Should the Immigration Laws Be Changed Issues Beyond Palo Alto, posted by stephen levy, a resident of the University South neighborhood, on Apr 6, 2007 at 7:25 am
We have had a lively discussion about enforcing the current immigration laws particularly with reference to the Palo Alto family currently being deported.
The broader question about unauthorized immigrants is whether people like them are a benefit to the economy and to the country. Congress is debating whether to change the laws.
I favor having an earned path to legal status for most current unauthorized immigrants and changing the law to provide legal channels for low-wage workers to enter the country to meet needs in our economy.
Posted by a, a resident of the Monroe Park neighborhood, on Apr 6, 2007 at 8:08 am
Steven,
We do have law like that. These come in different forms. In Texas when we need extra help in the farms the farmers are allowed to get help from across the border for un-skilled labor.
For skilled labor we have H1 visas.
The problem arises when we try to enforce our own laws.
Posted by natasha, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Apr 6, 2007 at 8:10 am
Every generation has its new immigrants who take the unappealing jobs at preposterously low wages. This generation is no different. One motivation to keep the laws the way they are is to oppress illegal immigrants through fear of deportation into accepting low wages and dangerous working conditions. I don't happen to share that motivation. The reality, IMHO, is that there is not a huge groudnswell of legal immigrants who would take up the jobs that would need to be done if the illegal community were all deported. Why? Because if you are legal you can demand to be paid minimum wage, at least. And many of those jobs are under the radar.
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 6, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Congress should sit down and write a law that is enforcable and include severe penalties for any company, church , city or state that conspires to violate the law. Congress should not go home until they have that law.
Posted by Ken Rauch, a resident of another community, on Apr 7, 2007 at 2:15 pm
What part of "Illegal" is it hard to understand? Do we start picking which of our laws to enforce then? Sould we stop making stealing a crime then? We need a guest worker program but one started in a persons own country, and not after they come here illegally? Why have all this airport security when our back door, our southern border is left wide open? Deport those here illegally no matter what the number of millions and put some penalty behind coming here illegally, like time in a detention center. And the Southwest, including California does not belong to Mexico as many of the signs carried by "Illegal Immigrants" in my town of Ukiah said when they had their boycott march last May 1, in their attempts to justify their being here in an undocumented status.
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We have had a lively discussion about enforcing the current immigration laws particularly with reference to the Palo Alto family currently being deported.
