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Citizen
Username: Scubadiver
Post Number: 87
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 2:03 pm: | 
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In thinking about the immigration issue, I decided to e-mail my buddy from the Marines with whom I served from '89 to '94. His heritage is from Mexico, and I was hoping to maybe get a viewpoint further to the "left" of my own.
Ironically, he may have swayed me further "right". He mentions a lot of first-hand experiences which don't get mentioned in the big-picture discussions.
Here is his reply which is very worthy to read and to share.
Hey buddy sorry for taking so long to reply. I actually kept on putting it off because it is, in my opinion, complicated.
I was'nt sure just how to answer this because it is something that I take seriously, but not for the reasons you may think, or should I say the side of the argument that you may believe I stand with.
I don't know if you have heard of a group out there, I believe it is called something like "You Don't Speak for Me". It's a group of Hispanics that are vehemently against all this demonstrating going on across the country. Another reason I took so long is that I thought about what I would write to you. I like to believe that I am objective and somewhat well informed.
Full disclosure first. I was born and raised in El Paso County Texas. On my father's side I am second generation U.S. citizen. On my mother's, depending on paternal or maternal, I could be 4th generation. The county in which my parents grew up in, Hudspeth County, is one of the areas that you may have heard in the news, where the sheriff has been threatened by Mexican nationals/smugglers of people and drugs. Hudspeth is right next to El Paso county. Hudspeth is seriously sparsely populated. The sheriff has a handful of men to patrol the county and they depend on state troopers for help. He reports of chasing smugglers back to the Rio Grande and having witnessed Mexican soldiers escorting these criminals back into Mexico, in other words, helping them.
My hometown of Fabens is about 5 miles from the border. Fabens is probably about 90 to 95% Mex/American. A few years ago I heard them report that it is about the 12th or 13th poorest school district in the state. That is saying a lot, since this is such a large and heavily populated state.
As a kid sometimes I would go and get cheap haircuts in Caseta, a small town on the Mexican side. People used to go get cheap gas over there too. They might be going back to doing that again. So I grew up in Fabens, when I moved back into the area from N.C. I moved into the central/downtown El Paso area. You want on the border? El Paso's city hall is no more than about 15 blocks from the port of entry bridges. I used to live a couple of blocks from city hall. You can see the third world from many parts of El Paso. I hope that will give you an idea about my experience with the whole immigration thing.
To answer your question: My immediate family is sick and tired of seeing these people protest. One thing comes to my mind, as well as that of my parents, sister, her husband and aunts and uncles. That is-Why the hell are these people waving the Mexican flag if they don't want to live there? If you love Mexico so much then what the hell are you doing here?
I've said this to some people, it's funny, the place that they claim to be proud of and of which flag they wave, is the place where they don't want to be. And the place where they want to be and are willing to do anything to avoid being kicked out of, is the one that they bitch and complain to and about.
Nobody in my family, my father or mother's sisters/brothers or my cousins have ever owned or flown the Mexican flag. Why the hell would I wave the flag of a corrupt, ••• backward nation that forced my grandparents to leave? It was that or stay and have to beg/borrow or steal to get by. The rich and corrupt politicians and those of mainly European descent cared little about it's people back then and it is still the same now.
Most Americans have no idea what the hell is going on down here on the border. I get sick and tired of bleeding heart liberals from outside this area coming down and claiming harsh treatment of illegals and pushing for an "open border". These midwesterners/northeasterners and others talk about working for an "open and kinder" border.
All these politicians, movie stars, actors and other activists that are not living on the border should be put up to a challenge to live on the border for one year. I hate listening to the conservatives in the states making generalizations about immigrants doing this or that, but I also hate to listen to Hispanic activist making generalizations on the other end of the spectrum, by always answering everything with, "they do jobs nobody else will do". A few years back I was listening to a radio network in Texas and a caller to one of the talk shows said something to the affect that drugs were here or on the rise because of Mexican immigrants/illegals. What ••••••••, like Mexicans are forcing drugs on "innocent and defenseless" Americans.
When I was growing up I went to school with kids that lived in Mexico but because they were born in the states, they had access to many US federal/state and local resources. My father drove 45 minutes one way to work for about 30yrs. and paid taxes while f-ing women that dropped their kids in an American hospital did nothing, lived in Mexico, paid no taxes and their kids lived off of hard working people like my parents. I saw kids in my school that lived in Mexico and spent their entire school years in ESL classes because there was no rush or need in their eyes to learn English. That is the sad thing about life here on the border, so many people think that because there is such a heavy population of Mexicans here, that they don't need to learn English. They hear word of how the Spanish speaking population is growing and they misenterpret that as not having to learn English.
El Paso and other cities along the border are some of the poorest in the nation, I can't believe the activist for open borders don't see a connection. El Paso has about 600k people, 75% is Hispanic(Mex) and of the total pop. 20% is foreign born, guess what country they are mainly from? In places like El Paso you really can't complain much or people label you a xenophobe or racist. You can't reason or have a rational debate with many people here because they are emotionally involved. What else are they going to believe, when they were born and raised in Mexico and they have family trying to get here too?
Politicians are spineless, nobody wants to confront the abuse of services by illegals which burdens the taxpayers.
When they are asked to give their opinions on this subject it goes like this:
They all start their response with something like, "well you can't blame people for wanting a better life" or "we can't punish the children for their parents actions".
I remember a few years ago a report about how immigrants are not more likely to use the the welfare system. That is true many don't abuse it but in this research what excactly falls under "welfare"?
When the majority of Mexican immigrants/illegals are illiterate or do not speak the English language that pretty much guarantees min. wage jobs. This means you live in and or around the poverty level set by the number crunchers. When you are an illegal, supposedly "paying taxes", but you live in poverty are you really putting in more than you take out? Does the research count special ESL classes, school lunch programs, headstart programs, medical care (local/state/federal) programs as welfare? When you are living in poverty you are having to use these programs which no doubt burdens many.
Does it mention those that drive up insurance rates by not being covered and driving vehicles, something done down here brazenly, that have Mexican license plates, in other words, not paying taxes to register that vehicle and not having to be tested once a year for pollution control.
In many areas in El Paso I would see cars in various neighborhoods with Mexican plates and people would not pay registration/inspection fees and carry on w/o any worry of being reported.
In El Paso, people have to go through the various procedures to have their vehicles meet emissions and have to pay extra for certain gas at certain times of the year. While right across the border in Juarez people drive cars with no emission controls. The cities have to share the air and water while the American side tries to cut emissions, the Mexican side does not do much at all. In fact our tax dollars have gone to paying for cleaner burning kilns and water treatment plants in Mexico to keep some control over air and water pollution.
I wonder what my school may have been like if it were not strapped for cash because of all the illegals siphoning away tax dollars?
When I did my clinicals for my EMT course, in the ER I would see many Mexican nationals cross the border to get treatment here, which would be paid by El Paso county taxpayers.
During my ambulance clinicals, we went into my hometown and picked up a girl that did not speak English and was probably lying about her age and she had no SSN. The nurse at the birth and delivery said that is the typical sign of illegals crossing to have their kids here.
You've probably also heard about some MEX/Americans and Mex nationals talk about the reconquest of the SW or former Mexican land. What a f-ing joke, these people are stupid and don't think things through. Who the hell would want to give the land back to Mexico, a third world nation? Can you imagine cities like L.A., San Diego, San Antonio and Phoenix in the hands of Mexican officials? Everyting would go to hell, can you imagine these cities if this land was always Mexican? Nothing but huge cities w/o sewage systems and an infrastructure.
There should be no amnesty. F-ing Bush is giving in to Mexican officials and illegals here. I appluad the Minute Men. You ever watch America's Most Wanted on Fox?
It seems that at least once a week you see an illegal kill, maim or victimize someone here and then run back to Mex. to get away.
Our govt. spends billions of dollars to keep some sort of order at the borders. It is our govt. that has to spend money to man the check points, inspection stations, purchase xray equipment/drug sniffing dogs/helicopter/atv/horseback and millions of man hours to keep this order. While the govt of Mex does nothing. At the border crossing the Mexicans complain about having to wait, about paper work, inspections. While on the Mexican side they don't do a damn thing, they just kick back and wave people on through. We spend billions to make sure they are comfortable and well taken care of and fed in the holding cells. Meanwhile our border agents are threatened and are shot at.
The Mexican govt plays on the people's ignorance, somehow the people love Mexico but distrust the U.S. but this is where they want to be.
On the subject of them doing jobs that we won't do: well that can be true. In areas like El Paso and the border region, I believe that the illegal pop. reaches a certain point, saturation, you might say. It reaches a point where they not only do the jobs that others won't but also that of many lower and middle-class Americans might do. If you are in carpentry or entry level factory jobs then in this area you have to compete with them.
In other parts of the country because of a small Hispanic comm. immigrants are forced to assimilate and learn English but in areas like El Paso, people become complacent and don't learn and will not join the "American" lifestyle. It is reached a saturation point to where I believe, and from my experience that many Mexicans don't see it as becoming Americans anymore but just as moving here for the money and still identifying themselves w/Mexico very strongly.
I also use this as an example: I have known guys like you and others of various ethnic and national origin. Once your family came here though they were far from home and may have kept to their own kind and community but eventually they assimilated. In a Mexican/Americans case I refer to it as the "mommas boy syndrome". We're so close to the "homeland" that many don't bother to become part of America. I felt this especially in the area of people always noticing and criticizing those that don't speak good spanish or live a certain "lifestyle".
Hope that gives you some insight. Take care of yourself and family. Send pictures.
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