Posted on 08/22/2002 7:04:53 AM PDT by Sabertooth
This is a vanity post, let's get that straight from the start.
Perhaps the most vain aspect of it is the conceit that it might stay on topic, but I'm going to give it a whirl.
One of the more contentious species of threads encountered on Free Republic are those dealing with the subject of America's immigration policy, particularly with regard to the Illegal Aliens currently in our country. According a range of reasonable sources, the estimates of their numbers here currently here range from six to thirteen million. Whatever the actual count, there are quite a few people now in violation of American immigration law.
One subtopic that inevitably arises is the question of Amnesty:
Should all or some portion of the Illegal Aliens be granted an Amnesty and be thereby allowed to change their status and acquire legal residence in the United States?
That's the question I'd like to put forward to the members of Free Republic.
Almost as inevitably on threads dealing with this subject, flame wars erupt. It's not my purpose to instigate another round of that, they're rather predictable. So I'd like to ask that your comments, if you're inclined to share them, focus on the big picture of American immigration policy, with particular attention to the subject of Amnesty. I'm not interested in the stock and gratuitous divisiveness of race-baiting or referring to the President as "Jorge," or anything of that nature from any quarter. It achieves nothing, it's sulphurous methane heat with no light shed.
I'd also like to avoid ad hominem ambushes. I'm genuinely interested in learning the collective feelings of Free Republic members on this subject. If you're gonna post, I'd like to ask that you ante up with your opinion on the question at hand before engaging the discussion with others. No taking potshots from the obscurity of the sidelines. I'll post my opinion below at #1.
Fair enough?
So, once again, here's the question:
Should all or some portion of the Illegal Aliens be granted an Amnesty and be thereby allowed to change their status and acquire legal residence in the United States?
Thank you. Sabertooth and Marine Inspector are both a wealth of knowledge on immigration. We must stem the flow of illegal aliens before we lose our country and our culture. Not to mention our economy.
http://www.shusterman.com/siu.html#4
Shusterman's Immigration Update July 2002
4. Executive Order Expedites Military Naturalization
On July 3, President Bush signed an Executive Order 13269 which waives the normal residency and physical presence requirements for certain non-citizens serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. It is estimated that there are over 15,000 men and women who are affected by this order. While non-citizens are eligible to enlist in the military, only U.S. citizens can be promoted to commissioned or warrant officers, or serve in special warfare programs such as the Navy SEALs.On July 4, the President proclaimed to a crowd that "thousands of our men and women in uniform were born in other countries and now spend each day in honorable service to their adopted land. Many of them are still waiting for the chance to become American citizens."
Under the order, anyone with active-duty service in the military since September 11, 2001 is eligible to apply for naturalization provided that they enlisted, or re-enlisted, in the U.S. or in certain other designated places.
Importantly, it is not necessary that the applicant still be in the military, or that he/she be a permanent resident of the United States. It is even possible to naturalize if the person is ILLEGALLY present in the U.S.
Applicants under the Executive Order (issued pursuant to §329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act) must comply with other naturalization requirements such as the English and history/government examinations, and must demonstrate that they are persons of good moral character.
When I served as an INS Citizenship Attorney in the late 1970s, we recommended hundreds of Vietnam veterans for naturalization under a similar Executive Order, and they were sworn-in as U.S. citizens. The fact that many of these veterans had enlisted illegally did not bar them from naturalization as long as the military supported their applications. I can not recall a single instance where the military did not do so.
Significantly, President Bush's order does not contain an expiration date. A non-citizen who joins the military TODAY can immediately apply for naturalization. Also, it is not required that the applicant be involved in combat or in the war against terrorism.
I had a hard time finding any info on this on the web. Isn't this insane?
NONE SHOULD BE GRANTED AMNESTY!!! NO WAY!
NO AMNESTY, PERIOD!
Leni
To hear you tell it, it's that someone came in illegally, as long as they are doing something productive.
I'm sorry, you don't instantly lose your status as an illegal. In your example, if a burglar comes into my house, and I catch 'em while they are picking up behind themselves, then I can't shoot them.
If they're illegal, they're illegal - and quite frankly, I don't care if they're working in a productive job; that's a job that an American can have, as opposed to an interloper who is guilty of (in effect) breaking and entering our country.
I don't care if they're the most upstanding and righteous person - they're still wrong. And they've got to go!
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