Friday, February 8, 2008

Immigration Gumballs: Take 2

Responses to my initial piece speak to how difficult it is to discuss illegal immigration in the US these days. But make no mistake about it, illegal immigration is a nationwide issue as noted in our presidential campaigns. The US has been building a border fence for several years to slow down the flow of illegal Hispanic immigrants entering the US. This immigration is felt at local levels.

“Immigration Gumballs” is a YouTube video that addresses this issue on a macro level by using gumballs to illustrate various points, including the ever- increasing influx of immigrants. Consistent with the information provided in this video, I too have noted an increase in immigration locally such as a significant increase in the number of students who wait at our school bus stop. The number of students has gone from fewer than 5 students when my daughters were growing up to perhaps 25+ students who appear to be Hispanic who may be here illegally. I am using the term “Hispanic” to verify the info on the video and identify a group when discussing immigration no differently than presidential candidates identify groups like women, blacks or Latino when discussing campaign strategies. We need to know about whom we are speaking and what we are talking about. That is not racial. That is communication.

At times the immigration discussion is cast as a racial issue but that perception does not ring true. Other than the turf wars between Hispanic and black gangs, following the news I do not hear of racially motivated crimes in the general population. I lived in a state in which there was a far greater influx of Hispanics than in NJ. There I noticed that Hispanic people got jobs and opened businesses and intermarried, blending in with Texan culture. My daughter is a guidance counselor in an Abbott district with a significant Hispanic community and she reports there is no racial tension among her students. I am hard-pressed to see any major racially motivated components with respect to the illegal immigration debate. Insisting there are seems to give racial tension false life and to introduce unnecessary hard feelings. It clouds the issue.

Concerns about illegal immigration, and they are national level concerns, center on money, limited resources, lost jobs and violation of the law. There seem to be two types of immigrants that enter our country in addition to those who seek political asylum. There are the skilled ‘techie’ immigrants who see the opportunity to use their skills here. These immigrants contribute more to the economy than they utilize. Then, there are the unskilled who come for a better life they cannot seem to achieve on their own. Among these are a large number of Hispanic people who are entering here illegally. Hence the fence. These folks make more demands on the economy than they contribute to it. So we are running at a deficit here. It hits the billions. This translates into a greater financial burden being placed on the shoulders of the average American. In 1990 each native NJ household was contributing $200+ to subsidize illegal immigration. I do not have more current figures.

America is a nation of laws not a nation of personal discretion. It has been an immensely successful nation achieved by observing that model, observing the law. And we would hope that America would not be challenged by other peoples of other countries who would disregard our laws no matter the intention. We expect all Americans, no matter their station, to obey the law. The dictum ---No one is above the law---is a deeply held tenet of American political thought. And the influx of illegal immigrants flies in the face of that dictum. Simultaneously, a compassionate people by tradition, Americans try to mitigate the impact of that principle if possible to be generous and understanding of other people’s hardships.

Trained in ethics, I have the concern that by not addressing this issue, we are enabling the development of a second class citizenry, one that does not have full rights as citizens. This will lead to more inequities and social problems. So our leaders need to lead. They need to hammer out a solution and get the ball rolling in a better direction here. Do I have a magic answer? Of course not…but we have not even as a nation begun to diligently address the problem. This cannot continue.

Stay tuned.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

My wife is an immigrant from Guatemala who entered the country on a tourist VISA. Before we married, we had a child together and she received well over $30,000 in free healthcare through the state or county. She overstayed her tourist VISA and returned to Guatemala with our son for 3 months over Christmas and the New Year leaving me in the U.S. to work. She asked for money for liposuction surgery in Guatemala and I gave her funds to travel and to have the liposuction procedure. When she returned, she said we would need to marry for her and the baby to stay in country. We married quickly in the Dakota County court house and the marriage disintegrated from there. I was hesitant about marriage, but I wanted to keep my son in country and tried to build a happy family. However, my wife wasn't in the relationship for "love" like I was. She entered this relationship with ambitions of acquiring U.S. residency and running an import business ( indikohandcrafts.org ) in the U.S. that does not pay taxes and claims to be a fair trade organization.


My wife's family came to visit for a few months and they continually attempted to provoke confrontations between my wife and I. Ultimately, my wife had to assault me by punching me in the neck to get a defensive verbal response from me. I did not hit my wife back or abuse her in any way. I was arrested by the Eagan Police for 5th Degree Domestic assault and spent 3 days in jail for something I didn't do and for not leaving my home under duress. Two years to date after we had been in country together, my wife made a fraudulent VAWA complaint to expedite her immigration process in lieu of U.S. residency through marriage.

While I was in jail, my wife cleaned out the joint bank account. When I was released from jail, the courts issued an order for protection. I was broke, homeless and sleeping in my car and under my desk at the office. Shortly after, my wife contacted me and asked for me to write a letter to immigration which stated I was an abusive husband. She said if I wrote the letter in her favor she would work with me to get my home back. Instead of allowing myself to be blackmailed, I wrote immigration to withdrawl my spousal petition for my wife's U.S. residency and reported all of the facts. I used my last credit card to retain a lawyer to petition for divorce and that was all I could afford. My wife said she was in no hurry to divorce. Being married for two years to acquire conditional residency was a back up plan incase the VAWA complaint to immigration fell through.


The courts later granted my wife all of the marital property before a divorce hearing. They ordered that I surrender a car to my wife that was solely in my name. She demanded $3000 a month in support payments, but inly received a judgement for $1200 a month in child support. During the order for protection hearing, I asked my wife about her employment and academic credentials. She worked as a teacher at a school in Minneapolis called Passport Pals and claimed to have a degree in Psychology. In court and under oath, my wife stated she was a teacher and that she had a degree in Psychology. I challenged her about her academic credentials and she lied with a straight face. I pushed the questioning and she finally admitted to not holding a college degree.


Even though the judge saw that my wife lied under oath, he granted her a one year order for protection. My house recently foreclosed and I am excluded from employment opportunities in my professional field due to having a "criminal" history now. I was charged with 5th degree domestic assault, but I was not found guilty of domestic assault or abuse in a court of law.


A group called Civil Society Helps ( civilsocietyhelps(dot)org ) is now representing my wife and they are still supporting her assault and abuse claims to assist her with expediting her immigration process. They help many immigrant women file false abuse claims under VAWA to assist them with their immigration process. My wife's pro-bono attorney Martha Sullivan ( Civil Society Helps Attorney) even threatened an order for protection against me in the court house lobby when divorce negotiations broke down. I recorded the entire conversation and her threats were completely unwarranted. During another court hearing, I informed the judge of Martha's threats and she laughed in an embarrassed manner and said she was afraid of me (complete nonsense).


I lost everything and I am no longer employable in my field by many corporations due to my "criminal" history. I had no previous criminal history at age 36 and I honorably completed 4 years of U.S. Army service.


Last year I earned a very high salary, lived in a house by a lake and enjoyed life as much as I could with a wife that didn't love me. In 3 days, I was reduced to living in poverty and was homeless for weeks after being released from jail. With all of this going on, I am doing the best I can to pay child support ( ordered to pay $100 a day / $3000 a month) for two children between my first wife of 8 years and my immigrant residency seeking wife of 1 year. Since June 2007, I have paid over $12,000 in child support payments. I have attempted to acquire employment contracts, but have been frequently excluded due to my new criminal history ( 5th degree domestic assault charge - no conviction).


With lies from an immigrant residency seeker and the help of VAWA laws, a stable American citizen can be reduced to living in poverty. All of your assets can be seized and given to the immigrant residency seeker even if you are not found guilty. You will immediately be forced to surrender a portion of your income to the immigrant residency seeker. The courts will order you to turn your motor vehicle over to the immigrant residency seeker even if the car is in your name and the residency seeker does not have a drivers license.



My wife has been confronted by the Eagan Police several times for driving without a license or insurance. On multiple occasions she was just given a warning and she continued to drive my vehicle in Minnesota without a drivers license or insurance.


Later, I spoke with one of the officers that was on scene when I was arrested. Sgt. Mason of the Eagan Police department was going to allow my wife to drive a motor vehicle without a drivers license or insurance while my son was in the car. I called him on it and said it was against the law for anyone to drive a motor vehicle in Minnesota without a license or insurance. Sgt. Mason's partner threatened to arrest me for public disturbance. I did nothing wrong and she (Sgt. Mason's partner) threatened to take me back to jail for disorderly conduct.... They backed off with their threat of arrest when I informed them I had a witness looking on....


Immigrants in Minnesota have more rights and free legal services than American Citizens do. VAWA is completely unconstitutional and clearly provides immigrants with loopholes and fast track plans to acquire U.S. residency under fraudulent pretences.


My wife contacted me several times after the Order for Protection was issued. She always called me an "ABUSER" real slow and sarcastically on the phone. Knowing how groups like the civil society work, I can only imagine how they coached and indoctronated my wife into the liberal feminist movement. Martha Sullivan's order for protection threat was completely uncalled for and demonstrates how this pro-immigration group operates.


Sorry for the rant, but people need to know about these kind of immigration scams. People need to know about the organizations that promote marriage for immigration scams. The courts have violated my rights as an American citizen and I am alienated in my own country. My wife became legal and I became illegal.

Unknown said...

In 1990 each native NJ household was contributing $200+ to subsidize illegal immigration.

Joan Joan Joan,

As a former professor, would you accept such statements without a citation? Please cite your "facts".

And, as MediumPetey pointed out and as I have in the past, please stop pretending to speak for all of Flemington when you clearly do not.

Courier News Flemington blog said...

Betsy ,

For documentation see post " What Can Flemington Afford? ", January 7, 2008.

Courier News Flemington blog said...

Sean,

What a situation. If you don't mind, please tell me what VAWA is and please tell me how you found my post

Thanks.

MediumPetey said...

At the conclusion of each one of your narrowly cast and short sighted diatribes, you tell us to "stay tuned". Well, you're out of tune---and out of touch.

Once again, the assertions you make are so skewed to the side of "wrong", I do not even know where to begin to deal with them.

And 'twice' again, your anecdotal 'proof' that undocumented aliens reside in Flemington---that being the hogwash story about the increase in the number of students that you 'observed' were Hispanic and may be 'illegal' is based on SO many racist assumptions, it makes ones teeth hurt.

Perhaps some of the students were Hispanic, and of parents here illegally, but they were born in the USA. That makes the students American citizens; that's the law as established by the Founding Framers of the Constitution. Or maybe you don't believe in that?

Maybe some of the students were of Puerto Rican descent; that would make them of Hispanic heritage, AND American citizens. Some of the students may be of Indian heritage or Pakistani heritage, and American citizens. They also may 'appear' Hispanic to you, and here legally.

Once again, your default presumption that a student getting off a school bus who "looks" Hispanic to you as proof of the likelihood of "illegal immigration" so relies upon racist assumptions, that it is wrong on its face.

No one doubts that there is a problem with undocumented aliens, in the nation and maybe even in Flemington. However, your comments do nothing to enlighten anyone on this issue; quite to the contrary--you inflame an already difficult situation by playing in to ignorance and misinformation.

What independent thinking citizens should find troubling about your assertions, is the faulty and racist footing they're based on. And, please, your using the term "Hispanic" is nothing like the use by the presidential campaigns.

For someone trained in 'ethics', you are not very ethical. Maybe you should get your money back from those who trained you.

Unknown said...

Medium Petey,

We here in Flemington applaud you for your clear reasoned response to the racist assumptions of Mrs. Greiner.

All of Flemington is cheering you on right now.