Page 1 of 1 pages
We are not talking “immigrants’ rights” here, but illegal aliens’ rights to violate our laws with impunity, then demand that they be given the rights and benefits of citizens.
Legal permanent residents have largely the same rights and benefits as citizens, with the exception access to welfare and voting. If they are abused in the workplace, they can report it or change jobs(illegal aliens can do this, too); they have access to mortgages, aid for higher education and so on. It is only illegal aliens, who need to scream about “immigrant rights”. Be very, very afraid of any group which demands that our laws be ignored.
Posted by Ali Alexander on Sep 24, 2003 at 12:20 AM
illegal immigrants nor so called legal residence are not entitiled to the rights of American citizens. All should be rounded up and deported back to their country of origin by any means necessary as stated in the proper and necessary clauses of the federal constitution. We as a people have every natural and constitutional right to expel every illegal or face the consequnces for for not leaving the country. Everone who is a native citizen, knows that our country is being destroyed by an alien army of Third World People and the federal government and state governments are doing nothing tp protect our borders. One of the grievances of our European/Israelite (Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic, Scandinavian and kindred peoples}colonists was that Parliment and King George failed to protect the colonists from the merciless savages. Session anyone?
Posted by Robert Godwin on Sep 24, 2003 at 2:16 PM
Though I very much agree with the premise of this article - more rights for people who work in the U.S. and throughout the world to produce our goods and services - I find this article one-sided and full of unexplained assumptions. The main assumption seems to express that illegal immigration should not be punishable in any way. Working off of that unstated premise, this article does not explore why illegal immigration should not be illegal. I think that weakens the entire argument.
I do appreciate the efforts you are making to raise public awareness about workers’ rights, but did want to point that out.
Best Regards,
Amie Michalek
San Francisco, CA
Posted by Amie Michalek on Sep 26, 2003 at 9:51 AM
Inscription on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants starting with the illegal English colonists who dispossesed the Native Americans of their land though violence. We have always welcomed immigrants to help us build our nation with their labor from the Chinese, to the Germans, Irish, Italians, Philipinos, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Russians, Jews, etc.
U.S. immigration laws are Federal administrative laws whose function is to regulate the flow of tourist visitors, immigrant residents, and naturalization of immigrant residents. Immigration laws are not criminal laws. Violations of them are not criminal acts. To give you a sense of what an administrative law means, speeding or parking tickets are violations of state and local administrative laws.
The problem with our current immigration laws is that only 10,000-20,000 persons per country annually are allowed to legally immigrate. This unrealistic quota provides a huge incentive to immigrate illegally and as this article points out, this creates huge problems for workers rights as employers want illegal immigrant workers because they can pay them less and play them off against citizen and legal-resident workers. Morevoer, the Federal government does nothing to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants because of the political lobbying power of corporations.
Final point: for those who believe in the superiority of Europeans, European civilization also relied on slavery and colonialism, gave us two World Wars, and created fascism and communism. Anyone who knows history knows that origins of democracy lies in Egypt as the ancient Greek intellectuals went to Africa to Egypt to study.
God Bless America! Land of Opportunity for All.
Posted by Statue of Liberty on Sep 27, 2003 at 1:26 PM
OK Robert Godwin I’ll bite. I dont have a copy of the constitution in front of mean and my memories a bit hazy but I dont remember anything that says that “all should be rounded up and deported back to their country of origin by any means necessary.” It might say that somewhere I dont know. Perhaps you could point it out to me. I’d like to know what the consequences are for not leaving the country Or what you feel they should be. I am a native citizen and I have never heard of the “alien army of third world people” Are those the guys that hang out on the corner with the dirty jeans?? They kinda look like the same guys I saw picking sweet corn the other day. They all look the same to me so perhaps I need someone like you to point them out to me. That way I’ll know who to shoot at. Here in Ohio we can buy the worlds best sweet corn for less than a dollar a dozen. I wonder how the farmers manage to sell corn so cheap and still stay in business. Oh who cares as long as my lawn is mowed, my toilet is clean and my food is cheap! Being a decendent of one of those anglo-saxon jews who colonized the empty land of america I am very, very afraid of those “merciless savages” who have invaded my country and I feel the need for a constitution to sheild my from their on-slaught. Help me…..
Posted by Shawn P. Murphy on Sep 27, 2003 at 2:30 PM
Shawn,
It doesn’t say it anywhere in the constitution. If anything there’s a guarantee these people can be admitted by various laws of the state. From Article I of the Constitution, 1791:
Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.
Okay, there’s nothing saying about after 1808. Going further, it guarantees people within the states rights as human beings and to be treated as such. It’s still debated about state’s powers in this case.
Sounds like more demonizing and blame being laid for our country’s poor humanitarian practices.
Posted by neil on Sep 28, 2003 at 5:15 PM
I was enjoying the articles content and the sources quoted such as SEIU International V.P. Eliseo Medina a true defender of workers and immigrants rights since the Ceasar Chaves days, and Denise Dixon an increadible women who I have fortunatley met and worked with. Yet, the downside of your article is using the quote of Mr. Hoyt “it’s a huge step for people who care about immigrants”, if every change came down to people caring for this or the other we wouldn’t have progress, the point of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is to make right what is wrong, no matter which leaders are in office. He discredits the whole ride by saying we won’t have progress if Fox and Bush are friends. He contradicts himself in the same paragraph. As other readers have responded negativley to the movement it is obvious they don’t have sense to see how unfair labor practices to one worker is an injustice to all workers. All the people who keep this country working don’t sit in offices or board meetings, they work with their hands and sweat everynight to feed their families, not to pay-off their condos. Every worker is Stronger Together, documented or undocumented. Incase ignorant readers are curious to my Legal Status: HUMAN.
Posted by EL1 on Oct 3, 2003 at 5:12 PM
Page 1 of 1 pages
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Reader Comments
We are not talking “immigrants’ rights” here, but illegal aliens’ rights to violate our laws with impunity, then demand that they be given the rights and benefits of citizens.
Legal permanent residents have largely the same rights and benefits as citizens, with the exception access to welfare and voting. If they are abused in the workplace, they can report it or change jobs(illegal aliens can do this, too); they have access to mortgages, aid for higher education and so on. It is only illegal aliens, who need to scream about “immigrant rights”. Be very, very afraid of any group which demands that our laws be ignored.
illegal immigrants nor so called legal residence are not entitiled to the rights of American citizens. All should be rounded up and deported back to their country of origin by any means necessary as stated in the proper and necessary clauses of the federal constitution. We as a people have every natural and constitutional right to expel every illegal or face the consequnces for for not leaving the country. Everone who is a native citizen, knows that our country is being destroyed by an alien army of Third World People and the federal government and state governments are doing nothing tp protect our borders. One of the grievances of our European/Israelite (Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic, Scandinavian and kindred peoples}colonists was that Parliment and King George failed to protect the colonists from the merciless savages. Session anyone?
Though I very much agree with the premise of this article - more rights for people who work in the U.S. and throughout the world to produce our goods and services - I find this article one-sided and full of unexplained assumptions. The main assumption seems to express that illegal immigration should not be punishable in any way. Working off of that unstated premise, this article does not explore why illegal immigration should not be illegal. I think that weakens the entire argument.
I do appreciate the efforts you are making to raise public awareness about workers’ rights, but did want to point that out.
Best Regards,
Amie Michalek
San Francisco, CA
Inscription on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants starting with the illegal English colonists who dispossesed the Native Americans of their land though violence. We have always welcomed immigrants to help us build our nation with their labor from the Chinese, to the Germans, Irish, Italians, Philipinos, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Russians, Jews, etc.
U.S. immigration laws are Federal administrative laws whose function is to regulate the flow of tourist visitors, immigrant residents, and naturalization of immigrant residents. Immigration laws are not criminal laws. Violations of them are not criminal acts. To give you a sense of what an administrative law means, speeding or parking tickets are violations of state and local administrative laws.
The problem with our current immigration laws is that only 10,000-20,000 persons per country annually are allowed to legally immigrate. This unrealistic quota provides a huge incentive to immigrate illegally and as this article points out, this creates huge problems for workers rights as employers want illegal immigrant workers because they can pay them less and play them off against citizen and legal-resident workers. Morevoer, the Federal government does nothing to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants because of the political lobbying power of corporations.
Final point: for those who believe in the superiority of Europeans, European civilization also relied on slavery and colonialism, gave us two World Wars, and created fascism and communism. Anyone who knows history knows that origins of democracy lies in Egypt as the ancient Greek intellectuals went to Africa to Egypt to study.
God Bless America! Land of Opportunity for All.
OK Robert Godwin I’ll bite. I dont have a copy of the constitution in front of mean and my memories a bit hazy but I dont remember anything that says that “all should be rounded up and deported back to their country of origin by any means necessary.” It might say that somewhere I dont know. Perhaps you could point it out to me. I’d like to know what the consequences are for not leaving the country Or what you feel they should be. I am a native citizen and I have never heard of the “alien army of third world people” Are those the guys that hang out on the corner with the dirty jeans?? They kinda look like the same guys I saw picking sweet corn the other day. They all look the same to me so perhaps I need someone like you to point them out to me. That way I’ll know who to shoot at. Here in Ohio we can buy the worlds best sweet corn for less than a dollar a dozen. I wonder how the farmers manage to sell corn so cheap and still stay in business. Oh who cares as long as my lawn is mowed, my toilet is clean and my food is cheap! Being a decendent of one of those anglo-saxon jews who colonized the empty land of america I am very, very afraid of those “merciless savages” who have invaded my country and I feel the need for a constitution to sheild my from their on-slaught. Help me…..
Shawn,
It doesn’t say it anywhere in the constitution. If anything there’s a guarantee these people can be admitted by various laws of the state. From Article I of the Constitution, 1791:
Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.
Okay, there’s nothing saying about after 1808. Going further, it guarantees people within the states rights as human beings and to be treated as such. It’s still debated about state’s powers in this case.
Sounds like more demonizing and blame being laid for our country’s poor humanitarian practices.
I was enjoying the articles content and the sources quoted such as SEIU International V.P. Eliseo Medina a true defender of workers and immigrants rights since the Ceasar Chaves days, and Denise Dixon an increadible women who I have fortunatley met and worked with. Yet, the downside of your article is using the quote of Mr. Hoyt “it’s a huge step for people who care about immigrants”, if every change came down to people caring for this or the other we wouldn’t have progress, the point of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is to make right what is wrong, no matter which leaders are in office. He discredits the whole ride by saying we won’t have progress if Fox and Bush are friends. He contradicts himself in the same paragraph. As other readers have responded negativley to the movement it is obvious they don’t have sense to see how unfair labor practices to one worker is an injustice to all workers. All the people who keep this country working don’t sit in offices or board meetings, they work with their hands and sweat everynight to feed their families, not to pay-off their condos. Every worker is Stronger Together, documented or undocumented. Incase ignorant readers are curious to my Legal Status: HUMAN.
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