Sam's American Dream - Undocumented or Illegal? |Whose at fault?

Sam's American Dream – Undocumented or Illegal?

December 29, 2009 by LD Jackson · Leave a Comment 

As I am apt to do while driving, I was listening to NPR's news programming as I was heading home from work yesterday. All Things Considered and Morning Edition are programs I enjoy, as I feel they are usually fair and balanced in what they report and how they report it. They were playing a story from Long Haul Productions called American Dreamer, a story about a young illegal immigrant who came to this country when he was five years old with his parents.

As Sam's story unfolded, I learned he loved to play jazz music on his saxophone and if the pieces that were played throughout the story are any indication, he is quite good. The production did a good job at telling his story and how he came to live in America. He is very articulate and I give him kudos for that.

The main meat of the story was about Sam's effort to go to college and his struggle to find enough financial aid to pay his way. One segment had his father explaining how it was not Sam's fault that he was undocumented in this country, that he never said yes or no to the decision to come across the border. He was basically trying to convince the listeners that Sam should be given a break because he had no choice in the matter. This is in spite of the fact that the family came to this country on work visas and after they elapsed, stayed illegally.

As I listened to the story, one thing stuck out to me. Throughout the story, Sam and his family were consistently referred to as undocumented and never as what they really are; illegal immigrants in a country that allows legal immigration. As much as I enjoyed listening to Sam's story and as much as I wish things could be different for such a talented musician, should we feel sorry for him? I do not, so let me explain why.

The story started following Sam as he prepared to graduate from high school and find a college that would except him. It seemed to come as a great shock and surprise to him and his family when they discovered how difficult it was going to be. The main restriction on him was his undocumented status and that fact was bemoaned over and over. In his very articulate manner, Sam himself complained at how he had to find a job and because of his undocumented status, everything had to be under the table. He complained at how he could not legally drive back and forth to work or to college. He complained at how little financial aid was available to him because of his undocumented status.

What strikes me as odd is that Sam or his family never seemed to have a clue that his status would be a hindrance in his quest to go to college. It's as if it just dawned on them when he was asked to list his social security number on a financial aid form, a request with which he could not comply. Even the people around him, his .. full article

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my Comment:  Whose at Fault?

 

Well said Larry.  This brings out the point of ugliness that has arisen from those who chose to ignore the Law of the Land on immigration, the Employers who exploited the illegal and the American workers.  The fault of Sam not having the same free lunch to education as citizens is not his being illegal, it is his being here to begin with.  Why did Sam's parents come to USA? 

 

Back in the 1980s, President Reagan tried to stop the tide of illegal immigrants by putting punishment on employers for hiring illegal.  Everyone ignored this Law and the result, Sam is questioning why he is not privileged as his peers in school?  He wonders how this Nation can be so unfair?  The parents duct how they broke the Law and that their action carry over onto their children.  The greed of the do gooders who broke the Law has brought calamity to the Land in which they live. 

 

Bottom line, a Federal Government, acting without authority, has laid the ground work of changing the borders of this Nation to include Mexico and Canada.  It is the elitists who are playing the nation building game to reflect the Euro attempt to nationalize Regions of the world, reducing the number of Sovereignties and for what purpose?  Look into the depths of the Copenhagen Climate Gate for that answer.  Just as the Nationalist within the Republican party have hidden their agenda so well, so have they hidden their agenda of ending the Constitution and have completely removed the Sovereignty of States.

 

All of that is now on the shoulders of Sam, who through no fault of his own, is caught up in a grand scheme of international Tyranny.  What should be done with him and all the many millions of illegal now here and under the table?  Or of the many illegal whose children and grandchildren are USA born citizens?  Heart wrenching, needing an answer, for if we continue with an open border, our fiscal health as a Nation will continue to collapse, leaving Sam with no where to play his Saxophone.

 

Close the borders and do as Governor Huckabee suggests.  Get all illegal to register by date certain and put them in line behind those who are legally trying to enter the USA.  Those who hide, deport.  With the number of children that have been murdered in the USA, over 50 million, the vacuum of illegal being deported will demand they be returned, those who are of a self supporting character.  Most will end up becoming citizens.  But if we continue down the road we are on, it won't be long before people in America will be leaving rather then the world trying to get here.

Heritage Foundation~Immigration Reform Bill Undermines Enforcement|Send terrorists to Military Trial

Heritage Foundation

Immigration Reform Bill Undermines Enforcement

On December 15, Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois introduced his version of Comprehensive Immigration Reform to the House of Representatives. Amongst its many provisions, the bill would eliminate the successful 287(g) immigration enforcement program in which local law enforcement are trained and deputized by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out federal immigration law.

Yet, Gutierrez's bill is not the only blow made against 287(g) this year. Following an early 2009 GAO report that resulted in claims of racial profiling and a lack oversight and direction within 287(g), the Obama administration announced changes to the Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) that are signed by participating agencies. Law enforcement must now pursue the criminal charges for which an illegal alien is arrested rather than simply initiating removal, and are to limit immigration status checks to only those arrested for "major" offenses. These changes were a strike against the very heart of the program..full article

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My Comment

 

The failure of the Federal Government to enforce the National Borders will lead to putting up check points on all of the State Border entry points to eliminate illegals.

 

 "To Form A More Perfect Union" by Chief Justice John G. Roberts,Jr speaks loudly for the continued need of unity amongst the States.  With the Federal Government ignoring their mandated responsibility and their continued invasion of State Sovereignty, the inevitable will happen.

 

Without secure borders, the fiscal future of the USA is in great peril.  The forced alliance with border Nations is the highest form of treason to the Constitution.  Only if Mexico and Canada breaks into Sovereign States and chose to become sovereign States of the USA under the Constitution, would such a melding be right.  Of course with the tyranny of D.C., who would want that, I don't?

 

George

Note to GOP: No More Chips and Salsa

Note to GOP: No More Chips and Salsa

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/note-to-gop-no-more-chips-and-salsa/

by Sergio Rodriguera Jr.

Republicans still have a long way to go if they hope to win back the Hispanic vote.

...

...Ask me what is important to Puerto Ricans and I might say statehood; to Cubans, it might be regime change. However, these are just assumptions because I don't know. What's important to a Mexican-American in Arizona is going to be different for a Mexican-American in North Carolina. We are not monolithic and will never be a voting bloc. Like other voters, we reward candidates who campaign in our communities, present an appealing message, and show respect and affinity for our members.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan captured 37% of the Hispanic vote and in 2004 George W. Bush garnered 44% of the Hispanic vote. He even tried his Spanish at times, which was always good for a laugh. But Republicans can't hide a simple truth: the party has only four Latino members of Congress. Moreover, that number will decrease by one when Senator Mel Martinez retires his seat in Florida in 2010. "It is absolutely abhorrent that we do not have one Republican Hispanic member of Congress in states like California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada", says Mario Lopez, director of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, which was created in 2008 to address minority recruitment and training of candidates.

Republicans need to make a concerted effort to recruit candidates that reflect a diverse party. With some help, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio may be the Senate candidate in Florida in 2010. However, Republicans can't escape the fact that they need to address the issue  of immigration. The components of an immigration policy that is both responsible and politically effective aren't difficult to put together. The violence currently taking place on both sides of the border is a national security issue. Rampant kidnapping, narcotics smuggling, and arms trafficking takes place on a daily basis and must be stopped.

Once the border is better secured, Republicans can address the 12 to 14 million undocumented workers in our country. Those who have committed crimes here must be sent back to their home country immediately. But individuals who have been in the country and who have been paying taxes and working hard (and perhaps have children here) should have a way to continue contributing to society. While penalties may be appropriate for illegally entering the country, there is simply no viable or politically acceptable means of conducting a mass deportation. Republicans can also address penalties for employers who hire illegal workers and institute a verification system. Recruitment and development of policy positions with appeal to Hispanics are a prerequisite for better electoral results. And a respectful and constructive approach to immigration must be part of the GOP agenda.

Republicans still have a long way to go if they hope to win back the Hispanic vote. Like General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "Pessimism never won any battle". The path will be difficult, but once Republicans manage to construct an effective message with effective messengers, perhaps we will no longer have to listen to mariachi music.

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Great article above.  Go read the whole thing at PJTV. 

Gov. Huckabee had a great approach to the immigration solution.  However, once the border is secure, the process of those who are here and have been, with family American born could be processed and that these accepted naturalized citizens not take away from the opportunity of those who are trying to enter America the legal way.

To further fix our crisis of those who do not pay their share of tax support to the over taxing federal government would be further cleansed by the implementation of the Fair Tax plan, forcing those who are illegal to either sign up for citizenship or leave due to criminal background and who could not afford to be not part of the progressive portion of the Fair Tax Plan.

R. George Dunn