I am so not against immigration, nor even illegal immigration, people flock here from around the world simply because it's the greatest country on earth & they all want a better life.I think there are 2 major problems that tend to get drowned out when this issue is raised:First & foremost, the majority of the hysteria is race-based; nobody ever screams about the fact that England owns the great majority of this country's business (ie:money), but all the screaming is about Mexican & Chinese immigration. Pure Racism!  Secondly, it is a fact that ILLEGAL immigration is a Security hazard!  With such porous borders, there is nothing to stop AlQueda operatives, or any terrorist group for that matter, from entering without us even knowing, which allows for the nightmare of "dirty bombs" etc.It won't be some poor mexican immigrant either, it will be organized, using the routes of mexican immigrants.So something must be done to protect our homeland.  
Thirdly, illegal immigrants wouldn't be flocking here if they knew they couldn't get work, and it is American's who are hiring them over Legal immigrants BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER!! It's not slave labor, however, it is wrong & until something is done on that front, the demand will stay strong.This recession is proving to be a boon in one sense, that apparently Legal workers are now pushing out Illegal workers for the same jobs!   It seems Americans are willing to do the "dirty work" after all when times are tough!!

Employers should not get away with undercuttung hard-fought-for wages!Every illegal immigrant I ever met or worked with, worked their asses off & deserved every penny they made.

Is there a reason that they cant come in legally ? For My Information .

For Robert:

http://www.citizenorange.com/orange/2008/09/reasonorg-shows-wait-times-for.html

http://www.citizenorange.com/orange/2008/03/there-is-no-line.html

And for historical context: http://immigration.change.org/blog/view/the_myth_of_the_legal_immigrant_ancestor

Dave, I do understand that. But legitimately its obvious we cant allow everyone migrate here would you say ? So we do have a problem but what is the solution you offer?

"I hope Hilda Solis abandons her ideas from the Strive Act which would have flooded the job market with 500,000 legal H-1B workers from abroad, mostly Asia. This would have devastated the U.S. job market and nailed the coffin of the economy shut.<br>
She seems to care about workers so perhaps she will be an advocate for shutting down the H-1B job killer program."

Delusional thinking which suggests that less foreign workers mean more jobs for Americans. Hilda Solis better not abandon her ideas from the Strive Act or  legal H-1B workers from abroad, mostly Asia if she does not want more jobs moving abroad. This would devastate the U.S. job market and nail the coffin of the economy shut.  She seems to care about workers so perhaps she will be an advocate for increasing the H-1B job creation program and keep jobs in this country insteade of jobs flooding to India and China and unemploying more Americans!  If she does not by 2010 the US computer programmer will be an extinct species as extinct as the Massachussetts GOP or Wyoming Democrat!

Bring supply of visas in line with demand by employers, legalize undocumented workers here now to give them the legal protections they need to push back against exploitative employers.  Stop violating human rights of workers.  It makes little sense in a globalizing world to be steadily cranking up restrictions on immigration.  This doesn't contemplate "allowing everyone to migrate here" but it would bring policy more into line with reality.

We still have plenty of oppurtunity in this country for immigration. We usually have a growing economy at worst, booming economy more often. The rascism charge is bull, they are the same race and religion (christian mostly) as the majority. I have second gen. mexican friends and you would have to ask them to know their nationality. I know that makes me sound like a rascist, but honestly I am just answering that rediculous charge! I do think we should make it far easier for these people to become citizens or document people who do not want to be citizens with a legal visiting workers' visa. All these people should be payed fair wage, both for their own sake, and to make them not unfairly competitive with citizens already here. This year when not enough migrants were available, both migrants and natives made 15.00 hr picking apples! I have talked to plenty of people on both the left and right and their main concern with borders is national security! They keep saying it, and they keep getting called rascist!

David,
How do you feel about the current U.S. Department of Labor STRATEGIC PLAN Fiscal Years 2006-2011?
(pg. 35) states:

"... H-1B workers may be hired even when a qualified U.S. worker wants the job, and a U.S. worker can be displaced from the job in favor of the foreign worker."

Do you think that it is fair that someone should have to dig their own grave by training an H-1B foreign worker who has been hired at half the salary to replace them?  Current DOL law says it's OK.

http://www.dol.gov/_sec/stratplan/strat_plan_2006-2011.pdf

If a foreign worker can do the job better, why not let the employer hire him/her?  It is called meritocracy, but it seems to go out the window as soon as nationality comes into the picture.  That kind of protectionism is one reason our national auto industry has failed to be competitive in recent years and finds itself where it is today.  I think the DOL has been in hock to restrictionists for the last few years--hopefully looking forward to some changes there under Solis.

What if they cannot do the job better, but only cheaper, as in the case of Pfizer?

Do you have any problem with foreign governments specifically disallowing U.S. citizens from working in their countries?

Is this fair to U.S. citizens, including hispanic U.S. citizens in your opinion?

Wait one minute, you just said that if a foreign worker can a job better, we should let them hire him. My question how many illegals immigrants are here already, how many are working ? If we dont know, do you think we must ?

Seeing  as though we are refering to the mexican immigration issue, what role should and does the mexican goverment need to play in this?

Since America doesn't practice "meritocracy", but "affirmative action", how do you suggest we compromise?

 It seems that we are all looking at "different parts of the elephant",so it would make sense to compile credible statistics, gathered by an independent group of analysts (perhaps the UN?)of exactly the numbers regarding immigration,and logical impacts to American society those numbers suggest. All parties to this issue like to quote their own sources, none of which seem credibly accurate.  But we do agree there is an elephant in our living room.
"Open Borders" doesn't make any more sense than "open doors", which few people of any status here are currently willing to practice.

 Some see this as a global 'Human Rights' issue (which isn't necessarily inaccurate), for others is a matter of semantics (what does it mean to be "an American"?). Yet more want to argue about the economics of it all. And everyone wants to put themselves and their own families first, including you Dave. Otherwise, an equally qualified foreign national would be doing your job for less or even free.

Closing the thread.