Why are many Americans against immigration? wasn't everybody here an immigrant at some point?
549434
put up a wall?\n\nwho do you think will build it?\n\ndont freak out over the border so much, there are just immagrant workers who want to make enough money to eat and live a decent life.\n\nas for the "murderers and terrorists' croossing the mexican border\n\nthe terrorists responsible  for 9/11 crossed the canadian border. where there are barely any gaurds, besides a little toll-booth-like-box that checks out "suspicious" cars
717436
Technically, the people who came in first were not illegal. Simply because being illegal requieres there to be a law first and those didn't come up until LONG after the United States was invaded by the English.\n\nMy thought is that people shouldn't generate all this hate against the illegal immigrants themselves, as I'm sure that if anyone was on their shoes, they would be doing the same (finding better opportunities for themselves and their families). I think someone should start pointing out at the Mexican government (and all the governments from which the US gets illegal immigrants as they are not only Mexicans - I don't see people hating Asians) because they are doing nothing to improve the conditions in their contry so their people don't have to run away.\nAlso, if all this people was really causing such a big problem in the US as they portray it, do you really think that the US government wouldn't have done something useful LONG ago?
803266
Americans didn't immigrate from 99% of anywhere.  Basing your question on a false statment will net false answers.
354900
Wildfl0wer seems to be on this kick that since the US is the land of the free with justice for all that illegals can march into the country and do whatever the hell they feel like. Sadly, this common viewpoint, is however wrong. And very much so. \n\nNo, we are not all immigrants, no we did not all immigrate to the US at one point in time. Most africans were brought here as slaves, while quite a few irish and other caucasian nationalities were brought over as cheap labor or indentured servants. Others are descendents from the multitude of families that were the original founding families of this nation. In all cases that doesn't make them immigrants. This is just an ignorant pro-immigration arguement that is as tired as the day is long...\n\nYes, we would pick fruit and clean houses. Guess what, prior to the surge of illegal immigration and cheap under-the-table labor that the criminals(and you are criminals, you broke the law by coming here) brought to the states American citizens preformed those jobs on a daily basis. Don't believe you're special just because your people now seem to have the perverbial market cornered on that type of labor industry. We did it before, and I guarentee you that there are legal US citizens right now who would be damned happy to have that job.\n\nAnd onto the topic at hand, do these criminals have a right to protest? No, they do not. They have no rights as far as I'm concerned. They've done nothing to earn any rights or privledges other then the cost of a tank of gas to export them back to where they came from. \n\nIf we were to protest in half the countries that illegals come from we would be jailed or worse. \n\nAnd don't fool yourselves, when you're crying out against any sort of law that is pre-established by the governing system you are in fact protesting against that very government because they were the ones to make it. Don't try to cop an excuse that you're not protesting the government, just the law because they are the same thing. Any other belief is a fallacy of logic.\n\nUntil you have a green card that says you're a citizen, you have no rights or freedoms granted by the contstitution. And depending on your line of work, even then they don't apply to you. What gives me the right to even say this? Freedom of speech, because I *AM* a US citizen. And my job gives me the right because every day I go out to defend it against the people of this world who would like nothing more then to see America in ashes. \n\nI, personally, am tired of tax payer dollars wasted on those who don't pay taxes. The money spent to educate these criminals has much better potential of use by making changes and reforms in our existing education system and raising that to a level that's comprable to the rest of the world. Quit wasting money on illegals, put it to good use teaching our legal children.
393048
America is made of immigrants.  It is the immigrants and the concept of having immigrants that reared this great country of ours.  But your real question is probably about what do I feel about illegal immigrants.  I am against them.  They are breaking our immigration law by coming in illegally.  There's no other way of looking at it.  The most often argument I hear is that they are good people and they are just trying to make a living.  Then the same can be said for a bank robber trying to make a better living for his family.
714062
Funnily enough, America has whined over immigration, legal and il- for centuries. First it was the Native Americans (who of course were scarcely "immigrants" but they were treated as such, or worse. Then ex-slaves and descendents thereof, forcibly brought to America, unless they "knew their [subservient] place" and stayed on the plantation; then the Chinese who were brought over because nobody else could physiclally build the railroads; then the Southern Europeans because they were Catholic (or perhaps Orthodox, if from Greece) and they "smelled funny" from eating garlic; then the Jews because -- well, just because. Then the Irish. Then Puerto Ricans, who after all are American citizens. All of these were considered an economic threat, a drain on welfare and charity, a dumbing down of the population -- you name it.\n\nAnd now Latinos. True enough, white Spaniards who speak the same language seem not to be resented. And nobody ever resented my daughter-in-law's late father, a doctor of European stock who came from Argentina, or her mother. Or my daughter-in-law who, to the extent she speaks Spanish (I am told she doesn, but haven't heard her speak it) does so with a Long Island accent.\n\nSo: you are partly right: there is that old bugbear of fear of miscegenation and cultural depletion or pollution. But there is also the recognition that uncontrolled immigration in Marxian and Malthusian manner keeps down the wages of the lower middle class and below. \n\nBut one ought to recognize that the migration is due, in large part, to US economic policy. To NAFTA (and it wasn't to Mexico -- as Ross Perot predicted -- that US jobs went, but to China) because Mexico has to accept duty-free entry of American goods. And to US crop subsidies (that go not to the family farmer, on whose behalf they are defended but to Agribusiness -- who donate heavily to Congressional campaign war chests) that cause subsidized grains to flood Mexico and put local farmers out of business. So their farm hands, laid off, head North to earn money to feed their families.\n\nThat's the story as I see it. But I live in Europe. Here it's African cotton and sugar farmers, impoverished by US and EU crop subsidies, who head North.\n\nBarbarians at the door they say.\n\nWell, previous generations of "barbarians" assimilated well. Whether the new generation will is questionable for two reasons: easy communications with the old country, family reunification and chain migration. And Islam, more than any other culture and religion, hinders assimilation (compare the experience of Christian and Muslim (respectively) Palestinians and Lebanese and Egyptians in Europe and the USA).
413342
I totally agree. What most people seem to forget is that this country is made up of immigrants. Now, maybe some have already been here longer. But they still had immigrant grandparents, great grandparents, and so on, somewhere down the line.It's just that they forgot now. Or they act like they did. I mean look at what they did to the Native \nAmericans. They just took over like if it was their land. They drove them to the Reservations. I am a proud U.S. Born Citizen, daughter of Mexican immigrants. And I like thousands of others, went out to show my support yesterday in Houston. Because we didn't cross the border, the border crossed us !!!! And for all you others against us >>Remeber the Mayflower ? Maybe one of your ancestors was on it. Do the research.. And if immigrants have to go back, then send them all back. Including those ...
1056483
You ask a bunch of questions:\nWhy is it impossible for almost everyone? - It is difficult because the US is already crowded. The US is not the welfare agency of the world. \n\nWhy is there a Green Card lottery instead of giving citizenship to people with fluent English and practical or academic skills? There are several programs to get a green card, one specifically addresses technical skills. Again, we only want to admit people in fields where there is a labor shortage. As an example we have  no need to import unemployed loggers, we have enough of our own\n\nWhy do Americans hate illegals, when it's impossible to be legalized unless you marry someone for papers? - Americans generally hate all criminals, not just the ones that break in to our country illegally. Again, the US is not the welfare agency for the rest of the world. It is possible to enter the US legally, some people are unwilling to wait their turn.\n\nWho wants to be illegal? - Every person who climbs through that fence.
594038
Because everybody nowadays is crying about all kinds of sh*t.  Nobody takes responsibility anymore for their own actions and everything is always somebody elses fault.  I'm an immigrant myself, moved to the US in 1997, but I speak the language, I educated myself and I don't have to cry.  If they all would go through the proper immigration channels to get here, learn the language and not live off social security, nobody would have a problem with the immigrants.
60260
I believe most Americans do like immigrants after all that is what our country was founded on.  What Americans do not like is people (immigrants if you will) that abuse the welfare system.  I say don't come if you can't pay your way.  And learn the language please.
721731
good question! maybe because alot of people think whatever their tv tells them to think about and they just parrot what they hear, and it seems like some peolpe are so easily manipulated by fears and hatred and immigration is a good way to distract the masses and ignore the more important issues like our countrys nuclear weapons and largest military budget in history ,right to privacy violations and US torturing captives,etc., it takes some people up to twenty years on a waiting list to become legal immigrants
882006
Of course we are all equal!  The problem is that due to media, there are many that belive that the majority of Americans dont like illegal immigrants, when in reality they are the minority, and are just really loud with their opinions.  The truth is that illegal immigrants help our economy in a great way, and if we did a massive deportation we would only be hurting ourselves!  A wall never makes a great neighbor. America already looks snobby to the world, we are making ourselves look like we think we are superior, when in reality, most of us are too intelligent to actually claim that we are superior! We are just people with the American dream, like anyone else, we are being portrayed very badly, and can correct that easily if we try. My suggestion is that we fix immigration first, then we will lower the amount of illegal immigrants (making Republicans happy) and aid the economy (making the Democrats happy) and allow more legal immigrants in (making the rest of the world happy).
338175
Mostly, yes. Some people are against any forms of immigration - legal or not - because it lets more of "them" in and all that.\n\nHowever, enforcing immigration laws and forcing people to enter the country legally is in no way racist. It's just that people are so sensitive to things nowadays that playing the race card is a viable tactic. Which is sad, very sad.
713907
There may be some, perhaps many, who are anti-Mexican immigration because of racism. If you look, however, at the history of the US there is always a back-lash whenever there is large scale immigration by one particular group. There was a time when it was anti-Irish. There were signs that actually said "now hiring...no Irish". It seems to be the way many people respond whenever they are faced with an increasing population that is different than there own. Yes, we Irish were accused of breeding out of control, taking jobs away from "real Americans" and all the rest. I'm sorry the debate has taken on such racist overtones. I support Mexican immigration, legally, but I do understand why many feel they have to cross illegally. I'm also sorry there are so many racists out here.
1121216
As an American Indian, I can attest to the problems illegal immigration brings to this country.  In fact, it's been a constant drain on the actual inhabitants for several hundred years now, and it doesn't look like it's going to clear up any time soon... I say with tongue firmly planted in cheek.\n\nMaybe the attitudes of most Americans toward immigration-- including illegal immigration-- would make more sense if most Americans bore in mind they really aren't supposed to be here, either, and happen to be here because their ancestors did the same thing the illegal immigrants they hate so much are doing now... coming here to find a better life for themselves, and make a better future for their families whatever it takes, because they don't have a lot of other options.  Admittedly, though, today's immigrants (illegal or otherwise) seem far less inclined to genocidal slaughter than those of years gone by.
608519
so right. Americans r being blindsided into believing that immigration is the biggest issue the USA has on our hands. Sh*t everytime i hear about a soldier getting killed in Iraq, my stomach turns. People r so ignorant to the real problems in the US. not to say that Illegal immigrants isn't a problem, but come on people we r going to hell in a hand basket. Plus, to enter legally into the US can take more than 10 yrs and people aren't willing to wait. it doesn't help that AMERICAN companies aren't punished. But this whole immigration thing will keep the spotlight off the real problems until good ol' G. Bush is out of office.
63542
This country is a country of immigrants. The only true Americans are the Native Americans. The white Europeans killed most of them off. We will continue to have immigration as long as we let people employ immigrants at substandard wages and conditions.