Feb
12
Illegal Immigration in Iowa
February 12, 2007 |
The Des Moines Register ran a story today with the results of an immigration poll. Eight hundred Iowan adults responded to the following questions:
- Do you think the state should or should not encourage people from other countries to settle in Iowa?
- Do you think the nation should or should not increase the number of people allowed into the U.S. each year and make it easier for people to come legally?
- In general, do you believe immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans living in Iowa or do you feel they’re doing jobs that otherwise might go unfilled?
- Nationally, which do you think is the better course of action on illegal immigration - to work to deport those who are in the country illegally, or to find a way for them to stay legally if they have jobs?
- Whom do you blame more when illegal immigrants are found working in Iowa - the workers or the employers who hire them?
Check out the story and tell me what you think. Is this a problem in Stuart or is illegal immigration even an issue locally?
Comments
11 Comments so far
-
Stuart's KCCI Webcam
-
Subscribe
Everyone is too scared to respond to this post.
I’m sure somebody has an opinion about it. What’s the situation in Indy?
What’s your take on it Nate? Can’t expect anyone to give their opinions if you aren’t willing to share yours as well.
here is a little historical info to think about.
Who SAYS it can’t be done?
PRESIDENTS HOOVER & EISENHOWER DEPORTED
MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS SO AMERICANS HAD WORK!
Howdy, here is something to pass around.
Back during the great depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the deportation of all illegal aliens in order to make the jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work.
Again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 1.3 million
Mexican nationals (called operation “Wetback”) in order that returning American WWII and Korean veterans had a better chance at jobs. It took 2 years, but they deported them.
If they could deport the illegals back then, they can sure do it today!!
If you have doubts about the veracity of this information, just type Operation Wetback into your favorite search engine and confirm
it for yourself.
This is a great topic, Nate.
Many of the interviewees in the article deduced for themselves that corporations “have no idea these people are illegal since they’re handing in fake documentation.” It’s incredibly naive (and wrong) to say that corporations are the victims here.
These large corporations are welcoming illegals with open arms, and yes, they do know who is legal and who is not. The illegals receive less pay than American workers, and they certainly don’t receive any benefits.
Businesses actually set up training programs for illegals and emergency escape routes in case of government raid. Executives know exactly what’s going on.
While I don’t think the corporations are the only ones at fault here, it’s hard for me to blame someone whose best alternative in life is to embark on a treacherous disease-ridden journey to settle in the Midwest, making $3.50/hr without benefits, working 60 hours a week and living in a one-bedroom apartment with 8 or more family members in a country that makes it so easy to do.
It’s not going to take a really tall and expensive fence to solve the problem. It’s going to take a complete overhaul of corporate attitude and a demand from constituents to bring back pride in hiring legit Americans.
I’m really mixed on the issue for the main reason that it was so pounded into our heads growing up that Mexicans should stay in Mexico and that’s that. I thought that too for a long time. But then I actually met some people who’d made the journey and risked everything they have just for the hope of making $3.50 an hour instead of $3.50 a week. And making a couple trips south of the border and actually hanging out in non-tourist Mexico with some of these guys really made me open my eyes and take another look at the issue.
So just because I’m buddies with a few real life Mexicans, does that mean I have all the answers? Absolutely not. I don’t know if I have any of the answers. But it can’t hurt to look at the issue from all sides and gain some knowledge about it. I’m as uneducated about this as anyone, but I don’t think we can do the ostrich thing with our heads in the sand anymore.
We either need to strongly enforce what laws we have, or we need to reform them. I am not sure which, I am sure though we need to be doing more in this area of concern.
I think illegal immigration is something that breeds exploitation of both the illegal immigrant and the legal American.
I am a person that received a letter, stating that a computer with my personal information on it, was taken in a robbery from an insurance company in California. I contacted that credit reporting businesses and put a check on my credit applications for an extended time. I know that there have been individuals in the news, that have stated indentity theft have cost them alot in credit disruption etc. I shudder to think the mess that identity theft could cost me. It appears that illegal immigration helps to fuel this crime.
I am also by profession an ER/Trauma nurse. I have had illegal immigrants as patients. I have seen them treated from their employers in ways that a legal American would not tolerate nor would it be accepted. Standing under bleach showers in a packing house until their eyes are injured. They needed to be decontaminated just be dealt with. Injuries that would keep us from working, their employers wanting them back as soon as possible. One company had to be told to supply gloves for an injured worker, and that caused the employer’s eyes to roll. Something simple as that. Something that a legal American would expect. Illegal immigration seems to allow a level of disrespect and disregard to others, that many of us would not tolerate.
We should not allow “Cheap Labor” to be the slave master of the 21st century.
Are the coporations doing background checks, running the ss# card numbers, that alone should provide citizen, deceased or anything ohter type of red flag. people should be checkin with ss administration and doing a verification of wages at least once a year if not more often. we get ours and always check it. if more money has been paid in than what shows on our income tax, then yes you have been stolen. this will not show on credit report unless they have applied for credit. they usually don’t the deal in cash only.
Good point. Thank you.
Hey Nate! Happy V-day! You always have a special place in my heart!
money wasted.