Web Letters: Raw Deal on Immigration

In response to Doc Hilliard: Thank you for the reminder, I'm right there with you! I am first generation of immigrant parents who came to this country legally and acquired citizenship. English was my second language when I entered school, we spoke three languages at home and English was one of them. I required no special teachers to learn the language. It is a slap in the face to all the immigrants in this country who gained citizenship legally and assimilated to become Americans, to give amnesty of any kind to Illegal immigrants. They have already broken the law.

Petra Lemhoefer

Marietta, GA

The proposed guest worker program will certainly increase the exploitation of workers. Since the time of the infamous bracero program to the present day, "guest workers" have been and continue to be super-exploited. Two studies published in the last several years document the super-exploitation of workers from Peru and Chile brought to work in California. Many of the workers interviewed commented that they were treated like slaves.
http://www.centralcallegal.org/news/sheep/sheepfinal1.pdf
http://www.centralcallegal.org/news/sheep2/sheep2.pdf
The proposed legislation provides no real protection for the guest workers. In fact, it guarantees their exploitation.

Chris Schneider

Fresno, CA

In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...

"There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile.... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." --Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

'nuff said.

Doc Hilliard

Big Bear, CA