have you witnessed the illegal alien problem?

obviously, most have already decided their stance on the new az. law,
along with their belief, negative or positive, send home or some sort of amnesty.
my question is, how did you come to this decision?
i'm interested, news sources or the actual witnessing.
has the illegal problem effected you personally in any way?
for me it's a given.
i travel az. and n.m. full time.
desert in the winter and high country in the summer.
was in aguila when sheriff joe raided and rounded up.
just to satisfy my interest, another gringo and i, visited ranches and farms, where only hispanics, for the most part, worked.
we asked for work. we quit after 25 tries. never even got an interview.
i speak enough spanish to get by, and was willing to do anything.
we even hung out at spots with the day laborers. asked when the trucks and buses pulled in.
in general, the people on the ranches and farms were all nice.
a few of the hispanic crew bosses i approached in the field laughed at us.
while walking around one farm looking for someone to ask for a job, a white guy pulled up, told us we were trespassing. after a brief discussion, we were told that no one would hire us in this area due to the fact that they use only illegals, and can keep all labor under the table.

other issues i've witnessed is gangs, dudes with ms-13 tattooed across thier foreheads.

drug violence.

car accidents, an uninsured illegal and your on your own.

i'll ramble more if this goes anywhere.

If they broke the law getting here, what makes you think they would become upstanding citizens once they are here. I have seen problems illegal aliens create as well.

Every state needs to enforce a law that jails employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

I live in a town in alabama which was formerly known as the sock capital of the world due to the sock industry which was our prime business until about 5 years ago when they started setting up in honduras. The point is, we have almost more illegal hispanics in this county than legal citizens thanks to the sock mills inviting and trucking them in.
Citizens couldn't get jobs at them and the human resources buildings were all marked 'trabajo'.
There are gangs and thugs and thieves and worse and the local law enforcement let them get away with it.

But can we really do anyting about it? I don't think so.
America is evil and has its own agenda independent of our welfare.

I pray for revolution.

reply to post by kadyr80


law enforcement is a good one.
everyone know in az, if your pulled over driving drunk and illegal, not much will be done.
if you're a citizen, there's court costs, fines, treatment money etc., to be collected.

I am from the great state of Nebraska. I witness the "illegal" activities in
our area on a daily basis. They come in droves to this neck of the woods
looking for work in the slaughter houses, sugar beet factories, and
farmwork, usually hoeing the bean fields. Pinto and Great Northern beans.

The ones that work at the slaughter houses, and a lot of them that work
at the sugar factories, stay year round. The migrants who work the fields
are here for the spring and summer and then go on north as far as
North Dakota and then head back to Mexico in the fall. They will live 10
to 15 in a house out in the country most of the time. Some of them will
come into town looking for rentals. I know, because I am in the rental
business on a small scale year round. Their favorite little trick is for a
man and woman posing as husband and wife, usually they are, wanting
to rent a small house for a few months. If you rent to them, within a few
days there will be 10-12 of them living under one roof. They will destroy
the house inside and out, and I mean DESTROY. They will trash my
property and then leave in the middle of the night. They always have

left owing money and then it takes literally hundreds if not thousands of
dollars to get the house liveable again. If you approach them and tell them
they can't have that many people living in the same house, they normally
threaten us with a lawsuit. Good Grief!. And usually only one out of the
bunch will be able to speak English. The rest of them speak Spanish
all the time. Kind of a clue as to where they are from ! I even have them
sign a lease, usually monthly type leases, explain the rules to them, and
then they just thumb their noses at us and start doing whatever they feel
like doing on my private property. So guess what. I will leave the house
totally unrented before I will rent to any of them now. I can tell the moment
they pull up in front of the house that they are "illegals" And don't anyone
call me racially profiling, because I have rented to "local" Mexicans many
times, and they are a totally different breed of cat. In the neighborhood
where I live, in an area of say twenty houses surrounding me, I believe
that nine of them are Hispanic, Hispanics that have been born here or
have jumped through the "legal" hoops to become citizens.

When you go into the local hospital or even into my doctors office, they
will be there by the dozens demanding and getting free whatever. Things
that I can't afford or will have to pay a hefty copay to get.

When I go into a local store, I usually am the type of person who will hold
open the door for people. And yes, even Hispanics. Wow, imagine that.
Anyway, you can spot the "illegals" immediately, I will still open the door
for them. Not one thank you at all from any of them. And then they will
push their way into line at the checkout and give you dirty looks if you
don't somehow bow down and kiss their feet. They will barge their way
into line at the Post Office and then stand there for twenty minutes filling
out money orders to send to Mexico. It has gotten to the point I really don't
want to be helpful to any of them anymore. I don't want to be mean to
them, but enough is enough. I am tired of being treated like a second rate
citizen. I am tired of being threatened with lawsuits by an "illegal". I am
tired of opening doors and then be looked at like it is my obligation to do so.

My wife is a school teacher and her school is filled wilth migrant children
in the summer who get free lunches, free medical, free use of computers,
free bus rides, free, free, free, all paid for by the second class citizens
of the US. I have been told by local Latinos that the women purposely
become pregnant (in Mexico) in the early fall, so when they come to the
US in the spring to do the migrant work, they can then have their children
on US soil. Then we pay again. We had four children, and we had to pay
for most of the medical and doctors besides what our insurance didn't
pay. We paid off medical bills for a number of years because we didn't
get free, free, free.

Am I peed off at all of this? YES !! I believe this country DOES need
immigrants to stir the soup pot, if you will, but I say we need to do
something on our border, NOW and not another twenty years to remedy
the "illegal" situation. My immigrant family came here from Ireland over
a hundred years ago to Ellis Island. And they went through all the paper
work and legalities to be here. And guess what, if you were Irish, most
of the time you couldn't get a job unless you changed the name to a more
American name. Talk about discrimination.

I have ranted long enough. These are just some of my personal
experiences, and that was the gist of the OP's title I guess. I definitely
have witnessed what is happening in an up close and personal way.

Originally posted by The_Zomar
If they broke the law getting here, what makes you think they would become upstanding citizens once they are here.

Because the majority of humanity aren't criminals of anything other than circumstance.

Most illegals are likely just trying to improve their lives by escaping squalor for a better opportunity. Sure a fair share of them end up in gangs, committing crimes of intent, but surely you don't believe that every illegal is a bad person simply because they sought to improve their own lives and the lives of their families.

[edit on 4/27/2010 by eNumbra]

reply to post by rubbertramp


Yes as a matter of fact, I have witnessed the problem. Coming from south Texas, I know the problem first hand.

As bad as the problem may seem to be, we will never solve it so long as our approach is focused on the arrest and deportation of the poor immigrant looking for a better way of life. The fact that they are looking for a better way of life is fundamental human nature.

I would suggest that we modify our approach to include the arrest and prosecution of those who would employ and exploit those immigrants for their own financial gain.

Specifically, I'm promoting the idea that we institute mandatory jail time for anyone found to be guilty of employing illegal immigrants. This will stop employers from hiring the illegals, creating the opportunity they seek. When the immigrants realize that they must immigrate legally in order to obtain employment, problem solved.

reply to post by Flatfish


I have often wondered why the states don't crack down on employers.
Are they in the pockets of the companies that do the hiring?

And the best part of arresting and placing stiff fines on the employers
would be to hire "legal" workers. The companies might have to lower
their profit margins from say, 25 million a year to ONLY 20 million. Pay
local people more money, get rid of the "illegals". This would be real job
creation, not the fantasy and lies that Washington puts out.

And don't get me wrong. I believe that the vast majority of the "illegals"
besides being "illegal", are just here to make a living that they somehow
can't get in Mexico. There is nothing wrong about that, except for them
sending most of their money back to Mexico and not paying taxes on it.

I mean, let's don't be heartless and cruel to fellow human beings, but we
have to somehow get across the true meaning of "illegal" and start doing
something about it today and not twenty years from now. We don't need
any more so called committees or studies on any of this. It has been
studied and discussed for way too long. Pass the laws for "illegal"
immigration, or at least honor the laws that are on the books. Do it now !!

reply to post by endtimer


So long as corporations are allowed to lobby our representatives with money, you're darn right they are in the pockets of these companies. These companies literally own our legislators and dictate the very legislation, or lack thereof, that these representatives will vote into law.

I'll just bet that mandatory jail time will speak louder than campaign contributions.

Isn't the employer just as much a criminal as the immigrant? Didn't the employer break the law by hiring these illegals? Why are we afraid to prosecute the employer? Answer; Follow The Money!

to answer I first have to say the wife in I live in a townhouse complex...picture row houses were all the places share a common wall...

Now.. feb 2009 My daughter comes up stairs and says to me, "Daddy mommy says you have to get up right now!" "Why honey?" There's men with guns and funny badges in the house!"

It was an ICE raid on the neighbours. they took what looked like a dozen people out of there... as for us, they were expecting trouble so in essence placed a guard in my house to keep us indoors and out of the line of fire...
What can I say other than for a federal agent that lady ICE agent was pretty darn cute...

to take it another way just this morning on the local news we had a story of a woman who married a Mexican national, he cut her throat stabbed her ten times then set her on fire... and she lived! wheres hubby? back in Mexico of course... we hear stories like that all the time down here...
Here's the link to that story Woman Talks About Near-Fatal Ordeal

As I have posted several times before, numerous communities on Long Island and parts of New York City have been absolutely devastated by illegal immigration and excessive amounts of legal immigration. We have three particular community here (Brentwood, Central Islip, and Huntington Station) where in certain parts of those communities virtually every store sign is in Spanish and you see nothing but Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Ecuadoran, Dominican, Honduran, etc flags all over the place. They live like 30 to a house and trash the whole neighborhood. They have cars all over the front lawn and couches and garbage all over. It's disgusting. The "day laborers" gather on street corners in big huge groups and drink beer and urinate in public. Another thing they love to do is make catcalls and harass every woman in sight. There was a case about 3 years ago where an illegal immigrant went around big chain stores like Macy's and JC Penny and would sneak around staring up women's skirts and masturbate in front of them.

We have seen the Hispanic population of Long Island rise from virtually nothing to almost 25% of the combined population of Nassau and Suffolk counties being Hispanic as of the 2000 census. The total population of Nassau and Suffolk counties was about 3,000,000 as of the 2000 census.

Crime goes up and up each year. There was a time in my lifetime (I am 22) where gangs like MS-13, Domincans Don't Play, and the Latin Kings were unknown on Long Island ... now they have a presence in virtually every community. We now have gang related murders almost every week when up until the early 2000s we would have only 30 or so murders a year in the whole county (and that's with a population of appx. 1,500,000).

Originally posted by eNumbra

Originally posted by The_Zomar
If they broke the law getting here, what makes you think they would become upstanding citizens once they are here.

Because the majority of humanity aren't criminals of anything other than circumstance.

[edit on 4/27/2010 by eNumbra]

oh my gosh, are you really serious??! are you actually trying to say that tha vast majority of ALL criminals are just victims??!
no, you have it backwards, they CREATE victims.

dr

I tried to move to California from NY for some warmer weather. Unfortunately I was competing with 4 million illegal immigrants in California. Never found a job and ended up back in NY.

Originally posted by dr dodge

Originally posted by eNumbra

Originally posted by The_Zomar
If they broke the law getting here, what makes you think they would become upstanding citizens once they are here.

Because the majority of humanity aren't criminals of anything other than circumstance.

[edit on 4/27/2010 by eNumbra]

oh my gosh, are you really serious??! are you actually trying to say that tha vast majority of ALL criminals are just victims??!
no, you have it backwards, they CREATE victims.

dr

You misread that. Nowhere did I say criminals are victims, just that the definition of criminal in the sense used by Zomar is flawed.

... and not all criminals create victims: Who is victimized by the man who smokes a little recreational marijuana? People killed by cartels which only exist because of a prohibition created by a propagandist lie-filled movement a few decades ago?

Illegals are only criminals because the crossed an imaginary line in the sand. Until you have proof they did anything else, they're guilty of nothing else. Anyone here illegally needs to be deported, preferably two countries further away from which they originated just to prove a point, but to assume they're all bad people because they tried to leave something worse behind? I'm pretty sure the American Dream is all about improving the life of you and your family.

in the winter, i set up and vend at flea markets and assorted shows.
i deal with illegals all the time, surprise most, knowing more spanish than they english.
most are very nice people, supporting a family.
i usually do mention how i wish they would go home, yet do understand their circumstances and don't hold it against them personally.

then on the other hand, i've listened to gang members use the words, muerto and gringo in the same sentence.

next adventure, maybe i'll sneak into mexico, try and rent a place and find a job. i'll leave my passport and id home.
anyone know a good lawyer in mexico?

reply to post by rubbertramp


In a word: YES

I remember around 20 yrs. ago, on construction sites there would be a few obvious illegals working on the landscaping. (I say obvious because: They were paid cash while every other person on the job site was TAXED, they spoke no english and they used to be afraid if a police car drove by).

Fast forward 20 yrs. and I see these same people: paid cash, no english except now they could care less about a police car pulling up.
And by the way now they're not only landscaping they're roofing, concrete, siding, plumbing, heating, electric and ALL THE OTHER JOBS THAT AMERICANS DON'T WANT OR WON'T DO!

Comming for your job next???

No sympathy here, come through the front door & be welcomed legally.

reply to post by rubbertramp


Yes, I live in North Texas and there are tons of illegal immigrants. They have their children here and in the schools, because of course children born in the US are citizens even if their parents are not. I also see children in our schools who have just moved here from Mexico and are not yet citizens. I have watched the day laborers get picked up and given jobs for the day. I have seen them doing carpentry, landscaping, odd-jobs and any other work they can.

I feel bad that they are here because their situation in their own country is so bad, at the same time we have our own problems here and should not be responsible for helping everyone else until we have helped our own citizens.

What other country in the world has this type of problem with illegal aliens? I have not heard of any, but if someone could point them out to me I would appreciate it greatly.

Interesting question, I think there are 2 instances that I have personally seen. About 12 years ago, I lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There were certain Walmarts you did not go to in the middle of the night, because if you did, you had to be careful about what you said of you could get shot, as the illegale immigrants were there shopping. I lived in one apartment complex and the main problem they had was that they would have 2 or three apartments that were a constent problem for the management company, as the illegale immigrants would have 20 people in an apartment that should have only held 4 people at the most, living in it, they would urinate outside, and they broke into my vehicle one night, finding nothing of worth and would leave it alone. They would also stare everytime I went down to do my laundry.

a friend who's a plumber is thankful for the illegal crews.
he found his nitch, following crews of illegals and fixing everything they did wrong during new construction.
the owners usually think their saving money when they pick one of the cheaper bids.


i realize now i should have included those with positive encounters.
anyone have an illegal nanny? something of the sort lately.

I say if we cannot beat em, join em.

Now, I say if the federal government intervenes in Arizona, I say we all act just like the illegals.

Pay no taxes whatsoever. No license, no registration no income tax no nothing.

Jury nullification if the asshats try and do anything about it!