Maria (not her real name to protect her identity) is a customer of Melendez. She said she and her family are facing employers who are using SB1070 as a "hammer."
She said she and her husband are afraid and are making plans to leave the state because her husband has been told he must bring legal papers into work before July 29 or he will be fired. She said she and her daughter have already been fired their jobs cleaning rooms at a local motel.
Wow. A hammer? Maria really said that? Methinks the "reporter" may have gotten a wee bit creative. Also from the article:
Melendez said he and his brothers are people with their feet in two worlds -- Mexico and the United States. Some people do not understand his and his family's struggles.
"If they knew how hard it is, they might ask the government to help more," Melendez said.
As for the imminent enforcement of the law, Melendez said he's frustrated.
"I'm trying everything I can to defeat this law," Melendez said, adding that 99 percent of the people who come to the United States illegally come to work hard for a better life when they return home.
Excuse me while I don't go running for a Kleenex. I assume Maria means the U.S. government should help more. Why? They are Mexican citizens, for goodness sake. Ask the Mexican Government for help. Oh yeah, they are helping: they are telling people how to go to the U.S. illegally.
ReplyDeleteAnd so what if 99% of the people who come here illegally do so to make a better life back home. Why should we spend our resources (spelled t-a-x d-o-l-l-a-r-s) so they can break at least one of our laws, take the money, and run? It doesn't work that way. Why doesn't Melendez take the energy he is using to fight the Arizona law and fight to make his homeland a better place? If he wants to be here, then go through the legal channels and come here legally.
Excuse me if this sounds stupid but being Canadian and all I'm not quite as up to speed on this whole issue as I should be.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the consistent, long term, influx of illegal immigrants from the south was enabled by the employers of those illegals. Surely if the government(s) had made the penalties for hiring illegals onerous and financially taxing a lot of the problem would not exist.
Or am I being too simplistic.
Ha ha! After I posted my comments I saw that Matt had posted a comment with the same opening words!
ReplyDeleteHow weird is that.
Fay, you've hit the nail on the head. I've always thought that the best way to curb the massive influx of illegals is to take away the reasons they come here in the first place; jobs and redistributive benefits.
ReplyDeleteAmericans won't pick crops? How about we require able-bodied welfare recipients to pick the harvest? They'll make more money than welfare, and gain some self-respect too.
Employers who knowingly hire illegals should be severely fined, and the owners AND managers of such businesses should do jail time if they are a repeat offender.
Government should be hog-tied from providing education, food stamps, housing, etc for people in our country illegally.
I've always thought that babies born on our soil should be Americans by birth. I'm rethinking that position.
The Mexican illegals are making a huge mistake by demanding more government help, and by spitting on the American taxpayers who fund that help.
Their argument SHOULD be "We love America, we'll do anything to stay, we'll learn English, pay taxes, and assimilate, we'll pay fines for being here illegally, we'll do WHATEVER IT TAKES to become a citizen, just please don't deport us!" they would find a compassionate ear with hard-working Americans. Too late now.
After I posted my comments I saw that Matt had posted a comment with the same opening words!
ReplyDeleteSheesh, you'd think you two lovebirds were married or something! ;))
Matt, the amount of our nation's wealth that Mexican illegals take from our economy and send to Mexico's economy is staggering. I'm highlighting Mexicans because they are by far the largest group of illegals, but I'm sure this phenomena is true of most, if not all, illegals, regardless of their country of origin.
ReplyDeletePutting a cork in that drain would amount to another economic stimulus package that WOULD have positive ramifications on individual Americans.
Of course, it would suck for Mexico. Perhaps it would inspire them to build their own economy, and stop leeching off of ours.
I agree with the comments on employers. Funny thing, though: since the mid '90's, employers are supposed to get copies of documents to, in theory, show that an employee is legally entitled to work in the United States. That rule is a pain in the rear. But it is an example of how previous attempts at "immigration reform" have proven useless.
ReplyDeleteAs for union people who think we should welcome illegals with open arms, they need to remember something I read a few years ago: meat packers were paid #30.00 in 1980 -- in 1980 dollars. As of about five years ago, they were paid $10.00.
There is more than enough blame to go around.
Employers only get a hand-slap if they hire illegals. Tyson hires hundreds, if not thousands, of illegals. Occasionally, the gov't makes a show of raiding one of their processing plants; they round up a handful of illegals and bus them to the border. Next day, Tyson buses them back. It's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteIn Arkansas, Mike Huckabee was knee-deep in that farce (as are most state politicians. Tyson is a deep-pockets donor).
Unlike squeaky-clean Nevada (guffaw) many construction workers in my state are illegals, as well as many other trades. We have entire towns here that consist of a majority illegal population, subsidized by you, the taxpayer.
I'd like to see my state enact a law similar to Arizona's, but it won't happen.