The figures i got were from a NY Times article in Sept 2013. It actually shows a surplus for Mexico. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/22/world/americas/migration-to-mexico.html

 

I am sure we will get figures at the end of 2014.

I don't believe the numbers. The source is the Mexican government's census, and the Mexican government has nothing to gain by showing a large exodus of citizens to the U.S.

 

Furthermore, the surge in illegal immigration from "non-contiguous" countries through Mexico suggests that the Mexican government has loosened control of its southern border to allow the flow of immigrants from Central and South America.

No system that will not ensure a secure border will be acceptable to me.

 

Once the border has been secured so that this country can selectively allow legal immigrants to enter the country, then we should consider providing a path to citizenship for people who were brought here as children.

 

Those who entered the country as adults need to leave and apply for legal re-entry. Then, they can apply through the same legal immigration process that my friends from India and Bangladesh used to enter this country.

 

We have found a bit of common ground here. I agree that we need a secure border, that those brought here as children and have otherwise been law-abiding need a path to citizenship that does not force them to go back to a country that many of them do not know.

 

What I am unsure of is how we could remove the remaining adults and what effect that would have on the areas of the economy in which they currently work.

I'm in favor of fines in the way of added taxes for some period of time but not sending back law abiding immigrants.

Sorry Mitch, you can deny this article, but there many more that are in alignment with this article. You can choose not to believe the Mexican government no more than any one chooses to believe in what our government says. At the end of the day, the "millions" that are coming here are grossly exaggerated. I also seriously doubt your friends from India came to United states to work the jobs that immigrants from south of the border have grown accustomed to work. I am not convinced that if all these immigrants left, that americans will come running to take them over.

I'm in favor of fines in the way of added taxes for some period of time but not sending back law abiding immigrants.

 

This sounds like a reasonable start.

No, but grocery bills are already soaring because of inflation and soaring energy costs. Are you okay with that?

 

Do you realize that Cesar Chavez was a staunch opponent of illegal immigration because it allowed companies a ready source of strike breakers that kept wages low for legal migrant workers?

 

Using illegal aliens to suppress the wages of American citizens and other legal workers is wrong.

 

It's great to be able to speak in absolutist terms, isn't it? That's part of what makes the Libertarian philosophy so wonderful. It never accounts for the reality of unintended consequences, however. Bottom line is most of what shows up in our grocery stores comes from the hand of illegal immigrant labor. It's why our food costs are so artificially low and why we, as a society, can afford to be fat.

 

20 million illegals get shipped back and we're paying $4 a head for lettuce.

 

Based on what analysis?

 

See above.

 

The one redeeming factor that might come from removing the illegal labor force in the farm and produce industries is that family farming might become viable again.

It's great to be able to speak in absolutist terms, isn't it? That's part of what makes the Libertarian philosophy so wonderful. It never accounts for the reality of unintended consequences, however. Bottom line is most of what shows up in our grocery stores comes from the hand of illegal immigrant labor. It's why our food costs are so artificially low and why we, as a society, can afford to be fat.

 

20 million illegals get shipped back and we're paying $4 a head for lettuce.

Your analysis totally ignores the current and long-term costs of providing services to millions of illegal immigrants and their descendants. Americans who pay state and federal income taxes or have children who will be paying those taxes cannot ignore those long term costs to our society.

 

It amazes me that the same liberals who advocate raising the minimum wage in this country are perfectly okay with allowing the unfettered flow of illegal workers into this country to keep the cost of groceries from spiking. Just as increases to the minimum wage rate create a ripple effect that inflates wages of those earning far more than minimum wage, flooding the labor market with cheap labor depresses wage rates upstream.

 

The people who profit most from illegal immigration are politicians and corporations. Working people who pay taxes will eventually get stuck with the bill for allowing our southern border to become a sieve.

 

Not only that, state and federal government will eventually have to broaden the tax base and millions of Americans who never expect to share the burden of supporting our "ruling class" will realize their mistake too late to do anything about it.

It's great to be able to speak in absolutist terms, isn't it? That's part of what makes the Libertarian philosophy so wonderful. It never accounts for the reality of unintended consequences, however. Bottom line is most of what shows up in our grocery stores comes from the hand of illegal immigrant labor. It's why our food costs are so artificially low and why we, as a society, can afford to be fat.

 

20 million illegals get shipped back and we're paying $4 a head for lettuce.

 

 

 

See above.

 

The one redeeming factor that might come from removing the illegal labor force in the farm and produce industries is that family farming might become viable again.

 

Not an answer to my question, what studies showing the effect of different increases in pay vs retail prices have been done? I can guarantee you that based on the price of labor in the entire equation it's not tripling or quadrupling. Transportation and storage costs are much much bigger cost factors in the final price and still would be if labor even doubled..

The figures i got were from a NY Times article in Sept 2013. It actually shows a surplus for Mexico. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/22/world/americas/migration-to-mexico.html

 

I am sure we will get figures at the end of 2014.

 

That's four years old and was the one I remember done at the height of the downturn. I would love to see figures for the past year or so, I don't know for sure but I suspect they would tell a different story.

I would encourage you to go to El Paso. The place of my birth and where i have gone back and forth to throughout my life. If i am not mistaken, El Paso is rated the safest city in the United States. It has been the only city in my life where i have never felt afraid to to go anywhere in a particular city.

 

The illegals in El Paso are treated like any humans should be treated, like a human. They are given a chance by El Paso to be a model human being and to contribute to the city. Trust me, no one knows to be on their best behavior better than immigrants. The reason those communities you speak of are the way they are is because the cities allow it to be.

 

Yes, i agree that people who come to america and try to go about things the right way should be taken care of the right away before illegal immigrants. What irks me about this situation is many people are trying to cast all the blame on illegals on why communities throughout the southwest are "bad". It is a silly notion that i have experienced to be be very untrue.

 

There are many factors that i would put more emphasis on contributing to a bad community than illegal immigrants. I would start with people that are elected to public office and the constituents who voted them in...

 

I too have been to El Paso many times throughout my life, I also have numerous relatives who still live there. If El Paso is the safest city in the US, than I've got some ocean front property there to sell you.

Like i mentioned before, sources say different things. El Paso at the end of the day is a safe city. It is the notion that all these illegal immigrants are wrecking havoc on the city, which to me is laughable at best. I wouldn't mind some ocean front property right now.

I wonder why this list didn't include what would happen to our economy if all of those workers were not here to do their jobs.

This was the first thing I thought about when I read the topic title. With that said, if someone is here illegally then they need to be sent back period. You can talk about people etc. all you want but I work in the law enforcement side and see first hand the amount of illegal's committing crimes, violent and non violent and getting nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

This was the first thing I thought about when I read the topic title. With that said, if someone is here illegally then they need to be sent back period. You can talk about people etc. all you want but I work in the law enforcement side and see first hand the amount of illegal's committing crimes, violent and non violent and getting nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

 

 

I work in education and I have seen the struggles of children who are here in no fault of their own. The ones that I know want to be a contributing part of American society, work hard and are good people. These individuals should not be "sent back" to a country that they have little to no memory of. That is no way to treat people. Instead, we need to provide them with a path to become the productive citizen that they can be via Dream Act legislation.

 

I have no problem with those (of any age) that are commiting violent crimes, theft, etc, being prosecuted and taken out of any chance of being a citizen.