I am a US Citizen

[rgdillon]

i dont care what they do with either except that it should stay here.

Well - that's a little far fetched - heck the US gives away billions a year to other nations - that equals US dollars not being spent here.


The company that I work for employees just about all Guatemalans. Are they all legal - nope. Do I know which ones are illegal - yep. How do I know? The IRS tells me so. Each week we deduct the proper federal and state taxes from their pay. At the end of the year when W-2's are filed - the IRS sends us a letter telling us which employees are not legal. No further action is taken. Except the illegal ones have no chance of getting overpayment refunds.

I called the INS after I first got these notices several years ago. They answered with - unless you have 50 illegal or more - we don't have the time nor are we interested.

Soo - I could fire them - somebody else will hire them. In the meantime I would have to train new employees - production will go down for a few months and then next year the IRS will tell me how many are illegal.

I could hire Americans - if I could find some Americans that actually want to work. I have tried and tried - same story though - I end up firing them. In 6 years though I have only had to fire two Guatemalans - one for spitting and one for fighting.

I don't think it's a matter of pay scale - for any American I have hired that wasn't an idiot - they started at $15 per hour (semi-skilled) and up. My lowest paid Guatemalan at the moment is at $12 bucks - unskilled - no speaky English.

So what to do? My employees show up for work each day - work 10 hour days - pay rent, pay cash for everything - DID NOT take part in any of the "Spanish no work days" - are pissed off about the whole affair and hate Osama with a passion.

Most of them wish to be citizens - one of my foremen became a US Citizen last summer - after 4 years of courts/INS and $8000 bucks in lawyer fees. His work visa expired 10 months before he became official – so for those months he was an illegal immigrant. His only legal choice would have been to return home – wait two years to get back here and then start the process all over again. He recently bought his very first home – 30 year mortgage and all.

Think I'm on their side? Quite the contrary - I certainly wish every one I hired was legal - but - I don't see the "illegal living high with a free ride" as I hear so much about.
Granted - each part of the country has a different immigration problem - but do I think mass deportation is the answer - no. Amnesty? No. But I think I would favor some sort of “amnesty period” giving those the chance that do want to remain getting legal, etc and perhaps paying some sort of restitution – I dunno how it would all work –

But anyway – I’ve written my book for the night -

Ron

 

[powerboatr]

actually Ron,
your points are valid ones, I think most dont mind immigration,
what most get irritated about is not trying to become citizens and take part in SS and fed and state taxes, etc.

we all look at the latinos as the main illegal, which is not true, philipinos and other asian based peoples are just as guilty
how about philipinos who live and work here all their life and PAY ZERO federal taxes... why.... because htey are supposedly sending taxes to teh philipine government.... but i would say 98% dont, and have no intention to, then at the ripe old age of 60 they somehow become US citizens, just in time to try to collect SS retirement and other benifits for which they paid none. Yes it happens everyday.... My NAVY was filled with thousands of em..

..

we as an employer have to report all illegal employess,

but the government is failing us because they choose not to enforce the laws they created.
its just like ted kennedy thinks its legal to drive drunk and kill young ladies,
but if you or i do it we get the electric chair.
our political machine is so afraid to take a stand on the side of the law, because they may loose certain peoples vote and cause all imigrants legal or otherwise to hate the party that enforced the law, that nothing is going to change.
you watch our illustrious politicians will sit and hem haw around this issue well past November and nothing wil change, heck i bet they will figure out a way to naturalize all of em and get a rebate from the IRS. FOR BREAKING THE LAW.

who pays the doctor bills when one of your UNDOCUMENTED workers has to be hospitalized ?????? do you pay medical insurance on ALL of your employees?
around here the hospitals are getting killed by illegals who are in need of emergency services,

 

[happeetxn]

I have to chime in on this one and it might drag on but bear with me. As the illegal immigrants are protesting wanting more rights I got pretty pissed off. How many of them ever set in a military cargo plane waiting to roll down the runway to a war in a foreign country and wondered "did I just see my family for the last time? Will I die over there? How many other men and women have had the same thoughts I am having? Did my grandpa feel this way when he went of to WWII? Did my dad as he went off to Vietnam? Will my son ever have to have these same thoughts?
How can an illegal immigrant appreciate what others DIED for to make this country what it is, especially waving their damn flag in our streets or up our flag poles. They can't appreciate it, and they don't comprehend the sacrifices. May all of you stop and think about this on Memorial Day this year.
I have NO problem with legal immigrants. God bless them for doing it the right way and more power to them making the American dream come true. I have met these people in the military, construction sites, hospitals, and in general life experiences, and I prefer them over some of the trash we have that are natural born citizens.
Craig

 

[95_stroker]

Ron,

That is some very good insight. Good old government inabilities again. Guy wants to become a legal citizen and cannot without loads of beauracracy. My FIL married a woman from the Phillipines two years ago, she has been struggling with the same hurdles. She still isnt here as a US citizen, she has to keep renewing her visa to legally be here. They have pushed this thing all the way up to direct contact with our state senators.