision Online ^ | March 19, 2002 | Jorge Ramos Avalos

[FreedomSurge]

The Undocumented Immigrant: Heroes or criminals?

HARLINGEN, Texas - Whoever thought that the terrorist acts of the 11th of September 2001 was going to stop, at one blow, the immigration of the undocumented to the United States are very mistaken. Thousands daily try to cross the deserts of Arizona and California or swim the Rio Bravo (or Rio Grande, as they say here in the United States).

Thousands every day

How many are stopped and how many manage to cross? In January and February of this year the North American Border Patrol arrested little more than 73 thousand people. And although this is a reduction of the 52 percent with respect to the previous year, unofficial calculations indicate that every day thousands of the undocumented manage to circumvent the monitoring along the border or remain in the United States after their tourist, student or of businesses visas expire. Thousands every day.

There is not the smallest doubt that these immigrants contribute enormously to North American economy -10 billion dollars a year, according to the Academy of Sciences of United States and to the immigrants’ countries of origin.

For example, the Mexicans who live in this country send more than 8 billion dollars annually in remittances to families in Mexico; this is the third foreign currency source for the country after the tourism and petroleum.

The undocumented immigrants in the United States - 8 million, according to the National Office of the Census- pay taxes, keep inflation under control, are a cheap source of manual labor for agriculture and the service sector, and sustain economically a population that is aging very fast.¨.

In other words, the immigrants are a magnificent business for the United States and Latin America. But what is bothersome is that many North Americans continue considering them criminals.

Good people and Good workers - Tom Ridge

Recently I had the opportunity to interview the director of National Security of the United States, Tom Ridge, and he said to me that " technically it is possible to define the undocumented as criminals." After saying that to me - seeking to prevent a counterattack by the Mexican side - added that although these immigrants had broken the law most of them are "good people and good workers."

The interesting part of this subject is that immigrants who are thought of as criminals by Tom Ridge are considered heroes by the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox. When I told the Mexican foreign minister, Jorge Castañeda, Ridge’s comments, Casteneda said that the real law breakers are the American companies that use the undocumented labor..

Since 1986 it is a crime to hire foreigners without papers, he told me. And nevertheless, tens of thousands of business owners hire Mexicans or Central Americans without documents all the time.

After 11th of September, anti-immigrant feelings have increased in the United States. Because the 19 terrorists who killed almost three thousand people were foreign, many North Americans believe uncritically that all undocumented are criminals or potential terrorists

Thus, they are prevented from obtaining drivers licenses in all 50 states and there are frequent claims of mistreatment and unjustified arrests.

But they keep on coming. Near the center of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, a coyote or pollero named Abraham offered to take me over the Rio Bravo in exchange for 200 dollars. He never found out that he was speaking with a reporter.

The problem is that every year nearly 350 immigrants drown or die of dehydration; only a few days ago a boy of 16 years named Fabían Gonzalez watched as his father, Miguel, died after spending three days without water in the desert of Arizona. The coyote that was guiding them left them to their own luck and they were lost in a desert boiling at night and frozen by day.

“the Hulk " and green cards

Those who manage to cross have a network of counterfeiters who assist them find a job.

In the production of this article, a Mexican youth nicknamed the Hulk was captured on hidden camera, trying to sell me a social security card and a green card for 90 dollars.

The surprising thing is that this happened on Roosevelt Street in the Queens, New York, only a few minutes from where the World Trade Center towers fell.

In other words, the terrorist acts have done very little to dissuade the Latin Americans to come illegally to the United States. Although the North American government does not want it to acknowledge it, it continues to be relatively easy to cross the border and to obtain false documents within the country.

If you don’t think this is the case, ask the coyote that I knew in Reynosa or the counterfeiter who I met in New York. As long as there are unemployed millions in Mexico (and in the rest of Latin America) or people earning five dollars a day and work for them in the United States where they can earn that same amount in one hour, they will continue arriving undocumented. Nothing - neither the national guard, nor higher barriers, nor stricter laws, nor greater monitoring, nor the worst terrorist act in the history of United States will be able to stop to the thousands that every year look for a better life in the north

[glc1173@aol.com]

Will the U.S. "mainstream" media ever say similarly that every native-born American waitress not reporting her tips or every native-born American carpenter offering discounts for cash payment is a "hero" rather than a "criminal" because she or he keeps prices low and gives his family a better standard of living by working that way - just like the Mexican illegal?

I say DEPORTEMALLLETALLAHSORTITOUT !!!

[WRhine]

The arrogance of this Mexican cabal like fox and castenada is superseded only by the cowardice of Bush, Congress and the INS.

Well Put.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I hired some illegals once, I didn't know they were illegals at the time. They had the necessary paperwork to complete their I-9's, so I put them through our payroll procedures.

They (seven in total) worked for me for about ten months, then one day, one of them shows up and hands me a green card with a whole different name than the original one he had given me, this was when Reagan gave a bunch of illegals amnesty. This was his real card, and his real name, I never saw the other six again.

I would venture to guess that not one of those guys filed an income tax return, not one got a penny back.

I know that the guy who actually came back did not file a return for the false name.

This story is repeated over and over again, with illegals everywhere.

Now, I'm not saying that this is OK, what I am saying is that when illegals work under fake ID's, what taxes they pay stay with the Feds.

And most employers will not hire anyone w/out the proper paperwork to cover their own behinds.

Illegals are illegals, there's no need to find more fault with them, the mere fact that they are here illegally is enough to deport them.

[Luis Gonzalez]

BTW, how can illegals work in this country w/out paying income taxes?

[WRhine]

The undocumented immigrants in the United States - 8 million, according to the National Office of the Census-

It is MUCH MUCH HIGHER than that. This is pure propaganda. If they reported the real number which is probably well north of 20 million it would shake up even some liberals.

pay taxes, keep inflation under control, are a cheap source of manual labor for agriculture and the service sector, and sustain economically a population that is aging very fast.¨.

Most illegals don't pay taxes but that's beside the point. Saying that illegal labor keeps inflation under control is another way of saying that illegal labor depresses "legal" wages for many American citizens which is another way of saying that illegal aliens are displacing American citizens out of the job market and the ones that hang on can't earn a living wage.

If cheap labor is all-good and the end all be all for a healthy economy why don't we invite the entire population of China here? Better yet, let's just ask the entire world to immigrate to America--no restrictions of any kind. Imagine how cheap labor rates would be then and how low inflation would be. Who cares if we would be the largest 3rd world nation history as ever seen. We would be the United States of the World!

[WRhine]

Care to add anything of substance PRND21? Or are you content to just heckle the concerns that patriotic citizens have about the ongoing MASSIVE INVASION of illegal aliens that is turning this country upside down? Oh that's right, you said you are against illegal immigration. Seems that you have a funny way of showing it.

[rebelsoldier]

Whore-hay Ramos is an idiot bigot who believes in a "racial" destiny for Hispanics, which by the way are NOT a race by any aspect. His tremendously stupid and self-centered ilk, like every single bed-wetting, America hating liberal moron, blames the plight of poor Hispanics on the United States "denying" them opportunity, instead of their own worthless shitholes of societies that exist in a stagnant third world state despite decades and decades and decades of US aid, assistance, and infrastructure building that are the root cause of all that happens to these people. In short, Ramos is playing an American and white guilt card so that the third world toilets these peasants flee like cockroaches from can't be blamed. No, instead whitey is to blame, even when it ain't whitey's fault or even whitey's country these people come from. By the way, Ramos is as "white" as they come, and is no more like the vast majority of "Hispanics" than Michael Jackson is typical of most blacks.

[WRhine]

LOL. Nevermind. I'm responding to a 3 month old thread. A Pinged Time Warp I guess...not that you are any different.

[PRND21]

Big soccer match Sunday night...
USA USA USA USA!

[WRhine]

Big soccer match Sunday night... USA USA USA USA!

hehehe. All the WAY! And I hope the game is more exciting than the Basketball and Hockey finals.

[c-b 1]

Perhaps there are other people with not such good intentions who are also using the open border so convenient to the Mexicans?

You got that right, drug trafficers, and coyotes smuggling in Middle Eastern men.

[c-b 1]

So, you all talk and gripe and complain. Im still down here on the border actually fighting, possibly, the American Govt! Go figger.

I commend you for having the courage to do what is right.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"And how much (in) taxes do they pay if they declare 10 dependants?"

Some, which proves the poster wrong.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"How does an illegal alien with 4 kids, who makes $20,000 a year, pay for this?"

I guess the same way that an American welfare mom with six kids pays for hers.

The problem is the welfare system.

[mrustow]

I hired some illegals once, I didn't know they were illegals at the time. They had the necessary paperwork to complete their I-9's, so I put them through our payroll procedures.

They (seven in total) worked for me for about ten months, then one day, one of them shows up and hands me a green card with a whole different name than the original one he had given me, this was when Reagan gave a bunch of illegals amnesty. This was his real card, and his real name, I never saw the other six again.

I would venture to guess that not one of those guys filed an income tax return, not one got a penny back.

I know that the guy who actually came back did not file a return for the false name.

This story is repeated over and over again, with illegals everywhere.

Now, I'm not saying that this is OK, what I am saying is that when illegals work under fake ID's, what taxes they pay stay with the Feds.

And most employers will not hire anyone w/out the proper paperwork to cover their own behinds.

Illegals are illegals, there's no need to find more fault with them, the mere fact that they are here illegally is enough to deport them.

Thanks for the explanation; you should have said that in the first place, instead of bringing up gasoline taxes.

[mrustow]

"Give me back my tax money that goes to illegals & I'll pay the extra nickle for my carrots."

Right, and we can do without broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and asparagus altogether.

Some of us have already, out of patriotic duty and at great personal sacrifice, given up foods like brussels sprouts (neutrral, indeed!), cauliflower, and aparagus.

[mrustow]

BTW, how can illegals work in this country w/out paying income taxes?

Nobody works under the table in your neck of the woods?