Free Republic

As heated as the debate over the immigration overhaul is on Capitol Hill, the divisions may run even deeper among immigrants themselves. The measure is pitting computer-science Ph.D.s against strawberry pickers, legal immigrants against illegal ones, and those who want it all against those who are grateful for whatever the bill offers. "Our only hope is immigration reform," said Connie Yoon, a Korean immigrant living illegally with her parents and sister in Chicago. "The chance of legalization - it means everything to us." The legislation before the Senate could lead to the most sweeping changes in U.S. immigration policy in...

Immigration is a "hot button" topic. Please bear with me while I lay out my thoughts. We may be in closer agreement than you think !

130 countries represented at ceremony After waiting in messy traffic, enduring long lines and ending up in one of the worst seats in the house, Aurelia Gheletca had an excuse to be grumpy. But as she filled in the little squares on a voter registration form for the first time and readied to wave her small American flag, the Anaheim woman was positively radiant. "Today, my dream has come true," said Gheletca, 56, who left her native country of Romania nearly 16 years ago to find political and religious freedom. "I am so happy because I am finally an American."...

Despite opposition to the Iraq war, pride motivates many to sign up for military duty - Amalia Avila never supported the war. But after her first son, Victor Gonzalez, told her he wanted to join the Marines, she felt a mixture of fear, concern and, finally, pride. "This war makes no sense to me," Avila said last week in her Watsonville home. "I'd ask him why he wanted to go, and he'd just say his brothers needed his help. ... But when Victor did get into the Marines, when that day came, I was so proud of him." Avila paused...

The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave City Journal ^ | Winter 2004 | Heather Mac Donald City JournalThe Illegal-Alien Crime WaveWhy can’t our immigration authorities deport the hordes of illegal felons in our cities?Heather Mac Donald Winter 2004 Some of the most violent criminals at large today are illegal aliens. Yet in cities where the crime these aliens commit is highest, the police cannot use the most obvious tool to apprehend them: their immigration status. In Los Angeles, for example, dozens of members of a ruthless Salvadoran prison gang have sneaked back into town after having been deported for such crimes as...

<p>Scenes of hundreds of thousands of Latinos marching nationwide to support immigration reform have helped promote the perception that Hispanics are united on the issue..</p>

Mauricio Pineda used the wrong word. When he handed his six-month tourist visa to the inspector at the Paso del Norte Bridge, he said he "lived" in El Paso. He should have said he "stayed" in El Paso. One wrong word is all it took to confiscate his visa and ban him from setting foot in the United States for five years, making him one of a growing number of people having temporary visas seized at El Paso crossings. Pineda, a Honduran national and a marketing director in the Mexican state of Queretaro, moved to East El Paso with his...

Texans in poll favor tighter immigration 03/25/2002 By BRENDA RODRIGUEZ / The Dallas Morning News A majority of Texans believe immigration into the United States should be tightened, a new Texas Poll shows. Sixty-four percent of respondents said the United States allows too many legal immigrants into the country, the poll released Monday shows. Texas Poll director Ty Meighan said previous surveys have shown strong anti-immigrant sentiment in Texas. After Sept. 11, it's stronger. One immigration advocate said that he understands people's fears after the terror attacks but that people shouldn't be quick to judge all immigrants in this...