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A Rasmussen telephone poll, from July of this year, found that fifty one percent of Arizona voters felt immigration reform to be more important than health care reform; forty five percent place healthcare first.
While polls do not necessarily speak for everyone, they are fairly accurate in gauging the public’s temperature on a given issue. That a greater majority place immigration reform over health care reform is very telling.
Over the last twenty years, Arizona along with other border states has seen little to no action from DHS and others in combating illegal immigration. Our new Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano recently stated that “crossing the border is not a crime per se...” But it is a crime, the law specifically states: “Any alien who enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than is designated by immigration officers . . . shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both.” Additionally, entering this country illegally, after having been deported, is a felony and subject to a much stiffer penalty.
It is the government’s continued failure, in implementing immigration law, that we see Arizonans becoming more and more frustrated. With the recession, the rise in unemployment and the crippling debt being foisted on the American people, the cost of illegal immigrants to society is greatly resented, which is what this poll reflects. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, illegal immigrants cost Arizonans roughly $700 per household annually.
While health care reform dominates public debates and the news, immigration reform continues to simmer on the back burner. Everyone knows that a simmering pot, when ignored, eventually erupts into a boil creating a huge mess. If lawmakers would pay attention they would realize that, by ensuring the implementation of our immigration laws, they would have the support of the majority of Americans; those that would decry such action would be those in the country illegally and those that benefit from illegal immigration.
Must we continually remind our representatives that they are elected to represent the American people? Apparently so.
For more information on immigration enforcement:www.dhs.gov
Comments
History will judge us harshly if we don't address the issue with the millions hard-working immigrants who have been here for many years, speak English, pay taxes and have become part of our society. The treatment of immigrants is worse than the treatment of black people in the XIX century. And, maybe, we should deport mistakes of nature such as Senator Jeffrey Bouregard Sessions of Alabama, one of the most despicable creatures who lives in our country.
Is this a paid article? It sure sounds like it. Jeff Sessions is a nazi, KKK the scum of the universe. Thanks Ivan, and you forgot to mention Lou Douche Baggs
I agree with Ivan. There are many parallels between the treatment of undocumented immigrants today and blacks in the slavery days. Some will say "but these people came here by choice", but when the only other choice is starving or getting killed, it's not really a choice.
I personally know several illegals who came here as young children through no fault of their own. Some corssed with their parents, others came here legally with their parents but became illegal after their visas expired. The rest of the family are legal but thanks to the wait times they fell out of status. They speak perfect english and did well in school but when it came to college, they were out of luck with no ID or work permit. I see bright young people waste their life doing construction or washing cars. Many of their citizen families wvoted for Obama hoping their family members can finally get some dignity but feel very betrayed right now.
Interestingly, the author fails to mention that the same Rassmusen Poll also found that 70% of Americans think that securing the borders is more important than providing a path to citizenship for illegal aliens.
The problem is that this Congress has a strong majority Democrats and Democrats have been consistently oppossed to stronger border security and consistently in favor of a path to citizenship. The devil is in the details. When Arizonans find out what the Democratic Congress has in mind for c"comprehensive reform" the people are going to raise and even bigger stink then they currently are over socialized healthcare. Amnesty is incredibly unpopular and for the Democrats, Comprehensive reform is just code for amnesty.
The trouble with this piece is no one knows what comprehensive reform is, it's like health care, no one really knows what's in it.
Christine you just showed us your TRUE Thoughts, You think that You are above those who come to feed their families and pick our food, YOU ARE WRONG. YOU ARE NOT ABOVE ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING CREATED EQUALLY BY ALMIGHTY GOD, GET IT YOU RACIST.
It really shows the basic ignorance of open border posters that resort to playing the racism card because they have no valid response to the fact that illegal aliens are lawbreakers. Illegal aliens are white, black, brown, red and yellow and of all ethnicities. The only thing they ALL have in common is disrespecting and breaking our laws. They are not starving or being killed. They are leaving jobs in their homelands to get jobs that pay more money here, provided by greedy criminal employers. Deport all illegal aliens, jail and fine all criminal employers and vote out all incompetent Presidents, Senators and Representatives that continue to refuse to enforce our laws. The 1986 amnesty was a total failure! Never again!
We don't need Health Care Reform and we don't need Immigration Reform. Get rid of the illegal aliens and BILLIONS will be saved on the health care.
Illegal aliens have made America the dumping ground for all their illegal alien children, then we have to school them and give them free medical care. This has to stop!
Illegal immigration has caused more problems than anyone could have ever imagined. When we get rid of the illegal aliens, we will get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!, and one of the problems that will improve will be the health care crisis.
Whole neighborhoods here in Dallas are being destroyed by illegal immigrants that come in, set up two and three families to an apartment, then take over the entire complex, making it impossible for citizens to reside there unless they are willing to put up with gang skirmishes, kids running wild and without supervision, and grown men that clog the entrances and exits day and night as they sit and drink alcohol and harass other tenants. I say round 'em up, block by block, and if they are from Mexico, drop 'em at the border. If something isn't done to rid our country of these roaches, there will be a revolution in the streets, as the American people are fed up with supporting them and the people will take it upon themselves to clean house.
Estoban, you make a lot of sense to me. This isn't about brown, black, white or any other color. This is about law and anarchy. This is about incentive and deterrent. This is about right and wrong.... and this is about America. My home.
We need enforcement. The laws have not been enforced for some time now so this problem has ballooned into a monster that is consuming us.
There's nothing wrong with the laws we have, except that there is no consistent enforcement.
Deport illegal workers, require all workers to have a valid right to work in the US, incarcerate, then deport all criminal aliens, protect our borders and ports from re-entry.....strict rules for employers to verify citizenship.
All those laws are in the Amnesty bill from 1986 and even though 8 million illegal immigrants got amnesty, the other laws were never implemented, funded or enforced. Never again.
we need immigration reforms now!!!! help support that... immigrants need papers they work their ass off..help support
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