I agree that we urgently need immigration reform. But for such reform to work, it cannot be based on lies that border on the absurd. One such lie is that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American workers.
Illegal immigrants DO NOT take jobs way from Americans! The illegal immigrant usually has little education, does not speak or understand English and is considered an unskilled worker. It is ridiculous to think that such a person can compete the American worker for a job????
Los Angeles has the largest Spanish-speaking population outside of Mexico City, and, one of the largest, if not the largest, population of illegal immigrants. After all, "everyone wants to live in sunny California?".
So let's look at some of the jobs where we might encounter illegal immigrants at work. Car washes are plentiful in Los Angeles. I have never seen an American worker waiting for the cars to come out from cleaning machines so that they can clean the mirrors, the dashboard, the tires, etc.
The garment and restaurant industries in Los Angeles are constantly targeted by the INS in search of illegal- immigrant workers. How many Americans are willing to work sewing piecemeal for wages? How many Americans are willing to wash dishes and bus tables?
How many American workers are willing to be maids, cleaning other people's homes?
These are not the jobs the American worker are seeking!
Let me be specific. The group I am speaking about is made up of Latino males, usually from Mexico or Central America. In the majority, they know little English.
After all, while the government gives lip service to "our borders to the north and to the south", it is our border to the south - the U.S.-Mexico border, that is at the heart of the immigration issue.
As I said, I am absolutely for immigration reform - provided that it's really going to make the problem better rather than worse. In my opinion, previous immigration reforms did NOTHING to stem the tide of illegal immigrants. And if the new reform is based on the same old same old, the problem will continue to get worse!
We need immigration reform that is not based on TV sound-bites, you know "film at 11″.
More importantly, what we are NOT talking about, but should be, is the mass outsoursing of jobs by American companies to counties like India and China. Why is our government NOT giving these companies incentives to bring these jobs back to the United States? Why is our government NOT assessing penalties to the companies that are taking the jobs out of the country and away from the American worker?
These are businesses that used to employ Americans. These are the jobs the American worker is seeking!
Let me leave you with this thought"..What if when the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the chief of the Native American tribe deported them because they had no visa???? After all, this country was founded by immigrants who left their country in search of a place to live that would provide better lives for themselves and their families. One could say, this country was founded by illegal immigrants.
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