Does it make sense to say "since America was made by immigrants, Americans have no right to refuse entry"?
451833
My Great Grandparents were immigrants but THEY even learned to speak English.  Where I live there are so many immigrants they make a point not to learn English. I feel like an outsider in my own Country.  We need to look at what we're doing, we need to be much, much stricter in our laws and it should be a requirement that the immigrant speaks fluent English.  Enough is Enough.  PS: Report your boss.
337797
Of course. People seem to think that americans somehow have more rights than people from other countries. Why? Because we were lucky enough to be born in the richest country in the world? Our instrinsic value is the same no matter what country we're from or race we are. "American" rights are rights that our founding fathers believed that ALL humans deserved.
644714
Immigration is a priviledge. You're not always going to be gauranteed the right to immgrate to wherever you want.\nSay a country has an epidemic of sickness, or something, another country could close the border and not let them in.\nOr if you're running away from the police and you come to another country, they're not always going to let you stay.\nOr if something is legal in your country (say polygamy) and you try to bring it into America, they wouldn't let you.\nThere are lots of reasons why an immigrant could be turned away.
1142645
On that issue, yes.\n\nWhat it means to be an American after the bill passes:\n\nThat it is our duty as citizens to give up a portion of what we work for to support the immigrant welfare state;\n\nThat it is now the American way to compete for jobs against those that have no chance of working had they not been here;\n\nTo teach our children that since America's border's were legislated open and free, that's why there is so much want and need with no way to address with overpopulation of doubling ourselves every 60 years or less;\n\nThat our leaders are not just out leaders, they are the leaders of the free world;  That it is our American duty to pay for and give everyone else a chance at the American dream before we can attempt it;\n\nThat there future will have no such thing as depression type future, as the more and more people in America, the more jobs there are, look at China;\n\nThat we must respect our heritage above others and not make them feel unwelcome;\n\nThat America isn't for Americans, it is for everyone from every country, there is no such thing as an American Citizen;\n\nThat we may not emulate the laws of our neighbor Mexico nor protect our border there without their express written permission or that would be racist, God made Mexico strong so none of us may even dream about getting jobs there;\n\nThat there is no 'one' America, we are a fracture of groups that are not assimilated toward any common goals, like French Canada;\n\nThat America wanted peace with the world, so she gave the world the only thing she has, America itself;\n\nThat, in a democracy, the majority rules, and if states should want to go their own way, that is their right by populaton of vote;\n\nThat we must rejoice and praise our leaders for making America strong, integrated, and a force to the world an an example that all must throw open her borders, China, Russia, the Middle East, Canada, the UK, all of Europe, we make this happen by setting the examples ourselves;\n\nThat there are many languages that you must learn to speak depending on how far and wide you must have to go to look for a job;\n\nThat to prove the final act of love for the world, America must abandon English to show how serious she is to be anyone else;\n\nAnd, above all to our children, that it is illegal to defend you country to tryanny and the will of other nations, for America does not have any citizens to call her own, we are citizens of the world, and let events take their course in nature without changing them againt social evolution, as America does not set the course of her future, the will of all around her shall.
651552
No..they are strict about ILLEGAL immigrants being here and with due reason.
639422
It is not a matter of what people "think" who belongs here, but it is a matter of law. If you were born in America, you are a citizen, therefore you belong here. If someone has come here illegally, then that is a different story. YOU were born here so you are entitled to all the rights and privileges of a US citizen.
504810
A difficult question.\n\nI do notice that a lot of the public response that I heard or read (especially in letters to the editor) seemed to indicate that most Americans don't understand that our constitution gives anyone who is physically present inside our borders, whether or not a citizen, the right to peacefully assemble and to express their opinion. \n\nMoreover, they further fail to understand that our Founding fathers regarded such expressions of divergent opinion to be not merely things to be tolerated but a positive good that makes a valuable contribution to public understanding of issues.\n\nThere has always been a streak of nativist bigotry in America. They even had a party of their own back in the 19th century which was popularly called the "Know Nothings." I see from some of the answers here that, sadly, they live on.
528955
You are right!  Your country, your rights.  It's called freedom of speech.  They obviously came to our country for a reason, they shouldnt expect America to change the way we have lived to accomodate them.  We didn't ask them to come here, they asked us to let them in. deal with it or go back to where you came from!!!!
474469
Well, if you read the text of most (most) of the protections guaranteed by the US Constitution, it says "no person"  rather than "no citizen".... which kind of begs the question how some conservative strict constructionalists can argue that "person" really only means "citizen"...\n\nBut I've heard a lot of people say that they don't think non-US citizens should have rights. What's even more frightening is that a lot of people I've talked to think that even US citizens shouldn't have any constitutional protections if they are SUSPECTED of being involved in terrorist activities. The whole "innocent until proven guilty" concept is totally out of the window. At least, according to the Bush administration's current policies (see US v. Padilla).\n\nI'm just stocking up on popcorn (and canned goods) and waiting for the fireworks to start.
187681
You know...I wonder the same thing myself.  I don't think it is a matter of free speech, because our rights are reserved for the "legal" citizens of this country.  I think it is not very smart to be doing something illegal, and then making it known that you are doing it.  \n\nPeople who are here illegally are breaking the law.  There are steps that can be taken to be here legally and they should take them.  It may be a difficult process, but as we all know Freedom isn't free, and if you want it bad enough, you should be willing to do what it takes to get it through legal means.\n\nI mean, the protests of illegal people in this country bothers me. I mean what would happen if child molestors decided to protest the laws against child molesting.  We would all say, that's crazy!  How can they be "in the wrong" and demand the laws be changed so that they can do what they want.  I don't think it is right.  The best way to resolve the problem is to make it prohibitive for illegal people to be here, and beneficial for legal immigrants to be here. Our laws are there for a reason, America is not a free for all...and if you want to be a part of its citizenry, then you must follow the laws like the rest of the citizens.
629651
Personally, unless you're native American, you shouldn't be talking like you own the country... America is a country built on immigrants so it would be massively hypocritical to close the doors now.
811886
don't manipulate it to mean what you want it to.  America is a melting pot of culture.  Which actually means when immigrants came to America, they let go of their culture and all banded together to create one American culture.  They did not come waving flags....
645737
SURE< WHY NOT? why not invalidate the meaning of american citizen? Why not extend the right to vote to citizens of the world? Why even bother having borders?
1008952
the refusal to assimilate; why should we bend over backwards to accommodate foreigners? no other country does that---and the whole illegal entry factor; it's not hard to get into this country, all we ask is that you pay your money and go through the established procedures; sure that could take a while but SO WHAT! lots of people have done that for a long time and effectively earned the right to live and work here. unfortunately i have had experiences like this and it really toasts my waffle! why should citizens of this great nation have to be subjected to such frustration! i don't remember reading that amendment in the Constitution...
838849
I think no illegal alien should be allowed to stay here no matter what country they are from. NO AMNESTY TO ILLEGALS. I do not care if you give me a thumbs down, you are still here illegal and not welcome until you come here and apply for citizenship and speak English so I do not have to look at everything in Spanish. I am not in Mexico or Central America, or Spain. I am American living in America, and I have the right to say this as I am Mexican descent. My grandfather came here legally and became a American citizen. He spoke English and told my mother and her siblings that they were to speak it as much as Spanish. He was loyal and loved America.
402730
alnjk: I agree that it is difficult to circumvente around the meaning of the word illegal, although some have tried to distort the meaning by referring to those having an illegal status by calling them "undocumented" instead. The terms "immigrant" and "ILLEGAL immigrant are NOT interchangable. For example if I tell you to screw in a light bulb you would put the light bulb in...If I asked you to UNscrew the light bulb, you would know that I ment to take it out. PREFIXES make a BIG difference in the meaning of a word.......yes the word 'prefix' is a transitive verb.
1132908
I don't recall there being any article in the Constitution that gives the English language any official status or that guarantees that American citizens should never be subjected to hearing languages other than the majority tongue. If anything, the United States was actually founded to encourage acceptance of diversity. Remember the First Amendment? It guarantees not only freedom of religion but also freedom of speech, and that means not just WHAT you want to say but also HOW (and in what language) you want to say it.\n\nI agree that immigrants should be encouraged to learn English, but not because Americans have some God-given right to never have to hear any language but English. If you're really all that concerned about immigrants who are having a hard time acquiring the English language, perhaps you should volunteer some of your time tutoring immigrants in English.\n\nEDIT: After all, it can take years to acquire a second language. How many years did it take for you to learn Spanish, and how fluent are you in it? That is, are you conversational? Would you be comfortable speaking in only Spanish all day long in every situation? How about when you travel to Mexico? Do you speak Spanish every second you're there, or do you just use Spanish when you have to ask for directions of something and revert back to English when speaking to other Americans you're traveling with? \n\nOr are you perhaps a second or third generation Latina? Did your parents or grand-parents speak Spanish? And if so, why is it that your mother tongue is English and not Spanish? It's amazing how quickly people become assimilated in this country, isn't it? It is admittedly difficult for those who immigrate to this country as an adult to pick up the English language, especially when most of them work long hours, rely on others for transportation, and can't afford college English classes. After all, it can take YEARS to become fluent in a foreign language. Don't you agree? Yet more often than not, the children and grand-children of these immigrants not only learn to speak English fluently but don't even learn to speak their parents' language, which is a shame, if you ask me. In the meantime, it does admittedly take those first generation immigrants a while to pick up the language, so maybe we should be a little more patient and stop being so judgmental. Those of use who have learned to speak a second language fluently realize how difficult a process it can be. If more Americans took it upon themselves to try to learn a foreign language, they might be a little less judgmental.\n\nFYI: French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is spoken as a first language by people in France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, etc..., but more importantly, it is spoken as a second language in countries where it is the official language or where it has a historical presence, including, but not limited to the following countries: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Tchad, Senegal, Guinea, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Burkina-Faso, Cameroun, Ruanda, Burundi, Zaire, Egypt, Guyana, Guadelope, Martinique, Reunion, Corsica, French Polynesia, etc...