US Migrants Rally for Law Reforms

Heibges · 05-01-07, 03:24 PM

Quote:

BBC World News

US migrants rally for law reforms

Thousands of immigrants are taking part in marches in cities across the US to demand reform of immigration laws.

They want to see better treatment for the estimated 12m illegal immigrants, many of them Latino, living in the US.

Legislation which would offer a "path to citizenship" for illegal migrants as well as tougher border controls is currently stalled in the US Congress.

Reports of a leaked White House plan under which illegal migrants would be charged hefty sums for work visas and residency sparked fresh protests last month from immigrant groups.

Marchers 'afraid'

Rallies are taking place in a number of major cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Chicago, Washington, Boston and Phoenix, Arizona.

Others have been put off taking part by an increase in government raids targeting illegal workers and the fear of repercussions from employers if they down tools for the day, organisers add.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century, said he was not expecting to see the kind of numbers that brought the city to a standstill in 2006.

Separation threat
Many businesses benefit from migrant labour, but immigration opponents call for tighter border controls to protect national security.

Many campaigners for immigrants' rights have focused on the threat of separation faced by families where one or both parents are illegal immigrants but whose children were born in the
US and so have US citizenship.

Another hot top dividing America. Look for the Government to do...nothing.

05-01-07, 03:30 PM

Quote:

They want to see better treatment for the estimated 12m illegal immigrants, many of them Latino, living in the US.

What part of illegal is not understood?

August · 05-01-07, 03:51 PM

Quote:

However, organisers predicted that the marches would not rival the huge turnout last year, when more than a million protesters boycotted jobs, schools and businesses in order to show the importance of immigrants to the nation's economy.

That was a resounding failure imo. If anything it showed how little effect they had as most parts of the country hardly noticed their absence.

Sailor Steve · 05-01-07, 05:04 PM

Immigrants ARE important to the nation, and not just the economy. Just not illegal ones. If I go somewhere illegally I'll get in all kinds of trouble. We need to give everybody everything they ask for; then we will be perfect.

Tchocky · 05-01-07, 05:09 PM

I say legalise them, tax them. The jobs are there in the US, and Americans wont fill them all.

August · 05-01-07, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tchocky

I say legalise them, tax them. The jobs are there in the US, and Americans wont fill them all.

Not at sub-standard and illegal wages they won't, but isn't that the point?

Heibges · 05-01-07, 05:45 PM

The folks against illegal immigration need to team up with folks trying to raise the minumum wage.

But then you are stuck in a Catch 22.

Raise the minimum wage and American's will take the jobs, but raise the minimum wage and you put American companies out of business.

Yahoshua · 05-01-07, 05:55 PM

Not particularly as the companies will pass the rising costs onto the consumers, and the wage raise may be defeated in principle since the cost of all products will rise as well. Add inflation to that and what's worth $5.50 today will cost $8.00 tomorrow and your minimum wage will be $10/hr.

So the end result may not be any more desireable than it was before but we'd probably have to go through with it to find out.

August · 05-01-07, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahoshua

Not particularly as the companies will pass the rising costs onto the consumers, and the wage rais may be defeated in prionciple since the cost of all products will rise as well. Add inflation to that and what's worth $5.50 today will cost $8.00 tomorrow and your minimum wage will be $10/hr.

So the end result may not be any more desireable than it was before but we'd probably have to go through with it to find out.

That's assuming the number of illegal hiring companies is sufficiently high so as to significantly affect the market. I think the lack of effect demonstrated by last years boycott on the American economy proves otherwise.

Yahoshua · 05-01-07, 06:28 PM

I was speaking strictly in terms of raising minimum wage, although I wouldn't give much weight to my own words to begin with since nobody has really figured out our economy.

Onkel Neal · 05-01-07, 06:44 PM

We should just take over Mexico and make it the 51st-58th states, and then they would all be citizens. Problem solved.

Iceman · 05-01-07, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

We should just take over Mexico and make it the 51st-58th states, and then they would all be citizens. Problem solved.

On that I agree...take Iraq as well and we got oil...these 2 countries can't seem to get it right anyways.

A one world order....order...order.

The Avon Lady · 05-02-07, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman

A one world order....order...order.

Tuna on toast, please!

August · 05-02-07, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

We should just take over Mexico and make it the 51st-58th states, and then they would all be citizens. Problem solved.

On that I agree...take Iraq as well and we got oil...these 2 countries can't seem to get it right anyways.

A one world order....order...order.

Naw Mexico is contiguious, Iraq is not. We got enough trouble having to go through Canada to get to Alaska.

05-01-07, 05:04 PM	#4
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Immigrants ARE important to the nation, and not just the economy. Just not illegal ones. If I go somewhere illegally I'll get in all kinds of trouble. We need to give everybody everything they ask for; then we will be perfect. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

05-01-07, 05:09 PM	#5
Tchocky Navy Seal Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,874 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	I say legalise them, tax them. The jobs are there in the US, and Americans wont fill them all. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

05-01-07, 05:45 PM	#7
Heibges Sea Lord Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 1,633 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	The folks against illegal immigration need to team up with folks trying to raise the minumum wage. But then you are stuck in a Catch 22. Raise the minimum wage and American's will take the jobs, but raise the minimum wage and you put American companies out of business. __________________ U.Kdt.Hdb B. I. 28) This possibility of using the hydrophone to help in detecting surface ships should, however, be restricted to those cases where the submarine is unavoidably compelled to stay below the surface. http://www.hackworth.com/

05-01-07, 05:55 PM	#8
Yahoshua The Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,493 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Not particularly as the companies will pass the rising costs onto the consumers, and the wage raise may be defeated in principle since the cost of all products will rise as well. Add inflation to that and what's worth $5.50 today will cost $8.00 tomorrow and your minimum wage will be $10/hr. So the end result may not be any more desireable than it was before but we'd probably have to go through with it to find out. __________________ Science is the organized unpredictability that strives not to set limits to mans' capabilities, but is the engine by which the limits of mans' understanding is defined-Yahoshua Last edited by Yahoshua; 05-01-07 at 06:26 PM.

05-01-07, 06:28 PM	#10
Yahoshua The Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,493 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I was speaking strictly in terms of raising minimum wage, although I wouldn't give much weight to my own words to begin with since nobody has really figured out our economy. __________________ Science is the organized unpredictability that strives not to set limits to mans' capabilities, but is the engine by which the limits of mans' understanding is defined-Yahoshua

05-01-07, 06:44 PM	#11
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	We should just take over Mexico and make it the 51st-58th states, and then they would all be citizens. Problem solved.