We want their services wrote on Apr 25, 2007 10:43 PM:If you don't, quit eating, sleeping, touring, hoteling, etc. Until you wake up to the fact that illegals drive our service sector, you are lost. But I also believe we need to take automatic citzenship away from their babies born here. What to do? Has anyone really got a solution???? I think not. Above all these are human beings.

Pity this confused wrote on Apr 25, 2007 11:10 PM:author. He doesn't seem to know what he thinks.

Immoral Immigrants wrote on Apr 25, 2007 11:26 PM:The only moral justification for coming here illegally is if a person is forced to emigrate from their home country as, for example, a refugee or an assylum seeker. Included in 'forced' would be wars, famine, fascism, etc. None of that is happening in Mexico. Like the 49ers, the current wave of immigrants from Mexico are merely looking to live a better life. However, the 49ers waited until it was legal. Wanting to get 'rich' provides no moral justification for illegally entering the United States. It is not unusual for a person, lacking morals, to violate other laws. That unwillingness to voluntarily follow the law is one of the things that make this current illegal immigration invasion so costly to our civic order, institutions, and morals.

Floyd wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:02 AM:The author appears to be confusing 'immigration' (the lawful entry into the United States) with 'trespassing' (unlawful entry into the United States). That would be the part of 'illegal' he doesn't understand. Here's another way to look at the situation: if someone was to break into your home and eat your food, bill you for the cost of their medical care, and then call you a 'racist' when you objected; you would be a bit perturbed yourself.

AEQUITAS wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:11 AM:Taking away the automatic citizenship of paperless migrants'children born in the USA would require the amendment or repeal of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Article V makes that next to impossible; requiring approval of at least 2/3 of both Houses of Congress plus ratification by at least 3/4 of the state legislatures. That won't happen. Paperless migrants will never be deported en masse because it would be a physical and practical impossibility to deport 14 million people. What to do? Legalization in one form or other is the ONLY possible solution. They are already legalized de facto. All that remains is the formality. Our economy now relies on the undocumented immigrants to such an extent that without them it would collapse into chaos and stagflation. Produce, for example, would skyrocket to such heights that lettuce would go from 99 cents to $12 per head or more. It is passe and meaningless to continue labeling the paperless migrant as "illegal."

Jimbo wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:23 AM:I knew it was only a matter of time until someone would list the types of laws mentioned in the opening paragraph as an excuse for disregard of federal immigration law and disrespect for the sovereignty of the US and its citizens. Boy, the well is really runnin' dry, huh? Let me see Grant, maybe you can understand if someone spells it out for you. Let me start by posing a question: why do we have laws agains murder, rape, armed robbery, etc? Because if it was condoned, then people's saftey would be at stake constantly. Why do we have immigration laws? Because established nations need to be permitted to control/monitor who comes and goes from their societies. What are the potential downsides to uncontrolled, unchecked flow of immigrants? Criminals and terrorists entering. Poverty..which leads to strained budgets and can also lead to crime. Disease which can lead to death. The lack of patriotism and assimilation which leads to miscommunication which in turn can lead to a gammut of other issues including crime and lack of allegiance to the country being entered, which furher in turn can lead to the ultimate demise of a nation. Last, but not least, over-population which leads to, again crime, strained resources and tax funded programs. Gee, go figure, all of the exact same issues, miraculously with the exception of terrorism, we are facing right here in SoCal as well as other border states where illegal immigration is absurdly out of control! News flash! Not everyone that comes here is a great and wonderful person that wishes to work hard and keep it at that. You're right, you obviously don't understand...maybe you should run for office here in CA, you'd do well. I'll let you know who DOES understand this concept are legal immigrants, such as my wife, soon to be proud, American flag waving US citizen! Interestlingly enough, she understands fully why there are immigration laws on the books, and feels strongly in favor of enforcing them. Another group of people that get this concept are American citizens that actually know what's best for America and not other countries where their ancestry originated from illegally. Hope this helps clear things up and bring you out of your state of confusion.

Veritas wrote on Apr 26, 2007 1:48 AM:First, Grant's logic that others do illegal things therefore we should accept illegal aliens is seriously flawed. Second, Grant ignores that we have the most generous legal alien program in the world. We allow plenty of these humans to enter and work here. Finally, Grant would does not differentiate between a citizen using welfare from an illegal using our money when the many jobs that they are needed for do not materialize or they find it easier to apply for welfare.

Roberto1 wrote on Apr 26, 2007 2:52 AM:People sneaking around working has the phobies running scared. They even want to tell private institutions like banks to stop catering to the spanish language....me thinks they need to get out of the country once in a while.

Grant wrote on Apr 26, 2007 4:37 AM:Irnorance of the law is no excuse!

Ron wrote on Apr 26, 2007 5:20 AM:I think Grant W. Kuhns has struck gold here. We should be men first, and subjects afterward. Many Americans now look to the government for their own welfare. Personal intitative and responsibility have ebbed, and a new form of dependency has emerged. The tax code has been used for generations by social justice activists to equalize outcomes, by punishing one group in order to promote another. Unfortunately, the law has begun this trend as well. Special rights for some, special protections for others, seeks only to split Americans from truly being equal under the law. We see it again in our immigration debate. No one can tell me your sending an illegal here in America to the back of the line when they are allowed to stay, while their brothers have remained in their home country. The illegal in America has the benefit, while not being a citizen of living a better life right now, while his brother sits in squalor waiting for the INS to grant his visa application. Who has it better? Obviously the guy who snuck in illegally. Instead of being equal under the current immigration laws, a special group is created because the government is either corrupt by campaign contributions from corporations using these workers, or their lazy, or their perview of right and wrong is off quilter. I believe it's a little bit of each. But using that thought, apply that then to other issues, like taxation. If your in a higher tax bracket, everything the government provides (roads, buildings, libraries, etc.), costs you more, simply because you make more. Whereas, in a flat tax system, you will pay more monetarily, but the percentage rate is equal under law, thus treating all the same. What the laws and the government has done is to create a welfare class, a special right to be provided things at little or no direct cost to the low income user. The main problem I see in all of this picking of winners and losers, is that the law is now being used to pick who will win, and who will lose, instead of equal justice under the law.

dave from oceanside wrote on Apr 26, 2007 6:16 AM:Apparently Grant is trying to perform the magician’s trick of redirection. Show enough examples of ridicules laws, pop in a few quotes and now he hopes you believe his next statement follows his previous logic. We have more then enough illiterate low income workers families on welfare each costing us $22,000.00 a year in benefits. The US can no longer afford to be the dumping ground of central and South America’s uneducated masses. We need immigrants that can support themselves and contribute to the economic health of this country.

Its a cycle wrote on Apr 26, 2007 7:08 AM:Throughout history, whenever Americans feel insecure; militarily, economically, or ideologically, one group or another is targeted. We saw it with the Native American, we saw it with communists, we saw it with blacks. Immigrants are just the latest. Today, being a little more morally sophistocated than in days gone by, we use "legality" as the means to justify our irrational thought process.

Skip wrote on Apr 26, 2007 7:39 AM:THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THEY WILL BE SAYING COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM IS NOT AMNESTY !

No Need for Immigration Reform Law wrote on Apr 26, 2007 8:38 AM:Since most laws are silly or just immoral, DO NOT PASS a silly 'immigration reform' law.

pablo wrote on Apr 26, 2007 8:55 AM:My thoughts on how to solve the illegal immigration problem ; Enhance immigration law to make anyone found to be in this country illegally after a date certain (say 90 days from the president’s approval) ineligible for a visa, guest worker status or citizenship at any time thereafter. Make possession of false ID and/or the use of a fraudulent SS number by anyone found to be in this country illegally punishable with immediate mandatory deportation. Make the manufacture and/or sale of stolen or false ID by anyone (legal citizen or illegal alien) punishable with a minimum 1 year imprisonment.

To We Want Their Services wrote on Apr 26, 2007 9:27 AM:It's not that I want their services because I don't. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to determine who is legal and who is illegal. Give us a system and I will boycott them. The way it is right now, antidiscrimination laws force me to unknowingly support those businesses who exploit the illegals and burden our society to the benefit of their bottom line. The argument that I benefit from lower prices is no justification for blaming the consumer.

Want their services wrote on Apr 26, 2007 9:46 AM:Quit eating food- probably 50-90% of it in California is either planted, weeded, picked or pruned by illegals. Guess you could grow your own.

YOBOMBA TWINKLE wrote on Apr 26, 2007 9:53 AM:Jimbo and others make all kinds of assertions with no foundation in fact or logic! Hate and bigotry disguised as moral positions. The use of scare tactics and phony bugaboos to serve an agenda of discrmination and racism is very old. Witness the Jim Crow laws of the South ~ now repealed and only historic. Same kind of baloney. The time will come, and soon, when the much feared and despised migrant will become just another group of American citizens, the same as countless other immigrant groups have become.

Secure America wrote on Apr 26, 2007 10:08 AM:This commentary inspired me to make a presidential campaign contribution to TOM TANCREDO 2008 For A Secure America.

Patriot wrote on Apr 26, 2007 10:48 AM:Grant, some years back American citizens and legal immigrants used to find jobs in restaurants, hotels, construction and landscaping attractive because they paid an attractive wage. Now with a steady stream of illegal labor arriving, companies no longer have any incentive to raise either wages or benefits. Companies can pay rock bottom wages and let the taxpayer pick up the costs of benefits and services their illegal workforce consumes. So the rest of us pay more to build more schools, hire more teachers, provide more free school lunches and bus rides, and pick up the tab for their medical care. At the same time, we pay more for our own medical and automobile insurance and for our own children to ride the bus to school and eat lunch. Companies and champions of illegal immigration threaten us that we will pay more for our food and services if the illegal workforce leaves, but this pales in comparison to what we pay already to allow them to drive uninsured, consume medical care, overcrowd apartments and raise children entitled to welfare payments, free public educations and other low-income benefits. Then there are the indirect social costs of our porous border which allows drug runners, sexual predators, car thieves and other criminals entry to our country. We were promised secure borders in 1986 when we granted amnesty to illegal aliens. What did we get? Little efforts to secure the border, little crackdown on hiring illegal labor, and a stampede of new illegal aliens. Now our President is attempting to sell us the same thing again, using the "guest worker program" euphemism. Don't buy it!

FUDDLE RUDDLE wrote on Apr 26, 2007 10:48 AM:Right on "Secure America!" Right on. And while you're at it, read this: "Tancredo pandered to racists by attending a rally in South Carolina in 2006, speaking from a Confederate-flag-bedecked podium to an audience that included people in Confederate uniforms and "redshirts" from a local white-supremacist group, and even - he admits this! - joining his audience in singing "Dixie"! No wonder racist groups like American Vanguard and Stormfront absolutely love him." (From the Tom Tancredo Watch website. Read it all. It proves that racists love racists.

Immoral Borders? wrote on Apr 26, 2007 11:14 AM:I would argue there is nothing immoral about national borders and trying to protect the safety of American Citizens. Sure, there are some loony racists and xenophobes out there trying to convince us they aren’t either, and many of them seem to have a lot of time to post on this site. But the vast majority of the folks just want border security enforced, just like you’d want to enforce someone from entering your house unlawfully. Sure, they might just be poor and looking for a bite to eat, but what if their not? Jim Crow was immoral. Slavery was immoral. But enforcing a border? Most people agree that what is most prudent is to 1) Enforce the border 2) Allow legal immigration and guest workers 3) Create a path to citizenship for the 12 million or so folks who are here already. But the few crazies on the fringe of this argument won’t allow that too happen. And the obfuscation so eloquently presented by the author here is a great example of this.

G wrote on Apr 26, 2007 11:25 AM:The one thing you all confirm: ?Illegal immigration is a ?hot button? issue.? Actually, the article isn?t about illegal immigration at all ... it?s about our laws (i.e. legislators) and the other hot button issue, ?welfare,? which I call the ?common denominator? in the immigration problem. The article wasn?t written as a clever ploy to absolve illegal immigrants ... it was written as a clever ploy to make the reader think a little deeper.

What part of LEGAL don't YOU understand? wrote on Apr 26, 2007 11:56 AM:As a legal Canadian immigrant who has paid thousands of dollars to live in this country legally with my American-born wife, I do NOT understand ANY part of illegal. I pay taxes, I paid immigration fees and went through more than three years of bureaucratic red tape to get my permanent resident card. I also suffered 8 months in lost wages while I awaited my temporary work permit and then my Social Security card which you need before you can open a bank account or get a driver's license. I am not a citizen, so I cannot vote. I do NOT demand special rights in this country. It is not my country. I respect the law and the people who built this country. I do not demand that English-speaking Americans start speaking French or saying 'eh?' Although I am proud of Canada and my culture, I do not wave the Maple Leaf in the face of Americans on July 1 (Canada Day) as some Mexicans do on May 5. Instead, I celebrate American independence on July 4. I don't collect food stamps and welfare. I pay my own way. I pay for my own healthcare. I find it offensive that MANY illegal immigrants have a sense of entitlement to live in the U.S. because if they were from any other country, they would be deported immediately. It's time Americans started sending illegal residents home to Mexico.

Jimbo wrote on Apr 26, 2007 11:58 AM:And to the argument that we need illegals to pick food. Actually, I don't think we'd have a hard time brining in LEGAL immigrants to do those jobs. I'd bet they'd be lined up the world over for a chance. And they'd be happy to pay taxes too!

Maxine wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:00 PM:what is there not to understand about the word Illegal (doing something that is wrong, that can/will cause physical or mental damage to another)? If you want to stop using the word illegal and use undocument, then let stop using the word irresponsible and use childish. I find it amazing that we make excuses for grown people but teach our children something different. Sounds like a double standard to me (Practice what you preach). I wonder what kind of answer you will get if you ask a child do they understand what illegal is; they will quote what parents told them.

Jimbo wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:05 PM:"produce, for example would skyrocket from 99 cents to 12 dollars" Okay, so let's say hypothetically with a legal worker, it cost the farmer 12 dollars/hour to pay the worker and it now costs 12 dollars for a head of lettuce. So what does that mean under the quoted logic? currently it must cost $1/hour to the farmer so maintain 1 dollar lettuce. $1/hr? How could anyone live on those wages? Even WITH welfare? I think this theory is flawed.

Madam Patriot wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:35 PM:Again, and again the people for open borders believe we should just gather around and sing Kumbaya and welcome these ‘newcomers’ regardless of whether they came in legally or not. There are many citizens, as well as legal immigrants that due to their poor education or lack of English skills have historically performed the jobs that supposedly ‘Americans won’t do.’ What we are seeing here in this country is that because of this mass influx of illegal immigrants those jobs are drying up for legal residents. Employers are always on the lookout for cheaper and cheaper labor to fatten their pockets. Look at employers like Swift meatpacking who used to pay wages of $18-$20 an hour in the 1980’s but now pay $10-$12, or construction jobs such as framing or installing drywall which used to pay $14-$18 an hour to start in the early 1990’s but now pay $10-$12. Tough jobs, yes, dirty jobs, yes, but they were jobs that regular folks did to support their families. Many high school kids used to be able to work a variety of odd jobs in the restaurant industry but where heavy pockets of illegal workers are those jobs are gone. My nephew who was in high school tried to get a job at a few neighborhood ‘chain’ restaurants but was told that to be part of the kitchen staff (busboy, dishwasher) he had to speak Spanish. If our political ‘leadership’ who are beholden to big money corporations get their way, the millions of illegals who get their papers will move in to jobs in other sectors ‘because they can.’ When this happens they’ll leave their job at $8 an hour and land another job at $10 in a position where you might be getting paid $12-$14 an hour for. What do you think will happen to you when it comes time for your next salary review? By the way, who replaces them doing all the jobs that Americans won’t do? Write, telephone, and email your member of Congress today and tell them to put a stop to this foolishness.

HILLARY wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:40 PM:I agree that we can't support candidates who pander to racists. Hillary recently announced that Raul Yzaguirre, a prominent Hispanic activist and former president of the National Council of La Raza (The Race), would co-chair her presidential campaign. She also has the endorsement of California Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez, a former member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), who sees everything as an ethnic struggle for power over the anglo. You may have heard MEChA's motto: "Por La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada." (Everything for the race. Everything outside the race, nothing).

Jimbo wrote on Apr 26, 2007 12:50 PM:How frustrating that NCT won't allow my post to refute that I am making illogical assertions. My post didn't even contain any name calling or offensive statements. Followed all the rules of theirs. Only facts and logic. Guess they didn't like that, but it's okay for people to call others vile insults such as racist, huh NCT?

Grant wrote on Apr 26, 2007 1:13 PM:Many of these comments are yet another venomous diatribe of a vigilante-racist, filled with fearmongering, anger and hatred. Whatever happened to, "As you do to the least of these, you do to Me?" All vigilante-racists should be immediately deported to their respective countries of origin. They have nothing to contribute to the American dream. They are obsessed with tearing the fragile fabric of our society!

Secure America wrote on Apr 26, 2007 1:16 PM:To FUDDLE RUDDLE. First, according to a UC Davis Researcher, 'Much worse than U.S. natives, immigrants tend to have racist attitudes toward African-Americans. The U.S., by accepting large numbers of immigrants, is in effect importing racism.' Second, Tancredo and the whites in the south are not racists. Third, the LA Times reported last month that the Mexican Mafia told certain street gangs to not allow blacks to move into now Mexican territory. Fourth, Cheryl Green was hardly the first black in California to be killed by Latino gang bangers just for being black. Fifth, search the web for 'raging racist' to see true racism flourishing in the community!

I am for open borders wrote on Apr 26, 2007 1:22 PM:when Mexico opens its southern borders first.

I can't believe wrote on Apr 26, 2007 1:30 PM:the White House still has this on their web site. lol The Secure Fence Act Builds On Progress Securing The Border By Making Wise Use Of Physical Barriers And Deploying 21st Century Technology, We Can Help Our Border Patrol Agents Do Their Job And Make Our Border More Secure. The Secure Fence Act: Authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our Southern border; Authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally; Authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology like cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border.

Response to Grant wrote on Apr 26, 2007 2:53 PM:Just what is your idea of the American dream? To sneak into the U.S. ahead of immigrants who follow the rules, use stolen identities to work illegally, have children and let citizens pay for their educations and medical expeneses, impose my language on the host country and demand a path to citizenship?

FYI wrote on Apr 26, 2007 3:02 PM:The one who uses call-sign "Grant" is not related to the one who wrote the article in discussion.

Mexicos version of wrote on Apr 26, 2007 3:24 PM:what to do about illegals! Between June 4 and June 17, Mexico deported 6,000 illegal aliens, of whom 50 percent were Guatemalan, 28 percent Honduran, and 22 percent Salvadoran, according to Mendizábal. Simultaneous operations throughout the entire border with Mexico, conducted by the Guatemalan Department of Immigration with the support of the Civilian National Police, concluded in the same period with the detention and deportation of 3,666 people from Guatemala. More than 1,600 Hondurans, 1,500 Salvadorans, 100 Nicaraguans, and 400 from other countries, including Pakistan, India, Ecuador, Peru, and Iran, were transported from the border to hostels in Guatemala City and deported that same day to the border of the country from which they entered, according to the Guatemalan official. When asked by Proceso, González Navarro clarified that in 2000, Mexico had expelled from its southern border 152,967 illegal aliens. Most of them, more than 70,848, were Guatemalans, 40,892 were Hondurans, 33,960 came from El Salvador, 3,340 from Ecuador, and 1,836 from Nicaragua. The remaining aliens were citizens of other countries, mainly China and India. The immigration from Asian countries, which involves more organized immigrant trafficking rings, has appeared in the last 10 years, the Mexican official explained. He estimated that in general terms the number of deportations is increasing by 30 percent each year. What is certain is that the anti-immigration operation was conducted discreetly and that the massive deportations from Mexico, as well as the dispatch of dozens of buses transporting the deportees out of Guatemala, went almost unnoticed.

YING TING wrote on Apr 26, 2007 3:27 PM:OK. Let's build that WALL from California to the Gulf. Thick concrete, sunk 50 feet deep with anti-tunneling technology. That WALL gonna be 50 feet deep and 50 feet high. Cost will be a billion trillion. But what the heck. Oh, Oh. I forgot. I forgot about Mexicans driving into the USA with a driver's license and a car and a temporary tourist visa, never to return to Mexico. I forgot about those that come across not the Mexican border, but the Canadian border (along with hordes of Asians, Europeans, Canadians and whomsoever). I forgot about airport aliens who are held and released for a "hearing" never to be seen again. I also forgot about those who enter somewhere along our thousands of miles of coastline. I forgot about a jillion other migrants who enter the USA on a visa and then disappear into the populace. Oh yeah, and then there are those 14+ million undocumented migrants ALREADY LIVING HERE. 2 million migrants are admitted to the USA LEGALLY every year. Most stay, legally or not. BUILD THAT WALL ANYWAY. duuuhhhhhh

I want them all wrote on Apr 26, 2007 3:50 PM:deported immediately if not sooner! We are going to be in big trouble real soon and I want enough food just for Americans! Albert Einstein said, ” If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.” Well guess what my friends, the bees are disappearing!

KRILL JOCKEY wrote on Apr 26, 2007 3:51 PM:Let's give California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas BACK to Mexico. Say we're sorry we stole that chunk of land from Mexico and just let the migrants live here legally. Could it be that the Anglos living in the Southwest USA are the real "ILLEGAL ALIENS?"

2 KRILL JOCKEY wrote on Apr 26, 2007 5:10 PM:You must have been to one of the MEChA web sites and read about Aztlan. But the goal is not to return the land to Mexico as much as it is to displace the Anglo by sheer numbers, take political and economic power from the Anglos, and drive them out. The more "migrants" that come settle here permanently, the sooner the reconquest will succeed.

To Want Their Services wrote on Apr 26, 2007 5:33 PM:I won't need to grow my own. Deport the illegals only good things will happen. Most likely, farmers will start offering competitive wages. Either they will innovate to less labor intensive technology or they will go out of business, losers to lower cost imports. Will I cry? No, the lost jobs here in the US will be, by your estimate, be 50-90% illegals. Perfect! In any case, I will still have food on the table. Besides, 8 to 9 out of every 10 gallons of water consumed in this state goes to irrigating crops. I'd rather have salmon in my rivers and fewer illegals in my emergency rooms. Perfect! In the end, I might pay a little more for my food. So what! I already pay more for my food when you consider the taxes that I pay to subsidize the burden of illegals. Your arguments don't hold water.

Floyd wrote on Apr 26, 2007 5:37 PM:We didn't steal the land from Mexico. We bought it for $15 million. Details are online at Wikipedia and other locations, just search for the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Adam wrote on Apr 26, 2007 7:01 PM:RE: We didn't steal the land from Mexico. We bought it for $15 million. >>>> And I always thought we got it for a few beads and trinkets.

El Guero wrote on Apr 26, 2007 7:57 PM:Grant Kuhns proves that Libertarianism is both a mental and a social disease,

hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha wrote on Apr 26, 2007 9:02 PM:Y'all sound like Alec Baldwin teehee

veritas wrote on Apr 27, 2007 12:08 AM:oops! I was right. It took less than 24 hours for Grant to call me a racist. Maybe we can form a racist group. Hmm the name La Raza sounds good. Or has another racist group taken the name?

To Veritas wrote on Apr 27, 2007 8:35 AM:I think we have enough racists groups right now. We do not need anymore. I think this is a well written article and think Grant Kuhn is courageous to write it. It boggles the mind that most of the commentators on this blog can take it when one differs from their opinion. I think the illegal immigration problem is not a racist issue in itself but those with racist tendencies make it so. I just do not know what is accomplished with name calling, stereotyping,and using the beautiful American flag as a weapon. I have been a victim of their tirades while I was just attempting to do my banking and grocery shopping. I am an American citizen who has brown skin and for that I am verbally attacked by the groups you support and I think this madness must stop. When my Constitutional rights are violated by others especially those who call themselves Patriots we are in a bad place as Americans. God Bless America.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo wrote on Apr 28, 2007 8:12 AM:Thank you for bringing that subject up Gentlemen. Since you are into reading why not read and memorize the part that says Mexicans can come and go across the border as they see fit. What about the part that says Mexicans will not be forced to speak english. It states they can continue to speak their own language. Oh I know the United States never really respects treaties. I almost forgot this is the government that when they wanted to steal America from the Indians they gave them blankets infected with small pox. Yikes, please lets not look at history as our guide because I think we don't have a good record. Give these immigrants their civil, human and yes Constitutional rights and the rights provided under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, tell the racist hater groups that they can exercise their 1st Amendment right all the day long as long as it does not trample on the 14th Amendment right of others. Peace on Earth and down with Racism.

A. wrote on Apr 29, 2007 6:59 AM:Obfuscation, pure and simple.

Kristie wrote on Apr 29, 2007 7:20 AM:This crap about needing illegals to pick our fruit is just a bunch of boloney. We have 2 million legal immigrants coming into this country each and every single year. There is NO justification for breaking our immigration laws. We are already the most generous nation in the world allowing 2 million legal immigrants in each year. Our system is overwhelmed already. They can't track overstayed visa's. They are supposed to be bringing in the best and brightest under the H-1B visa program but do not have the manpower so it's done randomly instead. Bill Gates wants our government to increase H-1B technical immigrant workers but we really have no need to if our current system worked now. Obviously our borders need to be secured and our current legal immigration system overhauled. We do not need more legal or illegal immigrants then what has been currently approved.

get real! wrote on Apr 29, 2007 4:11 PM:That article is inane!!

Illegals and the wrote on Apr 30, 2007 7:48 AM:mexican activist are now BIGOTS, what took everybody so long?

Legal Citizen wrote on May 1, 2007 7:16 AM:What...so now we are expected to reward criminals? Well...h-e-double hockey sticks, lets reward all of the American criminals too!!!! Then we can all join hands afterward and have a big party!!!! Yeah, right...once the politicians realize who are really paying their wages things will start going in favor of Americans and legalized citizens. Illegal is illegal, period. If Americans have to pay for their crimes, then so do illegal aliens (which is the correct term). Send them back with their anchor babies, and give our American children a chance at a quality eductation.

DIRECT NCT QUOTE: wrote on May 2, 2007 9:06 PM:What NCT said in the 2nd comment (see http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/24/news/coastal/22_05_024_23_07.txt) is worth repeating: "...with Latinos being such a high percent of the North County population, NCT is making a business decision to focus on Latino issues." I think their own words clearly state that this paper is not about journalism; it's about making money and skewing their articles favorably towards latinos. That's not journalism. Well not AMERICAN journalism.

An Outside View wrote on May 2, 2007 11:30 PM:I do not blame people for being frustrated with illegal immigration, but our frustration and anger is misdirected. Illegal immigration is a symptom of “globalism”. In this environment, major corporations, especially American corporations, do not have any loyalty to any country. In order for these corporations to profit, sometimes finding the cheapest labor around is logical to them, even if that means encouraging illegal immigration by hiring illegal workers as the Swift Meat Packing Company in Colorado has. When labor laws and immigration laws get too stringent or it becomes too expensive to operate, these corporations simply move to Latin America or South East Asia. Unfortunately, all of this leaves Americans jobless, communities crumbling, and people angry. The sad reality is that as long as produce, which is mostly imported today anyway, and other manufacturing jobs in the US continue to require cheap labor, illegal immigrants will continue to cross the border. Therefore, if we need to be angry, perhaps we should focus our fury on NAFTA, the WTO, and corporations that contribute to the symptom of illegal immigration instead of being angry at Jose and Antonio who happen to be cheap resources that are in demand. If we are ever to seriously remedy our immigration problems, perhaps we should start with our self inflicted trade policies and Washington D.C.