What events led to the current illegal immigration debate?

Illegal immigration has been going on for years. Mexicans were already running across the border 10 years ago. And I don't think a lot more started coming just within the past year. What got people talking about it now? Was it politicians' talk of some kind of new legislation? TV news decided to pick up on the story? Illegals marching in the streets got people angry? I haven't been keeping up with the current events. Could you summarize the events that led to the current awareness. Why now and not before?

What events led to the current illegal immigration debate?
It started with 9/11. The principle focus was how these people got into the country undetected. We were unable to let go of the immigration issue (for 6 yrs now) and since it became "bad" to just hate middle eastern people because it was racist, the country fell into the pattern of it being"ok" to be racist against people who were breaking laws..."ILLEGALS"





While the topic has been around since i can remember, the direct focus it has gotten came from the residual suspiciousness from 9/11 about immigration. We have a pattern of xenophobia after major events in this country, i.e. communism and japanese internment camps.. It will not go away until out next "expansion"...... ITS HISTORY REPEATING...
Reply:President Bush had tried to sell our shipping ports to an Arib business which caused all kinds of controversy obviously. After realizing how stupid an idea that was and the damage it caused to him and his party ,him and the and his party needed a scape goat. All the republicans bit and there faith restored in there flawless leader. Stop and think what did ever come of the whole issue with the ports? Reflect on the whole issue and how really insane an idea it was to sell the ports to an Arib company coming from the President whos whole agenda is homeland saftey.
Reply:First it was Fox and Bush rehashing NAFTA. Fox asked Bush about the deal where trade barriers also wouldn't limit people barriers because of the Ag problems NAFTA caused. Bush then made promises to Fox concerning those already here in the states. Then Calderon became President and him and Bush don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. Namely NAFTA which comes up for renewal in 2008. I'm seriously hoping Calderon rejects NAFTA and starts looking at what he can do within Mexico for his people. I think that would be a way forward for them and they could stay home and work as they did before NAFTA.
Reply:It was a topic during the 2006 elections.





Then for some reason Bush tried to push his lame amnesty policy.





You know when anyone agrees with Ted Kennedy on a plan, the plan is very very lame.
Reply:Cumulative numbers and cumulative impacts on the now failing schools and health care and wages we need for our own people.





The numbers have BALLOONED in the last 10 years, exponentially. We purposely went to zero population growth in the 70s, not because we don't love our own children but because the country and planet can't support so many. We didn't do that to take on OTHER countries' overpopulation.
Reply:Up to now no one wanted to become involved with immigration problems. The Federal Government at one time had controls that were were maintain, there were no free speech,human rights, special interest groups, dealing with immigration, illegal or legal. Politics has damage all efforts to maintain standards that were in place.. People want to focus mainly on the Mexican people as the problem area, but the problem is far bigger than boarder problems with Mexico. The problems started with allowing an influx of immigrates without any reasonable standards in place. Many years ago when anyone or families came to America, they had to have a sponsor. Just a few of many events that has lead to immigration debate is the fact that they can become citizens without alot of knowledge of this country or the English language. Changes are being made to accommodate their needs. Without any type of contribution they are able to collect, gain support that the American people haven't be able to do. An example of that is the American people that are on fix incomes and having a hard time making ends meet, aren't able to get any help, yet immigrates can find ways with full support to obtain whatever they need. When it comes to illegal, people from Mexico aren't the only ones that fit into that category, There are people that have been able to come into the United States that was to be for a short time and have never left or worked to become a US citizen that are among the illegal immigration problem that people are becoming upset with because the US tax payer has to support them in whatever their needs might be.
Reply:In 1986 there were about 3.5 million illegals.





America with it's huge bleeding heart gave them amnesty.





20 years later, there are between 12-20 million illegals here.





Americans have had enough.





When a friend comes to live with you because he is down and out, if you are decent, you bring him in and help him. When he brings all his cousins, friends, neighbors, and anyone else he has met and told about your generosity you get sick of it.





There comes a time when accepting people who continue to take advantage of you must end.


When they begin talking of taking your home and driving you out (Aztlan, Europeans go home) or destroying the things you hold in reverence,( American Flag), then it is time to tell them to leave.





There is no reason for a debate, their behavior has shown that they do not like us, they want what is ours, and they are willing to fight to take it.





There is no debate, this is a war for our homes.
Reply:It started with a bill that was being considered in the house which would have cracked down on illegal immigration and helped to secure the border. While immigration has been an ongoing issue in this country it occaisionally flares up and becomes a hot topic. The last time it was a really hot issue was in the 80s. Reagan dealt with it by giving a general amnesty to those already here and calling for tougher enforcement.





The reason this time it is so hot NATIONALLY (states like Texas and California deal with it all the time) is because of the HUGE PROTESTS that were launched last year in response to that particular piece of legislation. The illegal aliens rights groups wanted to call attention to the issue , which they did, in the hopes that Americans would see tougher laws as unfair and discriminatory.





What actually happened was that we saw milloions of people marching waving theMEXICAN flag and boycotting American businesses and many of us got angry. What those advocacy groups didn't count on was that Americans would make the distinction between LEGAL and ILLEGAL immigration and that we would support the first and oppose the second.


The issue of AMNESTYis the real; hot button here. What the illegal immigrants rights groups are fighting for is for EVERYBODY WHO IS ALREADY HERE TO BE ABLE TO STAY regardless of whether they snuck over or not. THEY WILL ADMIT NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHOCAME HERE LEGALLY AND THOSE WHO BROKE THE LAW TO GET HERE. THEY SEE COMING TO THE UNITED STATES AS A RIGHT. The other side regards it as a privilege and one that we extend to 1 million people LEGALLY every year and have for some time. That is more than any othe country allows. The charges of racism have only fanned the flames because


1. The Latino seems to believe it


2. The rest of the population hates being called racist for enforcing existing law especially when that law favors the very ones we are being called racist against(we allow more immigrants from Mexico LEGALLY than we do from any other country on Earth).


Of course the REAL racism is to associate illegal immigration solely with Latinos when people from all over the world sneak in. Making it a LATINO issue also demeans the immigrants from all over as if the don't exist,makes it seem like Latino should be given priority over our other neighbors like Jamicans and Haitians, IGNORES THE FACT THAT IT IS A LEGAL ISSUE, and only makes it a MORE divisive issue if that is even possible.





It is also racist to declare that ALL Latinos are hardworkers as opposed to ALL OTHER GROUPS OF PEOPLE and that ALL their immigrants are of high moral characterregardless of how they got here. That's like saying all Blacks are athletes and dancers, all Jews are stingy, allChinese are smart and experts at Kung-Fu, all white people are rich and nerdy, and all Arabs are terrorists.





Now it is an election year and you can expext to hear even more fuss.
Reply:Two things, 911 and the marches in May 2006 for amnesty. Mexico and the USA were in talks to have a special immigration accord that would not only grant amnesty to most illegals from Mexico, but would allow more to migrate, then 911 happened and that was shelved. Then in May of 2006 amnesty was back on the table, being that most things had settled down since 911. The Congress and the president thought that they could pull another one time amnesty like they did in 1986, and the public would be non the wiser. The Senate with the likes of Ted Kennedy went on and on about how we need to bring them out of the shadows, and McCain perceived it as a opportunity to grand stand on his Presidential bid and act like it was good for the illegals and great for the American people and we should be gratefully they were here. Then the house tried to pass their own bill making it a felony to be in the country without status, which I agree with, and that egged on the marches in May 2006 for amnesty. But those marches backed fired because many flew foreign flags mainly from Mexico, chanted in Spanish, "Yes we can", and woke up American to the fact that bewteen 12-20 million illigals, and 500,000 more coming each year wanted to have their chance at the American Dream, but wanted us the American middle class to financed and have our way of life, press two for Spanish, changed to accomadate their and their families needs and wants and not ours, after their had broke our immigration laws





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Reply:The recent attempts at amnesty has awakened the sleeping giant.
Reply:There are 30 million reasons why Americans are angry.......
Reply:It was the latest amnesty bill that got things started. The federal government using the testimony of known human/drug smugglers to convict some border agents has helped move things in the anti-illegal direction as we.





But, the thing that I think drove more Americans than anything into the argument was the demonstrations.





I don't know if it was careful camera placement or if the images accurately depicted how many of those people were carrying Mexican flags, but I know a lot of people who I would have sworn couldn't care less before they saw those images, that now want all illegals deported. They always mention the Mexican flags they saw those people waving around when they talk about it too.
Reply:Because people need something else ans new to complain about and blame people for.
Reply:to distract the stupid racist among us from the war


and the fact that they can't get a good job is cause they are too


lazy and stupid to go to college so they blame Illegals

bad teeth