What happened to the problem of illegal aliens?

towermonkey wrote: More to the story if you are interested:

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/20 ... ader_a.php

I realize that most of you won't be.

Our viewpoint is that the laws themselves are broken," says Hamel RIght. The problem is not that the laws are broken in the sense of needing reform as his group advocates, but that the existing laws were never enforced. This whole problem would not exist if that had happened or if Vizguerra had entered the country legally. To her credit, she finally applied for citizenship nearly 5 months ago. I do not think her case exemplifies the typical illegal alien activity. I also doubt the rapid fire innuendo of Hamel that she was paying taxes. Without appropriate documents, you do not end up in the tax system.

You still pay taxes on gas, food supplies, etc. What do you suppose happens to the money collected for SS under a stolen ID? It is still given to the government. They don't refuse it. The woman was working a job on top of her business to pay for healthcare for her husband who had cancer. She also has a 3 month old baby who will now be without a mother. Good job folks. Score one for the team. Sometimes I am just sick to see what has happened to my fellow Americans.

towermonkey wrote: You still pay taxes on gas, food supplies, etc. What do you suppose happens to the money collected for SS under a stolen ID? It is still given to the government. They don't refuse it. The woman was working a job on top of her business to pay for healthcare for her husband who had cancer. She also has a 3 month old baby who will now be without a mother. Good job folks. Score one for the team. Sometimes I am just sick to see what has happened to my fellow Americans.

Your points of taxes paid on a variety of commodities is well taken. It is something I neglected to consider given a narrow focus on income tax. It is an assumption however that a stolen SS card was involved. We also do not know if taxes were paid on income earned. We don't have that information.

As I outlined before, this woman is not the usual illegal alien and has a citizenship application pending . Her family situation aside, I still would give her an opportunity to complete here citizenship application merely because she demonstrated a willingness to do so and to give her credit for her positive contributions. Exceptions are always possible, but to change immigration law for a sweeping change that would grant citizenship to all illegal aliens based upon this example is not justified.

That is very true and I agree that sweeping change to immigration law is unwarranted although I think it needs to be an easier process with a better work visa program.

towermonkey wrote: That is very true and I agree that sweeping change to immigration law is unwarranted although I think it needs to be an easier process with a better work visa program.

I'm unfamiliar with the work visa program and certainly am not up to date on immigration policy. If it is like it was in the 1960's, the process was not difficult, though it scared the snot out of my mother. Given that I served in Vietnam with the Army, my journey to citizenship was a breeze. There are ways to ease the process, but what the news article you posted said was the the pathway to citizenship could take up to 20 years. Now that I do not believe. It is not like we have a huge influx of legal immigrants. Perhaps the author was referencing the immigration process for those who came here illegally to start? I'd have to get more educated to form a better opinion.

According to the US immigration web site:
How Long Does the Process Take?
Depending on where and when you choose to file your application, the period of time between sending in the completed application and the interview to become a U.S. Citizen can vary from five months to more than two years.

Interesting. I just went to take the sample citizenship test online. Before you are given that opportunity there are at least a dozen questions that you need to answer. If you answer any one in an unsatisfactory way. (I.e. I said I did not have a green card) you get rejected. It is obvious from the set of questions that your pathway toward citizenship (if you are a male over 18) will be easier if you register for military service. Also, as part of taking the online test you begin a citizenship application and must actually create an account that requires you have an e-mail address. This is as far as I took it, but it is an interesting exercise that provides some insight into the immigration process. I suppose if you are savvy enough to make an online application then an e-mail address is less of an issue. I could see that as a deterrent otherwise. No doubt, it would be helpful for any immigrant to have a little help just to get through the application process. If nothing it would reduce some of the anxiety. I can see that once I retire, I might like to help some immigrants with the process of applying for citizenship.

My sister-in-law is the office manager for a firm (mostly lawyers and para legals) in Cleveland, OH that does nothing but guide immigrants through the citizenship process and help those who face deportation. It's a lot more complicated than I ever imagined, and not at all user friendly. For many immigrants who have just basic English, it's nearly impossible for them to understand all that is involved in the process. And it isn't inexpensive, even if they don't seek legal help.

In reference to what you just posted Rockdoc, how you answer a question can make the difference between acceptance and rejection.

My parents, sponsored a Canada family, and from what I remember, (besides the HUGE Party after they became citizens), was that Mom & Dad had to go to court a couple of times, and got to witness the swearing in... Don't know much about the details, but it didn't seem to take that long. Maybe because they knew English, or from Canada. I don't know just know HOW PROUD that family was that day, they glowed!!!, Don't see many on the left/fewer right, (but still there none the less) with that Pride now a days... It's Sad!

My friend came here legally. He was eligible for amnesty during the Reagan administration. He chose to wait and become a citizen according to the immigration laws, rather than slide in through amnesty. I am one of his greatest admirers.

TPP wrote: My parents, sponsored a Canada family, and from what I remember, (besides the HUGE Party after they became citizens), was that Mom & Dad had to go to court a couple of times, and got to witness the swearing in... Don't know much about the details, but it didn't seem to take that long. Maybe because they knew English, or from Canada. I don't know just know HOW PROUD that family was that day, they glowed!!!, Don't see many on the left/fewer right, (but still there none the less) with that Pride now a days... It's Sad!

Huge smiles of relief, happiness and pride were all there when my mom finally got her citizenship. It was the one time we actually went out to eat somewhere (still recall the chicken in the basket we had for lunch). As Archer pointed out the process is quite complicated. It's not just complicated, but intimidating, especially to someone for whom English is indeed a second language. Let me elaborate by using my mother as an example. She thought she knew English, but her English included the substitution of German words when the English ones were not known. The problem was she didn't even realize she was doing it. That is one problem. Another was English comprehension or should I say miscomprehension. I see the later being a major obstacle for many who immigrate to this country legally without knowledge of English before they arrive. It takes a long time to learn English for Adults who may remain isolated at home instead of being among the workforce.

How things are today I do not know, but I can not imagine any foreigner, who comes to this country with the intension of becoming a citizen, not to be excited and proud for their achievement.