I was just wondering what everyone thinks about the proposed changes in the laws for people that are here illegally. Do you think they should be given amnesty and legal status? Deported? What about their children who are born here and therefore are U.S. citizens? It just seems to me that to start out your life in a new country by breaking it's laws isn't right. What do you all think?

Do not get me started!!! I feel really bad for the people who come to this country legally, and love to be here. They have watch all of these people come here illegally and abuse the system. It is a huge problem and in the end there will be no winners. This (or any) country cannot survive an infiltration like this! I am all for immigrants coming for a better life...just go through the process like everyone else. Love this land the way we do, do not come here and think that the laws do not apply.

Sorry, I could go on and on......

I think the bill is horrible!

I also agree that they should be required to go through the normal, legal process to become citizens. The bill is awful. Of course, along these same lines, I feel like this is the United States and we speak English here. If people are going to come here, they should adapt to our language. We have a bunch of teachers here they are getting ready to lay off because they do not speak spanish and we have so many spanish students here. Here we have a shortage of teachers and they are laying ones off because they speak only English in the United States! Ok, I am at work, so I better not get myself wound up, lol.

I get heated when I hear about illegal immigrants PICKETING and PROTESTING for NON-EXISTANT rights!!!! The reason?? My husband is a british citizen. It was MANY $$$ and MANY forms and MANY YEARS before his permanent residency was FINALLY issued!!!! He came here on a k-9 (fiance') visa (several hundred dollars and several forms including PROOF of our courship!). We were required to marry in 90 days of his entry into the US! Then he filed for temporary residency which took OVER a year, several forms and more hundreds of dollars!!! THEN after two years of marriage, we had to file for permanent residency...a HUGE chunk of change, several forms, interviews with INS, proving our marriage was legit (I was pregnant, so they took our word for it!) and we still have to let them know within 30 days if we move, he still has to update his british pass port at the US embassy, he can not vote, but he can pay taxes out the wazoooooo! So, when I hear of illegals, making money under the table, sending their kids to school on my tax dollar, getting health care under my tax dollar and WON'T follow proper legal channels????? Well, I have ZERO sympathy for them. I'm not saying send them back, I'm saying MAKE them do it legally and MAKE them learn the language!!!!

We are the great melting pot. And everyone is welcome to come to this country to find a better life.

But it needs to be done legally. Those who come here illegally and abuse the system make it harder for those who wish to follow the rules obtain their citizenship. Its very sad. And companies that pander to aliens are just making things worse. Bank of America wanting to give them bank accounts and visa cards so they can have the same sort of purchasing power? WHY?

I used to work at a temp agency when i was in high school, and one job they sent me out to was for a cookware company. WAY over priced cookware (pots and pans) that you had to finance. Everyone got approved, but you had to pay for 90% of it up front. I worked in the filing section and found that they were reusing SSNs and financing aliens to create a false credit history. The 90% amount they paid upfront was their fee to create this background history for them. A set of pots and pans that cost 7 grand? yeah...something is not right there. The moment i found out I quit, and called the feds. the govt shut the entire business down within 3 days.

Our borders should be more secure, and our laws (current laws) should be enforced. And those that wish to come to this country should follow the rules and become a legal alien. Period. If you do not follow the rules you have broken the law and must be sent back without question.

Oh, and the english thing just gets me. This is america. Our national language is English. Just because we have a lot of people from other countries does not mean that our national language should be changed. One of my college classes had a woman in it who wrote an essay on how Spanish needed to be recognized as an official language of the United States. Her reason? Because we have so many illegal aliens that need to feel welcome from Mexico. That many signs and govt offices already use the language, that we need to officially make it a second language of the country, and force children to learn it so everyone is bilingual.

um....no. this is my home. I am a resident. Why should I be forced to learn a new language because the people who are breaking the law and sneaking into this country illegally won't take the time to learn the language of the country they are breaking into? There is absolutely no reason why special concideration should be paid to anyone who is here illegally. Political refuge I can understand, and they need to go through the proper channels and complete the proper tasks. Like I have said, you do it right and according to law? WELCOME TO THE US! You break the law and try to cheat? Go back. There are more deserving people that need our time and energy.

I agree with Musicalmomma,so many other nationalities have come here done things the right way to get legit citizenships(spending money that many families had to stuggle come up with)So why let those that snuck in get additional free rides.

Yup. I'm with you all. To me, if the mama is NOT a citizen, the baby goes with her. The baby can't be a citizen without a mama. If you gained entry illegally, then you broke the law. Sorry. If I break a law (and I am a US Citzen) I have to pay the fine. <br /> <br /> It's very strange how these people are allowed, but then people from other countries have to go through so much red tape and money to get in. I currently have a friend from South Africa that is facing either having to leave or being at the mercy of an employer to extend her current visa. She is a school teacher who just raised her class's test scores by 123% this school year. She is a very dedicated teacher who loves her job and does not just do it for the money (like so many). It shows in her results. Yet, someone like her, who could be a productive, valuable asset to this country is held to this terribly strenuous standard of either producing enough money (like $15k) or finding a willing sponsor to sponsor her visa. Sadly, people are lazy and would rather hire a lesser teacher (who doesn't produce the results) than to go through the paperwork involved in sponsoring this person who has proven her worth in teaching. <br /> <br /> It's all wrong and I believe those who can prove their value as a productive citizen shouldn't have it so hard, and those who come to drain the system illegally should be required to return to their country of origin and re-enter based on the same rules as everyone else. It's nothing personal, I just think the rules should apply to everyone and if one group has to prove the value financially or through employment of a very necessary nature, then so should all.

And btw, housekeepers are not a necessity and Americans picked fruit for a living long before the invasion of illegals. It's BECAUSE of the illegals that many moved out of those jobs into something else, not because they didn't want to do it. There are lots of people here in America who could still do the job, but they have been swarmed by illegal aliens, so now the Americans can't speak the language or find themselves a minority in a bunch and no longer feel comfortable working in that environment.

...and Americans picked fruit for a living long before the invasion of illegals...

YES!! I saw a peice on this particular argument...about how deporting illegals will drive up fruit prices because we'll have less harvesters, causing smaller crops, causing higher prices....UM...are there NO prisons near by??????? I for the life of me can't understand why we're not putting prisoners to work!?!?!?! Get them out there harvesting!!! Farmers should be able to submit paperwork requesing prison workers. Most of them would welcome working outside! And I'm sure the guards can guard JUST as well from the field as in the prison yard. Lets make our tax dollars WORK for us...instead of against us!!?? Oh, and, you're on welfare??? We have a nice farm ten miles from you, we'll bring the bus by to pick you up and drop the kids at day care so you can work for your money and have a sense of pride and your kids can be in safe environment while you're away!!! OK....I've ranted enough for one day!

LOL I LOVE your idea of putting welfare recipients to work in place of the illegals. After all. Those on welfare complain that there is no work around. If we take care of the alien issue then there will be plenty of work available!! LOL

And yes, some of my family were once immigrants. Those that were not Native American Indians (I am 1/8th Cherokee and a smaller amount Navajo) did come through Ellis Island and had their papers documented legally. Their names were changed, they were de-loused, they were assigned jobs and places to live, the whole bit. But they wanted to live in America, so it was worth it all. So should every other immigrant who wants to live here.

My father came to this country not speaking a lick of English. Due to the state of the world, not too long after WWII, it was very hard for him since he came from Germany. He even had to be 'adopted' by his father due to some weird laws at the time so he could get citizenship. My Grandmother had to go thru all the rigamarowe of citizenship paperwork. Why should anyone else be any different?

Live here, work here, love here.

But darn it, do it legally.

And as far as the language thing.

We are a melting pot, but we have to have a pot to melt into.

That pot is a common language, English.

How can you melt into a community if you insist on being separate?

Keep your heritage, but learn something new.

And dont tell me you are too old to learn a new language.

My Grandma did it at 30 something.

People from other countries do it all the time.

There are no German/French/Indian (from India) /Romanian translations. And I am pretty sure they are coming to this country too.

I think we are in unity here. Not much difference of opinion. I wholeheartedly agree. This is the USA, we speak English, and we obey our laws! 'nuff said. Deportation is the only alternative to the people that are here illegally. We need to tighten our borders and there is no way illegals should be getting free health care from our tax dollars when we have many American citizens who cannot afford health care. As for the children born here, when a person commits a crime they are not exempt from punishment just because they have a child. The illegals should be the same. When you care so little about your child that you risk your freedom by being a criminal then the kids should be taken from you (or sent back with you to your own country).

I am pretty sure someone will disagree with us, they just haven;t found the thread yet.

send them to Canada!

They try and pull at your heart strings with the stories of the children that are left behind when people are taken away by the raids for illegals, and it is sad for the children, but it's a risk the parent took when they came here, and they new it. I really don't get all of this "oh it's so unfair" stuff, they knew the risks coming in.

IMO, they need to tighten the border so we don't get more and more coming in, once that's done, figure out what to do with the people here, but the answer is definately not "they're already here, we might as well let them stay".

The idea of the prisoners and the welfare folks doing the labor is great! lol.