1. LaShawn, I had an experience two months ago with a woman who works for my local school district. I called the school district to set up an assessment for my youngest son who is somewhere on the autism spectrum.

   I noticed the woman’s heavy Spanish accent when I called and informed her that my son had been evaluated 3 years prior. She set up an appointment a few weeks later.

   I took my son to the appointment only to find out that he should have been set up for a different type of evaluation because he had been evaluated 3 years prior. This is the same information I had told the woman with the heavy Spanish accent when I called the first time.

   I had to reschedule and come back weeks later for the evaluation I should have been scheduled for in the first place. But because the woman didn’t understand me, she wasted my time.

   Due to the influx of Hispanics in my community, I’m sure many of them are illegal since Chicago/Illinois is a sanctuary for illegal aliens, I have a gut feeling that the receptionist was hired simply because she was able to speak Spanish. I found this also when I went to register my son for school in the enrollment office, at least three of the women were Hispanic, including the one who registered me. One of the ladies was speaking on the phone in Spanish while I was in the office. I happened to view her computer screen which highlighted country of origin for the child in question as the Dominican Republic.

   It troubles me when I see incompetent people who are hired just because they speak Spanish, so they can service illegals and Hispanics who refuse to learn English. Something is terribly wrong with this.

   Comment by Cedjan — 05.31.07 @ 9:34 am

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2. Ms. Barber is soliciting the stories of those who are living in neighborhoods with illegal aliens.

   Pingback by gaithersblog.net — 05.31.07 @ 9:51 am

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3. After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has seen a huge influx of illegals. They’ve come for the “great” rebuilding opportunities. They are relatively cheap and fast. I can assure you there are thousands that have poured into my city. They congregate on the corners of major intersections waiting to be picked up for some work and now we have Taquerias on many of the corners as well. I did not have any damage to my home from the storm so I’ve not been afforded the chance to have illegals working for me. I go into my local Walmart and it’s like The Ghetto meets Tijuana! We’ve had a murder here last year committed by an illegal alien from Mexico. He took a woman from the park and raped her and proceeded to run her over with his van all while drunk. We need to get them out of here soon and very soon! Why should I have to press “1″ for English?????????

   Comment by libbygirl — 05.31.07 @ 10:03 am

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4. I’ve only personally known one illegal alien. Woman from Lithuania overstayed her tourist visa after losing out on the lottery system. Works as a home health aid (lives in) suburb of Chicago and takes care of this old rich lady. She gets paid $45,000/year plus room and board. One day off a week and a couple of evenings. Never paid a dime in income/ss taxes for past 5 years. Loves America. Became a born again Christian. Takes exceptional care of old lady. Has saved money to pay back taxes if necessary. There are literally thousands of Lithuanians living illegally in Chicago area, many engaged in home health care field and nursing homes and hired by trust bankers and lawyers who know they are illegal but ignore the law. I think Chicago is a sanctuary city so risks for illegals and those who hire them are low.

   This woman is very nice and does a good job. I have nothing against her personally, but point her out to show that there are plenty of illegals here in this country who aren’t just $4/hr chicken pluckers which is all Bush/Kennedy/media etc talk about. And, there are lots of “upstanding” professionals like bankers and trust lawyers, etc. who are flagrantly violating the law by hiring these people and not reporting income or paying SS, etc for them as well.

   Comment by dianne — 05.31.07 @ 10:05 am

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5. Here in Tampa we had a tragedy caused by another illegal alien. Of course, I’m sure that Teddy “Chivas and Wet Oldsmobiles” Kennedy, the major pusher of illegal alien amnesty, finds nothing wrong with any of this.

   2/26/2006
   The Tampa Tribune
   By Ben Montgomery

   Juan Serrano, a 17-year police veteran who was also a driver for Iorio and a fixture at City Hall, was on his way home after an assignment when a man driving a 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix ran a red light and crashed into Serrano’s city-issued Ford Taurus about 12:45 p.m., said Hillsborough County sheriff’s office spokesman J.D. Callaway. Iorio was not with Serrano.

   The driver of the Pontiac, Jose Luis Espinoza, 35, of 6129 Palm Ave. in Gibsonton, ran from the scene. Sheriff’s deputies and a tracking dog found him hiding under a dock near a canal less than a mile away, Callaway said.

   Espinoza, who did not have a valid driver’s license, was hospitalized with cuts and abrasions, Callaway said. He was listed in good condition Saturday night at Tampa General Hospital.

   Espinoza was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving a death and having no valid driver’s license in a crash involving a death, both felonies. Callaway said Espinoza would also be held on an immigration detainer after he is released from the hospital.

   Serrano suffered a head injury but was responsive before being airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, where he died, Callaway said. Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said Serrano was married and the father of three children, ages 29, 26 and 19.

   “A tremendous sense of loss has rippled throughout the department,” Durkin said. “Juan Serrano was an extremely well-respected detective. He’s put 17 dedicated years to protecting this community. He’s going to be missed.”

   Iorio last saw Serrano on Saturday morning at the Gasparilla Distance Classic.

   “How quickly life can change,” she wrote in a statement. “I will always remember this wonderful officer, this friend, this very special person who lived to make life better for others.”

   Sheriff’s deputies were looking for a second person who fled from Espinoza’s car after the crash. Callaway described him as a hitchhiker and said authorities haven’t been able to identify him.

   Comment by RedBeard — 05.31.07 @ 10:29 am

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6. They also push the idea of “Reconquista” which means that they want to take back the southwest, which was bought from Mexico as part of the peace settlement at the end of the Mexican-American War of 1848. It’s time to do your homework, folks! Did you know that we invaded and conquered Mexico City? In fact, it was the first marine invasion. We landed at VeraCruz, and marched overland to MC. You know…as in “From the Halls of Montezuma…” We negotiated a peace treaty in which the Mexicans got back Mexico City plus $15million, and we got California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. So for those Mexicans who want that land back - fine. It’ll cost you $15 mil plus inflation plus improvements. I haven’t found that any occupants of those lands were ever required to go back to Mexico or had lands taken from them, by the way, but just as I’ve learned a lot about the Middle East in the last 5 years, I probably have a lot of research to do on the early years of those above mentioned states. Who knows what I’ll find!

   Comment by suek — 05.31.07 @ 10:47 am

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7. Cejdan has some good examples of the inefficiency (at best) that results, and the chaos that comprises our nation’s Hispanocentric focus. I have several experiences in common with Cejdan’s experience.

   As someone who has volunteered as an Election Judge for many years, I called the Cook County Board of Elections to see if they needed me for last November’s election. The woman I spoke to on the phone spoke heavilly-accented English, and I told her where my usual polling place assignment was (Near North Side of Chicago), and that, if I was needed in a different location it was important that it be near my residence as I do not own a car. She transferred me to the woman assigned to my Ward, and I got her voicemail (once again, in heavilly-accented English). I left the same details as I had with the 1st woman, but I never received a call back. Lo & behold, come the special election earlier this year I receive an letter assigning me to work: in Skokie. Hello - how am I supposed to get to the North Shore at 5:00 AM when I don’t own a car?????

   We’ve also discussed the effect of illegals using Hospital E.R.’s as substitutes for a visit to a Doctor’s Office, but it’s far more extensive than that.

   Has anyone here ever received a bill from a hospital for a treatment or test, in spite of your understanding that the procedure was covered by your insurance? There’s a very real possibility that the procedure was coded incorrectly by the person who registered you, a person who was hired by the hospital solely for their Spanish fluency. Many of these hires don’t have the experience necessary to understand the increasingly complex insurance elligibility rules. They are hired because they can speak the language of “The Community” and not because they can determine whether or not your insurance covers the procedure your M.D. has ordered and alert you to the fact that you might have to pay out of your own pocket for the procedure. This is the norm in hospitals, medical facilities and clinics in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and accross the country. Expect it to get worse if Amnesty passes.

   Good luck getting considereed for a hospital’s ‘charity care’ if you or someone you care about is indigent: in Chicago, the Cook County Board has *unofficially* earmarked those funds for Hispanics/Latinos and, if you fight that directive, you will see your hospital’s reputation smeared in the Chicago media. I know: I spent five years in administration at a prominent Chicago hospital, and it’s one of the reasons I left, never to return to healthcare.

   Comment by Langtry — 05.31.07 @ 11:12 am

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8. Forgot to mention: we need to start celebrating “Ocho de Mayo”…the day the Mexican American was officially started.

   I had a discussion on the Motor Voter laws with my son, in which he maintained that we didn’t have one in Calif. I thought it was specifically a Calif law. Turns out we were both wrong…it’s a Federal law, but there are specifics that are state controlled. This was the best article I found on it: http://politicalvanguard.com/index2.php?id=nutting

   If you read it, you’ll note that it’s fairly old (2003?). I haven’t been able to find anything more recent. I know that the license for illegals was a factor in the Governor recall election, but I haven’t been able to find anything more about it that is Schwarzenegger specific. I know there’s stuff out there - I just have to figure out how to search for it more effectively.

   Comment by suek — 05.31.07 @ 11:15 am

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9. “Loves America. Became a born again Christian.”

   Ummm, breaking the laws of a nation and being Born-Again and continuing in illegal status are an oxymoron… Romans 13 and Philemon are good places to start

   I’m sure she does a great job for rich old lady but saving money for the day she gets caught (to pay back taxes) doesn’t sound like being convicted as a born again by her illegal act…

   Comment by Renee — 05.31.07 @ 11:20 am

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10. The rise in illegal immigration in my home state of Texas has caused class sizes in local public schools to overflow. According to our imperial judiciary, illegals who pay no federal income and Social Security taxes have a “right” to a taxpayer-funded education! And although the law limits class size to no more than two dozen, having 40 or more in the classroom is fast becoming the norm. True, the law is flexible - but not that flexible.

    School officials love the increase, since the more students that are enrolled, the more money the state gives them. Most could care less whether the kids learn anything.

    Comment by Mwalimu Daudi — 05.31.07 @ 11:26 am

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11. #9 Renee - Believe me, I’m not defending her and I do see your point. She does have guilt about her status, but that hasn’t stopped her. I just thought I’d post on a specific situation I knew about that involved overstaying visas as opposed to sneaking across the border and also showed that many of these people are making some serious money and paying no taxes. Believe me, I’m so angry about this illegal alien amnesty proposal, I’m ready to march on the Capitol.

    Comment by dianne — 05.31.07 @ 11:38 am

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12. I often wonder whether Christians who take me to task for speaking out against illegal “immigration” spend as much time (or even a fraction of that time) chastising illegal aliens who profess Christ.

    Comment by La Shawn — 05.31.07 @ 11:42 am

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13. La Shawn,

    Born and raised in Southern California, I’ve been waiting for this the past 20 years. I’ve watched this state, especially Southern California, go through so many changes due to illegal immigration. I figured one day, the rest of the nation will wake up and find the same thing at their front doors, and then maybe something will be done about it. Any of the stories you hear states, not normally dealing with illegal immigration, will have happened here in Southern California a million times over. Nothing new here…been there…done that!

    Comment by Sparky — 05.31.07 @ 12:04 pm

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14. My sister married an illegal. She did not tell us until after they married. He is completely worthless, and married her (post first marriage divorce settlement) My sister is a moron. I went to Border Patrol, and was told that due to her marrying him, his status, although illegal is one that will NOT get him deported.

    My husband a retired police officer was asked by this man to help bring other illegals over(as a coyote) Sick, yet the law with just talk is without proof, and my sister is plain stupid. He has not worked for the 2.5 years that they have been married, hates the US, claims we stole his country.

    We asked him then why is he here? Why not organize in Mexico, and try to recapture the stolen lands. Why is the culture that the illegals are holding dear the very thing that they are fleeing. Mexico is a corrupt gangster country(been there, in fact my husband is an American who is of Mexican decent)

    My in -laws worked diligently to find an English speaking person to teach them English. All of my husband’s brothers and sisters sat night after night studying with this kind old man, who taught them English. All of my husbands family have gone on to college, and are involved in American society. Love of America is why my husband enlisted in the Army.

    Then I see daily the illegals in my town(Alamogordo NM) and how everything is catered to them…DMV, stores, police, fire, medical, etc.

    If a group of people choose to assimilate our country improves, but if the group chooses not to the very thing they fled may(and seemingly is) becoming the norm.

    Please do not accuse me of saying that some do not flee. I have spent almost 40 years here, never desiring ever to live anywhere else. I love to travel, and thanks to my husband serving in the military was afforded the opportunity to see Europe, live in Germany, but I am staying here.

    So when one sees no option, no hope, no way to solve their country’s problems that they arrive here, they fled.

    Obviously, the situation being so close to me and my family has made me outspoken. Please forgive me.

    Comment by jennifer — 05.31.07 @ 12:11 pm

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15. Here in Colorado, signage in both English and Spanish is becoming the norm. Target and Walmart especially. And my kids recently pointed out the dual language on food packaging as well. My daughter just finished her 3rd year of French and my son his 2nd year of Spanish, and they like to practice on each other so they’re especially aware of “their” language in the community. My daughter did find a food package with dual English/French labels but most were English/Spanish.

    My eldest son goes to junk yards for car parts and is now greeted in Spanish first, before they know that he speaks English.

    Colorado has always been heavily Hispanic, but those Hispanics have been here for generations and speak English. We did have an English-only vote a few years back but it was defeated. Ironically, as I remember, pro-amnesty bill Linda Chavez was one of the leaders of that initiative.

    Documentation on our school district website is in English, Spanish and Russian. We have a large population of Russian immigrants. According to my kids, their Russian classmates all speak English, their native Hispanic classmates do not, including one of my daughter’s lab partners (he didn’t contribute much to the assignment).

    I always wonder about those legal immigrants who are just learning English but are not Hispanic. How do they manage when everything isn’t documented in their native language? Why, they must have to learn English or something!

    Comment by Lorraine — 05.31.07 @ 12:27 pm

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16. Many years ago, I lived in Hawaii, a state full of illegal aliens from all over the world, not just poor hispanics and Asians. Maui, in particular, attracts illegal aliens who overstay their visas and work under the table. Every one I met was from a wealthy family. Why are they there? To windsurf and surf. They took (and take) restaurant jobs in resort areas; these jobs tend to pay very well for Hawaii.

    One thing I discovered at that time was that a great many of them are paid very, very well. In fact, in the restaurants in which I worked, they were paid exactly what all the rest of us were paid, but off the books. This is how employers save money: if they pay under the table, they can afford to pay workers the same amount per hour. But they don’t have to pay workman’s comp, payroll taxes, etc., for an illegal. Not only did I have to compete for these jobs with illegal aliens, when I got the job, I had income and payroll taxes taken out of my paychecks, while they did not.

    And for those of you who think this will only affect low skilled jobs, think again. Also on Maui, I knew of two married illegal aliens, one Japanese and one Egyptian. She worked in fine jewelry stores, making $65,000 to $100,000 per year (depending on commissions), all under the table. Her husband works as an architect, under the table. The firm that employs him has him do the work, pays him in cash, and one of their licensed architects stamps the plans.

    Comment by Kim — 05.31.07 @ 12:57 pm

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17. I’m a California native and have worked in different areas of real estate (sales, lending, property management) and have had some experiences with illegal immigrants.

    On a cultural level, it’s interesting to have “underground” workers in the community. The ladies who sell their homemade tamales during Christmas seem harmless. In college, I rented a house in a slightly seedy suburban neighborhood. My Hispanic neighbors (some legal, some illegal, and it was impossible to count all the people living there) kept chickens (including a rooster) on their front yard. I’m pretty sure the neighborhood wasn’t zoned for that.

    As a property manager, I got to see the less quaint aspects of illegal Hispanics who do not assimilate into American society. I would have people come in to rent apartments who couldn’t speak English. That’s not a problem to me, business is business. One woman, however, gave me a social security number that was for a deceased person. I noticed that number did not match the number printed on her W-2s, so I tried the number on the W-2s. That also belonged to a deceased person. We couldn’t rent to her because she gave us fraudulent information. I was sorely tempted to report her (and her employer) but we agree to keep confidential any information they provide on their applications.

    A South American family abruptly moved out of the apartments I managed when the husband was deported for molesting their downstairs neighbor. The family’s pastor (also South American) spoke with us and asked if we would allow the church to take over the lease so that other families from South America could have a place to stay when they came to “visit the church”. (The answer was no.)

    I’ve seen illegal immigrants who are able to purchase homes (back in the days when stated income loans were easier to get) using their tax-free income. Meanwhile, in addition to affording nice homes, their children who are born here are eligible for free education (and free breakfasts and lunches at school) as well as disability income.

    The biggest problem I saw in California is when illegals commit crimes in the US (such as a police officer who was killed in Los Angeles a few years back) and the illegals decide Mexico isn’t so bad after all. Once they’re back on Mexican soil, the US must bargain for extradition. Prosecutors must agree not to seek the death penalty or life imprisonment in order for the Mexican government to send the criminals back. So illegals come here, get the benefits of a US citizen without any of the responsibilities of citizenship AND they can use their government to bargain for less strict penalties when they commit crimes on US soil.

    The tamales are good, but I don’t think they’re worth all the attendant social problems.

    Comment by Elizabeth — 05.31.07 @ 1:15 pm

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18. My cousin teaches in the public school system in Philadelphia. For two years she taught the ESOL classes for the many Spanish speaking kids (she is fluent in Spanish). She finally had to ask to be moved elsewhere because here is the problem as she described it:

    The majority of students did not have a working knowledge of their home language (Spanish). For example she had a 10 year old student, that could not read Spanish (at the first grade level…maybe less). There were no now basics, no foundation in Spanish, to work with. How did she work with these children. She had to teach them Spanish, from the beginning, to attempt to teach them English. Needless to say, it is not working because on top of that, there is the lack of a foundation in the language in the home and a lack of involvement to learn English in the home (sounds similar to the problems with many black children in school…no involvement or concern by the parents). This is entirely different from the other groups of immigrants (for example Asian, European, even many Africans) that normally come to America (there is a working foundation in their home language so you have something to work with to teach them English).

    It makes my head hurt to even attempt to calculate how many tax dollars it will take to make this sort of ESOL class work. And which students get hurt in the process while all the resources are spent on kids that can’t speak their native language? One need only go to the major cities to see how this is a disaster in the making.

    Comment by Renee — 05.31.07 @ 1:19 pm

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19. As an American of Cuban descent born in NYC living in Palm Beach, Florida, whose family has assimilated (boy that was a mouth full!) you will not find a stronger opponent of this amnesty. So with that said, whenever I see a car/van full of what I know are illegals next to me, or more so behind me I get out of their way, because there is no way of holding them accountable for anything that may occur.

    Comment by Jose — 05.31.07 @ 1:24 pm

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20. A Milwaukee police officer was just arrested this week for being an illegal alien fraudulently using his dead cousin’s identity to live and work here.

    That hasn’t affected me personally yet, but if he’s charged with any crimes (”if”–the feds might just brush it off), any other crime he was involved in prosecuting will be dropped. Who benefits and who loses from thugs, dealers, and bangers getting turned loose because this guy lied? Not to mention the hit to the credibility of law enforcement in a city already overrun with thugs.

    And this happened less than a month after a deputy in nearby Kenosha was murdered during a routine traffic stop by an illegal alien with a long history of arrests in other states.

    Personally: Last year, Iowa had a mumps outbreak. The disease was brought into the state by unvaccinated “immigrants” (when you immigrate legally you have to provide proof of immunization). A friend of mine with a compromised immune system picked it up on a visit to the ER (at the time he was so sick he couldn’t even go to the grocery store; the only time he left the house was for the hospital). He’s doing OK, but one of the effects of having mumps as an adult is infertility. He’s not married but I know he wants to have a family someday.

    I just don’t understand people’s unwillingness to acknowledge that illegal immigration puts everyone’s health and safety at risk.

    Comment by Radish — 05.31.07 @ 1:26 pm

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21. My daughter did find a food package with dual English/French labels

    Food products sold in Canada have to have labels in English and French; some companies just use one set of packaging instead of one for the U.S. and one for Canada.

    This bothers me a lot less than walking into a rest area in the U.S. and trying to remember if I’m an “hombre” or a “mujer.”

    Comment by Radish — 05.31.07 @ 1:33 pm

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22. Two things:

    1. I took my son to get his learner’s permit last summer, and over half the people in line did not speak English or spoke it so poorly they needed a translator. A man two people in front us used as his ID an EXPIRED passport, last valid in 2001!, and a matricular consulate card, and they still let him take the test. He failed, apparently, but he was told he could come back the next day to retake it!

    2. My son’s high school now has such a severe gang problem that the kids can’t leave the classrooms during class time without a staff member escorting them to the restroom or library. North Carolina has a sheriff on duty at each school, but his school has four, and there are still fights every day. He hates going, because of the trouble, and because all his classes are all into the group/team projects, and the Hispanic kids pretend they don’t speak English to get out of doing the work. They still get credit as if they did though, so what are we teaching them and our own kids as well? Thank goodness it’s his last year!

    Comment by Candy — 05.31.07 @ 1:40 pm

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23. I have a friend who lives in North Carolina. The powers that be down there claim that the state is not a magnet for illegals because they have to take the driving test in English. My friend was taking the test and witnessed a DMV employee coaching a Hispanic through the test, translating for him and telling him what buttons to push. My friend turned them both in.

    We need more people turning in lawbreakers. Tell your friend I said “great job!” - Admin

    Comment by Kim — 05.31.07 @ 1:45 pm

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24. If the “No illegal alien left behind bill” is signed by Bush, unskilled black labor will suffer the most from it. A good amount of unskilled blacks work in the manufacturing, production and warehousing industries. On average they make around $9.00 $11.00 depending on the type of job and geographic location. Like most Americans, blacks want to have their own place and be independent thus they more then likely have a second job. This is how the illegal immigration bill will hurt unskilled blacks. Illegals right now work under the table getting paid below the minimum wage. A lot of them live in homes where there are ten or more people living there, and those people work too. With so many working people living in that one house, to them it doesn’t matter how little they are being paid. Now for the black worker, he wants his own place so he or she knows they can’t work for scrap wages like illegals. If that bill is signed, millions of illegal will have legal status thus flooding the unskilled job market, and they will be more then happy to work for the minimum wage of $.5.15 an hour. To them it’s a 100% pay increase. So if you were an employer and had to choice between an unskilled black worker who wanted $10.00 an hour and a unskilled legal Hispanic worker who would gladly except $5.15 and hour , who do you think the employer would choose? When both are unskilled, the employer obviously is going to look at the price of the labor. Thus blacks lose.

    Comment by Tyrone — 05.31.07 @ 1:53 pm

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25. LaShawn, you sure opened up a can of worms! Memories are flooding back!

    Eighteen months ago, my brother’s best friend was driving on I-270 in the DC area. He was hit by a guy in a pickup truck, who refused to stop. Our friend stuck with him and called the cops on his cell phone. A police cruiser finally pulled the fellow over. Of course, he could barely speak English and the cop did not ask about his immigration status. He had an expired license, and gave what turned out to be a fake address. He was uninsured. My friend had to pony up several thousand dollars to have his car repaired, and was completely embittered by the experience because the cop treated HIM like HE was the law breaker.

    Comment by Kim — 05.31.07 @ 1:55 pm

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26. LaShawn, I was at O’Hare International, at a Starbucks a few weeks ago. The woman at the counter did not speak English, and understood little. The line was very long. I waited in the line, the woman did not get my order correct, could not make change well. BTW, I was very patient and kind to her. However, I did say, Senora, you need to learn English. When I picked up my order, the manager was there. I said that her worker needed to learn English, as this was Chicago. She replied, “Ma’am, she’s doing the best she can.” If only I had said, “What if her best isn’t good enough?”.

    At the least the manager should have put the woman in a position that does not interact with customers.

    Comment by Rebecca — 05.31.07 @ 2:04 pm

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27. One problem with these illegal, unassmiliated enclaves it that they somehow manage to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, yet they do not understand English, and certainly do not understand the rules of the road. A certain four-way stop near my house has been the site of several near accidents for me when I have encountered vans full of what I presume are illegals. My neighbor was actually hit at the four-way stop by a carload of illegals who hit her and then sped off.

    During my college years, I worked at a department store and had to deal with the public quite regularly. It was always frustrating when you would see the same non-English speaking customers, month-after-month, who never bothered to at least learn a few simple English phrases. There was also a custodian at the store who never spoke one word of English, and worked there for years! The manager would have to find a bilingual employee to translate. I found the outright defiance and nonassimilation to be arrogant and disrespectful. It seems like most illegals and perhaps even those with resident alien status, have no desire to become citizens, let alone put forth any effort to learn beneficial language skills. I would never dream of migrating to a foreign country and stubbornly refusing to learn the language and carrying on with an entitlement attitude, as though others were supposed to cater to me. I just don’t understand that mentality.

    Comment by Elizabeth S. — 05.31.07 @ 2:10 pm

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28. Apparently, our government thinks the border is secure enough to allow 2,000 of our finest immigration officers to serve with the U.S. Secret Service guarding all of the Presidential wanna-be’s.

    Pingback by Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff — 05.31.07 @ 2:16 pm

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29. La Shawn,

    If anyone wants to understand what is going on with illegal immigration and why nothing will probably be done about it, they might do well to examine Tony Blair’s Prime Ministership of Great Britain— Tony Blair whom Bill Clinton once affectionately declared his soulmate.

    Blair catered to every single -ism out there. He systematically destroyed the British aristocracy and destroyed the House of Lords. He also granted Welsh autonomy, Scottish autonomy and northern Ireland autonomy. Each group having their own Parliament and means of self-governance. In a word, he virtually ripped Great Britain apart. It is no longer a cohesive nation.

    Indeed, less than one third of the “British” people identify themselves as being “British”. They identify themselves with their village, town or kingdom— Wales, England and Scotland— and they have very little allegiance toward Great Britain.

    Tony Blair obtained his power by catering to all these factions and all these -Isms. He and his Liberal Labour Party deliberately fractured the nation. And from all these fragmented groups, the party with fragmented the ideologies gained power. It is no wonder that the conservative Tories can’t muster the votes to swing back into power. There aren’t enough British left to vote for them.

    Likewise, our government is doing much of the same thing by allowing this surge of illegal immigration. Our American Southwest has become more part of Mexico than it is a part of the United States. Anyone with eyes can see that Los Angeles and much of California is no longer America.

    I live in Los Angeles, and generally speaking, I’d see 1 American for every 2 or 3 hispanic illegal. I understand that for many positions of city government here, they don’t require English proficiency but they do require Spanish proficiency and are tested on it.

    If this immigration bill goes through or anything like it that grants amnesty, we will probably have about 40 million people suddenly voting Democrat, virtually locking out the conservatives. If this does come to pass, I’ll bet that Southern California (probably all of California), Miami, Southern Texas, New Mexico will be granted some form of autonomous government to cater to the needs of the Hispanics— just like Scotland, Wales and England.

    Like Rome before their fall allowing immigrants to maintain their culture and live in Roman territory, it looks like we are doing the same thing. Many if not most of the Latin Americans do not want to be Americans at all. They want to be Mexicans, Colombians, and Peruvians in America.

    In fact, how many times have I, living in Southern California, heard a Latino scold another Latino for not speaking Spanish? How many times have I driven through the city and felt I was driving through Mexico? At times, I can’t even buy a burger without being bi-lingual? In LA, it’s really important to be good at charades and pointing at pictures if you’re not bi-lingual.

    At this late date, I can’t think of any viable solutions to this endemic problem…

    Comment by Thomas — 05.31.07 @ 2:25 pm

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30. I agree with Elizabeth S. @2:10…non-assimilation is arrogant and disrespectful. And the “global community” has the timerity to speak of the “ugly American”. Indeed.

    Comment by Rebecca — 05.31.07 @ 2:27 pm

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31. One last thought. One of the reasons this issue is so difficult and so divisive is that there ARE Hispanics who are assimilating and who want to be Americans. What are we supposed to do with assimilated Hispanics who were born of illegal immigrant parents?

    If an amnesty bill passes, we’d be emasculated militarily and hurled into the Global World Order. But if we don’t pass a bill like this one and deport all the illegals and their offspring back across the border, we do assimilated Latinos a severe injustice. I suspect if there is a solution to be found, it’ll be a mix of both mass deportation and mass naturalization.

    The Guest Worker nonsense is just slavery by another name, and I hope it won’t fly with the American people.

    Comment by Thomas — 05.31.07 @ 2:40 pm

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32. I work in DC and live in Northern Virginia.
    I went to the cafeteria across the street for lunch. I asked the woman behind the counter what type of meat was in a certain dish. I am allergic to turkey and could not eat turkey. I asked if the meat was lamb, beef or turkey. She said beef.

    I took one bite and realized I was having an allergic reaction. It was turkey. I managed to call over the manager who told me that it was turkey meat in the dish. The women working in the serving line do not have a sufficient understanding of English beyond the name of the dish. She should not understand my question.

    The women who work the cash registers speak English. They are immigrants from Africa.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 2:44 pm

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33. Again, I work in DC and changed jobs over a year ago. When I came on board, the cleaning service consisted of a very nice elderly black man who came along once a day and emptied my trash cans. The rest rooms were cleaned by these two young African American girls. It was extremely funny overhear their conversations. During my 30 years of office work I have always made a point of being nice to the people who clean. As I usually work long hours I’ve come to appreciate the people who empty my trash can. I actually looked forward to seeing this man every afternoon. Exchanging kind words always makes for a nicer day. He always had a very kind word for me. Plus he was probably the only one in the office who would acknowledge that I must have worked all weekend for my trash can to be so full.

    After about 4 months into my new job guess what — the cleaning service company changed. Gone is the nice man. Gone are the fun girls. Now it is nothing but non-English speaking hispanics cleaning the office. Where did this man go for another job? He was well past that age when most people are considered employable, yet he was doing this work.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 2:57 pm

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34. When we moved to Israel a couple of years ago, I suffered such intense homesickness. I love America and I miss her; but reading about the illegal alien problem and hearing about it from my family and friends is making me feel a lot better about living here now! I don’t envy you what you are experiencing.

    I don’t really have an illegal alien story to tell, but when I worked in the hospital day surgery unit, we had a LARGE percentage of “language impaired” immigrants, mostly Mexican, but some Russian and Asian. It really made our work very difficult because we could not streamline the patient admission process like we normally would, since a translator had to be called in for every single patient. Someone has to pay the translators’ salaries; guess who? It really made the job very stressful. I felt like I wasn’t even living in my own country anymore!

    Since moving to Israel and struggling with the language myself, I don’t feel I can condemn new American immigrants who don’t know English. Then again, no one is paying translators to come to our bedside in the hospitals here!! Either the staff already speaks English (because that’s considered a very desireable skill) or else you are on your own and tough tooties if you don’t understand something. The other distinction I want to make is that while we should cut some slack to new immigrants, it’s fair to expect oldtimers to learn the language. Many of the folks I met had been in the country for 10 to 20 years and still couldn’t answer simple questions! That’s not okay.

    Comment by batyah — 05.31.07 @ 3:08 pm

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35. And another story –

    My sister is a school teacher. She left southern California because she could no longer find a teaching job because she did not speak Spanish. She moved to Georgia. Guess what? Still can’t get a teaching job because she has no Spanish. All the new teachers being hired need to speak Spanish.

    As a teenager my family moved to Georgia just outside of Atlanta. The poultry plants were the place where kids could get summer employment. Nothing made you crack the books harder than spending a summer in a poultry plant. (You also didn’t eat chicken again). The permanent workforce consisted of a lot of high school drop outs or other unskilled labor, both blacks and whites. It was a pretty good job under the circumstances.

    Now the poultry plants in north Georgia are staffed almost exclusively with Mexicans. As a little Yankee girl moving to the south I was called a “ferner” by the “redneck” sitting in the back row. (She dropped out of school a couple of years later and it was understood she was working over at the chicken plant).

    I wonder what she did when all of those illegal “ferners” moved in and took her job.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 3:10 pm

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36. Again, I live in Northern Virginia. I moved to a beautiful new development over five years ago. During the last five years the illegal population in my county soared. So has the crime rate. When I first moved into the area I needed my car serviced. I dropped it off at the dealer in the morning and did my morning exercise by walking the 3 miles back to my house. After 5 years of reading the crime report in the local newspaper and noticing the reported incidents on the highway outside my neighborhood, I would never walk those 3 miles back to my house. It isn’t safe.

    Previously, I stopped at the 7/11 2 miles from my home for morning coffee. Not any more. Slowly over 5 years time the 7/11 parking lots and surrounding businesses have become the pick up spot for day laborers. As the numbers of men increased, the discomfort level grew. All the leering and comments made me very uncomfortable. It also appears that many are drinking.

    While waiting for the traffic light one day I counted the number just hanging around — I stopped at over 150. Turned the corner and 1/2 mile later at the next 7/11 there were another 100 or so just hanging around. The picture you posted is what one can see everyday at this location.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 3:27 pm

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37. Press One for English…

    When does ones’ patience run out? As the guy in a comment said on LaShawn Barber’s blog, “why should I have to press “1” for English?”

    Trackback by Tidbits And Treasures — 05.31.07 @ 3:28 pm

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38. I am tired of the “attitude” that comes from these illegal immigrants. The ones in the service industry are rude and act as if we are bothering them when approached. I do try to be kind to these people, but my patience is being tried to the extreme and is waning thin. I can only imagine their attitudes once they are given AMNESTY. They’re already arrogant enough. God help us!

    Comment by disgruntledperson — 05.31.07 @ 3:32 pm

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39. We the people are living some real life serious examples here. Three weeks ago at the airport I asked an airport employee where the AirTran ticket check in was, I barely finished my sentence before hearing curtly “Sorri no speecka Ingles!” I then began to explain to her (in Spanish) that she needs to at least try to listen and understand before dismissing me it is the only way she will learn. Lights on no one home came to mind at that point.

    No problem on my way I went when I reached TSA the woman who checked my ID spoke English well, although with an accent. Upon seeing my name she began to speak to me in Spanish where I in turn would respond to her in English. This is where she turned her head to the side and looked at me in very condescending tone and said “Oh you’re one of those.” Trying to get me to feel as if I’m some type of sellout. Regardless of her ignorance, while I was sitting at the gate waiting for my flight I remembered while I was growing up how the older generations would smile with pride how the next generations were speaking English.

    It’s fine to pass on customs and traditions to ones children, however this is what we the people are dealing with after many many years of having so much pride in where one came from that at this point there is no allegiance to the USA. In my opinion it’s gone way overboard.

    Comment by Jose — 05.31.07 @ 3:37 pm

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40. Some of these illegal immigrant men have no shame. Like “Changed Life” stated, the leering is reprehensible. Most people when you drive by smile and look away when driving by. These men stare you in the eye without smiling as if it is some sort of intimidation tactic they learned in “Illegal Aliens 101″.

    Comment by disgruntledperson — 05.31.07 @ 3:38 pm

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41. If I hear the euphemism, “undocumented worker”, one more time I think I’ll have to duct tape my head to keep it from exploding.

    All of these illegal aliens have documents - they are “Documented Workers”. It is just that their documents are frauds and forgeries.

    Even when the government knows that a worker has a fraudulent social security number, they won’t act - not even to inform the employer! This really gives me confidence that all we need is this bill to pass and our borders will, at last, become secure.

    Comment by Douglas Rife — 05.31.07 @ 3:41 pm

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42. I live in Chicago, so I have about a million stories. But one of the biggest things that concerns me is the healthcare issue. I sent La Shawn an article from the Tribune a while back that talked about 12 illegal immigrants in a Cook County funded hospital that were costing the tax payers millions of dollars per year. The administrator wanted to send them back to their respective countries. And the outcry! My word! Xenophobe! Racist! He should be fired! I guess if you’re here illegally, healthcare is a right.

    Comment by MR — 05.31.07 @ 4:24 pm

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43. Okay, here is another story. Again, I move to a new development five years ago. Since that time what I now call “Little Mexico, Virginia” has sprouted up in the neighborhoods bordering mine. What previously could be described as a typical blue collar, working class neighborhood is now heavily hispanic. What was once a nice pretty neighborhood now looks two steps away from a slum.

    Earlier this year I have the flu and go to the local CVS. It has been several months since I’ve been in the drug store. I need to buy some cold medicine. I start walking across the front of the store looking down the aisles to find the right aisle. I don’t feel well. Actually, I feel terrible and should be in bed but I need cough drops and Nyquil and tissue. I look down the aisle, don’t see the sign I am looking for and walk to the next aisle. I start to feel confused. Maybe it is the fever, maybe it is the sore muscles, or maybe it is the fact that ALL THIS SIGNS ARE IN SPANISH…. NO ENGLISH. NOT ON THE SIGNS HANGING FROM THE CEILING, NOT ON THE SIGNS CONNECTED TO THE SHELVES POINTING THE WAY.

    I have to walk up and down each aisle, looking up and down each shelf until I find the items I need. Ooops — the packages are in spanish too. I have to find what I want my recognizing by the unique packaging and not the words on the labels or box.

    I am sick, I am running a fever, and I start to wonder where am I. Am I still home asleep in bed and just having a nightmare that I have gone to the drug store? Have I been abducted by Martians and they returned me to the wrong place? Nope, I am in the drug store 1 mile from my home in Northern Virginia. Instead aliens, ILLEGAL aliens, have abducted my neighborhood.

    I complain to the woman at the counter — she tells me that the store is trying to make it easy for their Spanish speaking customers. I tell her this is still the United States of America and English is the language spoken here. That I will not be back to this CVS.

    During the 5 years I have lived in this area the local grocery store has changed. You can’t go into the store without manuevering around at least a dozen pregnant hispanic women. I dare say that half of the hispanic woman I see in my area are pregnant or have a small baby with them. None are speaking English. They are rude. They do not wait in line.

    It never fails, whenever I am standing in a customer service line, some hispanic person with little or no English skills will cut to the front and start asking questions or expect to be waited immediately.

    These are the numbers

    Population of Mexico — 110,000,000

    Estimated number of ILLEGALS in the U.S. — 12 million, 20 million, 30 million –depends on who you ask.

    Estimated number of ILLEGALS from Mexico - 50% to 75% — again, depends on who you ask

    Result — 6% to 20% of the population of MEXICO is ILLEGALLY residing in the US.

    The shameful “shamesty” bill Congress wants to force on U.S. citizens would allow these millions and millions to chain migrate their families here. If 1986 numbers end up being the norm we could have anywhere between 18 million to 90 million Mexicans moving into the US. — 25% to 82% of the population of another country INVADING the United States. These are not educated, skilled workers. The high school drop out rate for hispanic immigrants is approximately 60%. This isn’t the drop out rate for recent immigrants, this is the drop out rate seen in the long established hispanic communities.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 4:27 pm

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44. MR — think about all the healthcare the US taxpayers could give to U.S. citizens and LEGAL residents, if our hospitals were not flooded with the illegals.

    Another story, I am visiting my mother in north Georgia. My aunt is visiting from another state. She steps on a nail, calls her doctor back home who tells her she needs a tetanas shot as it has been too many years since the last one. Off to the minor emergency care facility we go. WE called ahead and were told the wait there for the shot would be at least 5 hours and are directed to a minor emergency care facility next door, where the wait is only 3 hours. We are the only English speaking persons in the waiting room. My aunt wants to give her insurance card to the woman at the desk. The woman tells my aunt that she is the first insured person she has waited on in over a year. As I sit there for three hours I watch. No one else paid for the medical services they received. Not one. All are hispanic immigrants, if anyone speaks English it is very limited. The interpreter is the busiest person in the place.

    Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas reported that last year they incurred $70 million of expense associated with the delivery of babies to ILLEGAL immigrants. $35 million was paid for by U.S. taxpayers and the other $35 million was paid for by various local charities and endowments. I believe the number was 14,000 babies born to the “undocumented” female. $70 million dollars would go a long way to helping the poor U.S. citizens in need of medical care.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 4:43 pm

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45. I’m wondering why everyone keeps buying the stories about hispanic “family values,” etc. First, let me say that my father was a hispanic immigrant (legal) from south america. He was highly educated, and spoke 5 languages. He raised us bilingually; in fact, my first language was Spanish as a child. We spoke Spanish with him his entire life, a rule he insisted upon so that my sibling and I would be fluent. I lived in South America as a child for several years, and traveled there extensively.

    Bottom line: I know whereof I speak.

    Latin American cultures, as well as many middle easter and african cultures, cotain elements that are anathema to ours. They do not believe in the rights that we take for granted, such as equality for women, and non-discrimination based on invidious reasons, such as race, religion, etc.

    One wonders, for example, if hispanics have such great family values (compared to us, of course) why the illegitimate birth rate for these Catholic countries is so high. And sex with girls is commonplace, wherease it would be viewed as pedophilia, here. An old friend of mine (in this country legally, and now a proud US citizen) was born of a 14 year old girl and a 25 year old man. His older sister was conceived by the same couple. When the girl was 12. His father never married their mother.

    My point is this: look and listen past the hype that both parties are feeding us. Look at the facts, and discuss them. Facts are not “racist.”

    Comment by Kim — 05.31.07 @ 4:43 pm

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46. My parents are buried in a cemetary in Irving, Texas. I no longer visit their graves as often as I would like, because I do not feel safe in the neighborhood. Even in broad daylight! The signs on the businesses are not in English anymore. There is no one around that “looks like me”. When I am stopped at the traffic lights, I must avoid eye contact.

    As far as finding a low-skilled job in the DFW area? If you don’t speak Spanish, forget about it.

    Comment by Rabbit — 05.31.07 @ 4:47 pm

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47. As I stated in my post earlier, welcome to the world of California. We have lived with this situation, that most of you describe, for the last 20-25 years. While most of the country was oblivious to this, we were living it day in and day out. I’m glad you all are experiencing it now. Wait until tax time and you’ll really be hot. California tax payers know what it’s like to foot the bill. If this current immigration bill passes…take out a loan, you’ll need it to pay your federal tax bill….Viva Jorge Bush…and in the words of our great homeland security chief…Mr. Chertnoff…”Ted Kennedy is simply AWESOME”

    Comment by Sparky — 05.31.07 @ 4:51 pm

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48. Rabbit, that’s really sad, but I understand. I spent several years of my childhood in Texas in Abilene and San Angelo. There were always Mexicans there, but I do not recall there ever being a problem. I had Mexican girlfriends and their families really were all good things: hardworking, religious Catholics, very chaste, kindly and generous, with super clean houses, although simple and humble. My sister and I returned recently to visit the old homestead in Abilene and I just started crying. The neighborhood I grew up in had been lower middle class, but tidy with decent, working families; it is now a shambles with litter all over and is completely Mexican and not the kind I remember from my childhood. We were given dirty looks by the new residents and we actually felt frightened.

    I am clearly opposed to this amnesty crap, but on an emotional level, I feel very sad that I once had a positive view of Mexican Americans and now that is changing. What happened?

    Comment by batyah — 05.31.07 @ 4:58 pm

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49. So if you were an employer and had to choice between an unskilled black worker who wanted $10.00 an hour and a unskilled legal Hispanic worker who would gladly except $5.15 and hour , who do you think the employer would choose?

    As an employer (I run a very small cafe in downtown Baltimore), I know who I would have chosen (and did choose) — I chose someone who lives in our neighborhood, has a terrific personality, works hard, and I’m quickly becoming good friends with. Oh — and I pay her $10 an hour, not $5.15. Some employers may see their employees as expenses, I see my employee as an asset.

    It’s a sad day when a business owner chooses the less-expensive illegal alien just to save a few bucks. Personally, I wouldn’t want the hassle with the INS or the fines…it’s not worth it, and it’s just bad business all around.

    Comment by Carol — 05.31.07 @ 5:06 pm

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50. Hey La Shawn,
    Sorta on/off topic (but good to know):

    Drop off in RNC donations…

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070531-050131-2781r.htm

    Comment by Renee — 05.31.07 @ 5:49 pm

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51. I spent the earlier 80’s working in Dallas. I worked on a project that required I travel to Mexico several times a year. I had no problem with the people of Mexico. However, at that time I was told to never take a local taxi. A car and driver were provided to take me where I need to go. The people I dealt with all spoke English except for one banker. At the time I was sufficiently fluent with spoken and written Spanish, so it was okay with me that he conducted our meetings in Spanish. Otherwise, most of the people I dealt with wanted to conduct business in English so they could practice their English. I always had difficulty speaking Spanish because I cannot roll my Rs. My spoken Spanish was actually so terrible that they could understand my English so much better than my mangled, accented Spanish. I made every attempt to operate my business in the region’s language. I tried my best to speak Spanish in the hotels, restaurants, shops and airport.

    My brother, God Bless his soul, loved to travel through rural Mexico. His Spanish was better and he loved to travel by train or bus across northern Mexico. He loved just spending time talking with the people in the local villages. On spring in the early 80’s, I went hiking with my brother in Big Bend National Park. We also entered Mexico ILLEGALLY. There was a guy with a little boat who would take people across the Rio Grande. We then walked about a mile to a little village that was nothing but dirt trails and buildings one step up from shack. The little cantina where we had lunch was cute, but the local bar, with the Playboy centerfold decorations, was a little seedy and I did not feel comfortable being the only woman in the place. The local children sold us the only tourist souveniers they had — rocks. I still have those rocks. I keep them in a box on my home office desk. It keeps a wonderful memory of my now deceased brother alive for me.

    When I lived in Atlanta I shared an apartment with a Cuban woman. My strongest memory from high school is that of my Spanish teacher. Her family escaped Cuba just as Castro took over. They hid their diplomas in their clothing. This was all they managed to get out of Cuba. Her advise to the entire class was “Education is the only thing that can’t be taken from you.” I always thought it funny that this woman with a PHD was teaching spanish to a bunch of north Georgia “rednecks”.

    Now days my Spanish is so much weaker, but I understand enough of Spanish to know what rude things are being said by the men hanging out at the 7/11. Each culture has positive and negative elements. I use to have a very positive perception of hispanic cultures. However, now days all of the negative experiences with the ILLEGALs drowns out most of these thoughts.

    I know that what will be lost is that people such as Jose who posted here will be clumped in with all of the ILLEGALS who do not want to assimilate and demonstrate no sense of being thankful to be in this country. No one forced them to come here. The least they could do is be polite. The least they could do is honor our laws by obeying them.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 5:52 pm

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52. When I worked in the unemployment office, I found that the illegal factory workers were making the same wages as the legal ones–just less than the union members.
    The illegals didn’t come to the unemployment office to get unemployment. They came to the unemployment office to get disqualified so that they would be eligible for welfare.
    Then there was the young man who told me, “I was fired when the boss found out I was an American citizen.” He was, too.
    Employers don’t hire illegals because they cost less per hour. They cost less because the employers don’t have to pay social security (no number) or unemployment taxes, or provide the benefits most of the rest of us, union members or not, have come to expect. The people who are really suffering are the real immigrants, those who have moved heaven and earth to get here legally.

    Comment by Trish — 05.31.07 @ 6:09 pm

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53. Trish, you are so right. And I actually support LEGAL immigration. What I don’t like is why are 6 million to 18 million Mexicans more entitled to be in the US because they only have to STEAL across a river or a border that travel across an ocean? I would love to see more LEGAL immigrants in this country. To be sure a woman escaping Darfur could clean that house just as well as the accidentially hired hispanic girl who did not understand to not drag the turned over vacumn cleaner across the wood floor. And the woman from Darfur actually has a life and death reason for leaving.

    I would be more than happy to see 300 African woman standing around the 7/11 than those 300 hispanic men. — Okay, I might not be racist, but I am very biased for my gender.

    Or more women from Ethiopia. The women from Ethiopia are just so beautiful.

    Comment by Changed Life — 05.31.07 @ 6:23 pm

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54. LaShawn, brand new Rasmussen poll says it all.
    http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/just_16_believe_senate_bill_will_reduce_illegal_immigration

    Comment by dianne — 05.31.07 @ 6:23 pm

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55. Interesting to read all the comments from around the country. I live in Orange County, Ca. and like an above poster have known this was going to be the defining issue of our country 20 years ago. If you lived here you could see it coming.

    I can’t help to think that this is all part of us as a culture reaping the whirlwind and like Buchanann said in his commentary a few days ago, “God is not mocked.” We’re so feckless in our attempts to secure the border and deport law breakers that in 30 years this country will be no better than Brazil.

    Comment by Ross — 05.31.07 @ 6:46 pm

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56. More frustration…

    http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-health31may31,1,1925839.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=2&cset=true

    Comment by suek — 05.31.07 @ 7:11 pm

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57. Last week, my youngest was involved in a hit and run accident by our home. According to her and the folks at the public housing project across the street, the driver appeared to be drunk and simply plowed into her for no explicable reason. As is drearily common in my area, he peeled off.

    This marks the tenth incident that my family has experienced in sixteen months in our largely illegal immigrant enclave.

    My oldest was parked aroung the corner and a driver slammed into her. He tried to flee but was hemmed in. He had no license, no insurance, no nothing, and did not speak a word of English. He was let go. Meanwhile, my daughter, eight months pregnant, went into premature labor and gave birth to her baby in her vehicle a month early.

    Two weeks ago, a car slammed into another daughters’ friend’s car parked out front, bounced off of that one, and slammed into the tree in her front yard, missing her bedroom by a few feet. Drunk, he had no license, no insurance, no nothing, and did not speak a word of English. He, too, tried to flee, but was so disoriented/inebriated that he was not able to join the hit-and-run brigade that is so common in this area.

    When I first came back to the US, I was astounded that anyone would indulge themselves in a hit-and-run. Now, I would be astounded if they stopped and took responsibility.

    I had just been robbed the week before while shopping in the HEB grocery store on the corner. The guy who took my purse was Hispanic, though I would not be able to tell if he was illegal or not.

    Having been around the truly elegant folks from South America and Cuba that three of my children married, I have been unprepared for the illegals in America. To me, the biggest problem is that they come from a very low class of individuals.

    While many of them are hard-working, the truth of the matter is that our area is flooded with women who have four or more children and do not work.

    Further, it is a complete misconception that they do not access welfare because they do in large numbers by virtue of their large numbers of kids. Parkland Memorial hospital now admits that 80% of the births there are among the illegal population and it is worth noting that Parkland delivers more babies than any hospital in the developed world, I believe. The mothers are sent home with bottles, car seats, and all essential equipment paid for by the taxpayers.

    The population is unbelievably obese, even the very young children. While we are constantly told that they are poor, the truth of the matter is that they buy huge quantities of junk food, alcohol, and cigarettes while using lonestarcards (welfare). I know what poverty looks like as I worked with the poor for decades. It looks nothing like what I see here. Most of the children wear jewelry and have electronic gizmos. I can no more imagine my parents forking over for jewelry or toys for their children when they were strapped for cash.

    What I see here is folks relying on handouts so that they can buy fripperies witht heir underground cash.

    It is the children and grandchildren of the illegals that concern me the most. The kids that I see are sullen, rebellious, and dress like tramps. It’s amazing, really. I see pregnant teenagers everywhere. They are not adapting well. All of the policeman I interviewed talked about the rampant vandalism and hostility among this group.

    Their drop-out rate is staggering and the education of those who truly want to learn is sacrificed. We are now focusing all of the grant money in the US on those who are failing in the system and yet, we have been unable to stem the tide.

    I am shocked by the propensity for littering and the lack of respect for the property of others. My office is across the street from the Mexican embassy and rather than seeming grateful for the opportunities here, the ones that I see express anger, use foul language, and flaunt the word “gringo.”

    Sorry for the rant. after the tenth crime, I am feeling a tad sullen myself!

    Comment by jan — 05.31.07 @ 7:23 pm

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58. I think there’s a perception from people on the west coast that the rest of the country had no idea illegal immigration was a problem. My frame of reference is Chicago, but it’s obviously been a problem here for quite some time. Unfortunately we have people in power who think it’s not a big deal to be here illegally and help people steal other people’s identities:
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-munozmay31,1,1713400.story?ctrack=2&cset=true
    (An alderman’s father was arrested in an identity fraud sting. The alderman suggests the feds should focus on “serious” crimes.)

    Last year during the immigrations rallies, about half of my office building left to attend the march, you know, to support immigrants. I don’t understand why LEGAL immigrants weren’t flying off the handle about this. Americans are NOT protesting legal immigrants, but for some reason that gets lost in the translation. (Incidentally, if you’re at these rallies dressed like a terrorist and flying a Mexican flag, you’re not likely to get tons of support.)

    My last comment is that I’ve worked with local police departments and, at least in Illinois, police officers are not allowed to ask about immigration status. There’s some legal liability to that. If someone illegal is arrested for drunk driving (not a felony), they can post an “I-Bond” for about $100 and then agree to the court date. Guess how many people show up? To me, this is another point that flies in the face of the “path to citizenship” arguments. Why do we expect a group of people who have knowingly been breaking the law for years to suddenly comply with these standards? (sorry for how long this is.)

    Comment by MR — 05.31.07 @ 8:08 pm

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59. Los Angeles, Mexico:

    Just basic communication. You know, you take 3 years of high-school Spanish (plus another 2 years of College)…and you consider yourself fluent.

    Forget English, they can’t even speak their own native tongue. Apparently my European Spanish is quite different from the “street” Mestizo Spanish that they all speak. And they aren’t interested in learning.

    Did you know that the Mexican Mayor of Los Angeles doesn’t even know a word of Spanish ?… He has to read it off of cue cards when he gives speeches to his people.

    Comment by Glamchild — 05.31.07 @ 8:34 pm

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60. while you guys are grabbing the low hanging fruit are you aware they are planning to increase the H1-B visa for skilled workers to around 160,000. This will depressed wages for highly skilled educated Americans.

    Comment by Uncle Ruckus — 05.31.07 @ 8:39 pm

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61. >>…they are planning to increase the H1-B visa for skilled workers to around 160,000.>>

    You hit it on the head. Limit the skilled(higher paid) workers who don’t join unions, but might also become Republicans, and bring in all those poor unskilled laborers who join unions and become Democrats(and also keep the yards nice, by the way)

    Comment by suek — 05.31.07 @ 9:03 pm

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62. MR–
    I’m from the same area you are, and am in total agreement.

    Now, think about this:

    If English-speaking Americans go on a short (less than two weeks) vacation to another country, said tourists are considered “ugly Americans” if they do not fluently speak the language and are not 100% conversant with the local customs.

    If someone enters the USA illegally, to live, the people who expect them to speak SOME of the language and have SOME familiarity with local customs are–you guessed it–”ugly Americans.”

    WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

    Comment by Trish — 05.31.07 @ 9:17 pm

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63. Kindergarten’s over now, but it was hard when I couldn’t speak with most of the mothers at the bus stop. Luckily there was one who was fluent in English.

    On Halloween, on the parade through the classrooms, I saw a sign that said “English or Spanish, your choice” in both English and Spanish.

    At pre-kindergarten testing, the woman in front of me was asked if she needed a bilingual assistant. She said, “We are Romanian. We speak English!” There probably wouldn’t have been a Romanian aide anyway. We have a lot of Eastern Europeans, Indians, and Russians in the area. Pretty much all of them speak English.

    The owners of the house next door moved out and into a newer, bigger house a couple miles away. They rented their house to some people who were living across the street. A whole family moved out of a three bedroom single family home into another three bedroom single family home and there’s still at least one whole family in the original one across the street.

    Midway between Chicago and Milwaukee.

    Comment by kimsch — 05.31.07 @ 9:32 pm

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64. One more. My boss was from Germany. He asked many times where was “Press 3 for German?” - He felt that only the Spanish speakers were accommodated by business and government. I know that there are areas that also offer other languages, but it does seem as if Spanish speakers are accommodated over all other languages. Taquieras are everywhere around here too.

    Comment by kimsch — 05.31.07 @ 9:36 pm

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65. Suek and Uncle Ruckus;

    You are right that few have paid attention to the encroachment of high tech workers. While we hear that there are simply not enough workers to fill the high-tech jobs, all of us know of untold numbers of high tech workers that are underemployed. My daughter works at Dell which announced today that they are laying off 10% of their workforce — but meanwhile are importing H1B visas. why? They work for far lower wages. While I do not support protectionism, there has to be a balance between the wages of those who are willing to work for ten kilos of rice a month and thos ewho want to support a family in the US in even a moderate life style.

    Comment by jan — 05.31.07 @ 10:25 pm

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66. Before the invasion, the school administrators always bragged about how many of the students went to Ivy League colleges.

    Now the school administrators brag about how many students go to college at all.

    Before the invasion, there were no security people in the schools. Security was handled by the assistant principals. There were no ESOL classes.

    Now the schools have teams of three to seven security guards, along with numerous ESOL classes.

    Comment by MoCo — 05.31.07 @ 10:41 pm

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67. For whatever it is worth, I have added my voice to the growing rumbling of discontent.

    My liberal Dem senator (lost cause) has heard from me twice in the last week. My laughing-with-Ted-Kennedy RINO Republican senator (idiot) has heard from me twice also. The RNC fundraisers have heard from me in no uncertain terms, stating that I am to be removed from their mailing list immediately. The National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman just got an e-mail from me, explaining that I am to be removed from their mailing list until the Republican Party starts honoring the rule of law and defending our sovereign borders.

    I urge anyone similarly inclined to write, call, e-mail, or visit their elected representatives and personally express the anger so many of us are feeling right now. No elected official enjoys being smacked around, and if millions of us do it, something might possibly change for the better.

    Comment by RedBeard — 06.01.07 @ 7:32 am

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68. Great posts here, I’ll add one. I frequented an Irish bar after work on 2nd Avenue in NYC. Some of the Irish guys had overstayed their visas, but the Mayor had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. They hired Eduardo as a porter, and we got into a discussion on “Cinco de Mayo” about what the holiday meant and he didn’t have a clue. It seems we might have an uneducated underclass of illegal workers that don’t have a knowledge of their own country’s history, let alone ours. We have plenty of native-born ignorant people; why do need to give amnesty to new ones?

    Comment by Tom Bosee — 06.01.07 @ 9:12 am

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69. It’s been referenced before, but here is a website working to defeat the abominable illegal alien amnesty: http://www.grassfire.org

    Sign the petition.

    Comment by RedBeard — 06.01.07 @ 9:42 am

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70. LaShawn, I’m sorry you didn’t turn on the comments for your Bush post. Like you, I also voted for Clinton twice and for Bush twice. I defended Bush against accusations that he is stupid, even though I secretly writhed in agony every time he spoke because I was never sure if he would string a complete, grammatically correct sentence together. When the Libs would go off on his pronunciation of nuclear as “nukyaler,” I’d cringe in agreement, but I’d bite my tongue. All that because I believed he was fighting the world’s evils and I admired him for being a lone cowboy who refused to pander to the UN. I started to get concerned when he began routinely describing Islam as a religion of peace, but that, too, I tried to downplay as just part of the required rhetoric of politicians. This amnesty for illegal Mexican aliens is just too much, however. I can’t ignore his flaws any more. I can’t wait for 2008. Please G-d, let the best man win.

    Comment by batyah — 06.01.07 @ 9:44 am

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71. I find this so frustrating - dippy-dappy ideas like the new legislation will be copied over here in the UK before too long.

    What upsets me so much about it is that we have wanted to emigrate to the US for a good long while now, but we’re law-abiding English people who would like to come and become Americans, and that means it’s pretty much impossible.

    Comment by Libbie — 06.01.07 @ 10:52 am

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72. I was born in Arizona, lived there for eight years and then spent twenty years in California.
    I have lived overseas and had to abide by the laws of the host nation as a command sponsored
    representative of the United States. If my behavior reflected badly on the US or the military, I could be sent home. A few were sent home…the majority was not. I lived the entire length of my husband’s tour in Germany…two plus years.

    I have been discriminated against because I am an
    Anglo. I refuse to use the pejorative ‘gringa’ because it is an insult…along the lines of being referred to as a ‘goyim.’

    I have also seen hard working immigrants come here, abide by the Rules and become hardworking citizens because of the vested time and effort.

    Being an American should mean something. I had to learn to speak German; I see no reason why immigrants have to keep their language. We do business in English and if they can’t cut it, go home.

    Comment by Cricket — 06.01.07 @ 10:53 am

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73. right now, i’m neutral about the proposed immigration bill. on the postive side: we need to know who these people are and to me this is the only way to find out. on the negative side: there will be a huge impact to legalizing 12 million people at one time, whether those people are hispanic, african, russian, etc. (’cause this bill applies to everyone, not just mexicans even though that’s all anyone talks about).

    i lived in a heavily hispanic area for 10 years (i just moved this week). i have no illegal stories because i lived around puerto ricans and dominicans predominately and they HATE mexicans. so, my experiences are primarily with legal hispanics, but the arrogance does not change whether legal or illegal when it comes to speaking english. i refuse to learn spanish in order to communicate with people performing a service. i have been downright rude with people who act like they don’t understand me.

    the real problem (and why i have no sympathy for repubs over this betrayal by bush) is that the loyalty of the republican party is to corporations. when that worked to the advantage of “white, Christian men” (to quote bill o’reilly, ***hole), there were no complaints. it was good for the economy etc. this bill is designed to preserve cheap labor. because in the end it is going to INCREASE illegal immigration by allowing the people already here the ability to operate aboveboard and be able to bring in relatives, etc.

    if you really want to affect this, don’t bother with politicians, they are not driving this. start boycotting the companies who benefit. if michelle malkin can organize a boycott of abc advertisers because of rosie o’donnell’s free speech, then this should easy for you guys to do. if i sound a little sarcastic, i am. you were toold who this man was, you didn’t want to hear it. i guess a blowjob isn’t that important after all, is it?

    Comment by yd — 06.01.07 @ 10:56 am

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74. I couldn’t have said it better, Batyah!!

    Comment by libbygirl — 06.01.07 @ 11:01 am

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75. >>…we need to know who these people are and to me this is the only way to find out.>>

    What makes you think we’re going to find out? Z cards must be given within 24 hours of application. Background checks for _legal_ immigrants presently takes 9 months. Once they have a z card, they don’t have to do anything more.

    Besides, there really isn’t any point in passing a law you aren’t going to enforce. There were enforcement provisions to the ‘85 amnesty bill that have never been upheld. They passed the ok for 700 miles of fence on the border and built 2. What’s the point? Passing this thing just says “ok - whatever” to anybody who wants to come in. How are you going to establish a cut-off date of Jan 1 2007 and prove that Jose _wasn’t_ here before that date?

    Personally, I want the border secured. After that, we can talk.

    Comment by suek — 06.01.07 @ 11:14 am

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76. Batayh…

    Look at the alternatives to Bush. Do you really think Gore or Kerry would have been better on any count? including immigration?

    I’ll defend him on the Iraq War. I understand about the Religion of Peace thing - it would have been foolhardy to jump in with a war against islam as a religion…although it’s certainly escalating to that. I _wouldn’t_ have defended him if he had started out that way - now I would, but I’ve had the time to learn a lot that I didn’t know at the beginning. Some people don’t see it even now.

    There’s more to the immigration thing though - I think he’s been in favor of this North American Alliance deal…he has a blind spot when it comes to Mexicans, no two ways about it. The problem is that when you have a good association with a group of people, you can’t seem to see that the larger group can be a problem. I have the same problem with my husband - he served in Saudi Arabia and had good relationships with the arabs (this was 40 years ago). Now he sees all muslims as good people and says that the Jews got all the good press. We don’t discuss islam or anything related - it gets fractious.

    Comment by suek — 06.01.07 @ 11:23 am

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77. Suek, I definitely do NOT think Gore or Kerry would have been a better alternative! I don’t regret voting for Bush at all, under the circumstances — I only regret that there wasn’t a third, and better, option.

    I’m surprised your husband had a good experience with Arabs in Saudi Arabia. Wow. Most people who go to work over there come back with their eyes wide open. There is a British journalist who converted to Islam, became very devout, and went to work in Saudi Arabia for a year. He was horrified by what he saw — the rampant rape and sexual exploitation of women and children, kidnappings and murders that were not prosecuted, abuse and murder of foreign workers, and blatant racism against black people. He is now writing a book, soon to be published. I’m sorry I can’t remember his name (I’m not good with things like that) but maybe someone here knows who I’m talking about. That might be a good book to get your husband . . .

    Comment by batyah — 06.01.07 @ 11:43 am

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78. I live in Mid-Maryland. Illegals aliens were painting the rowhouse next door. They would arrive in a van with no seats. They sat on the floor of the van. At the end of the day the van would come for them and they would crawl back in. Different workers every day. They would put their belongings and trash on MY roof. They tied a ladder to MY gas meter. The spread paint scrappings on MY stoop. They would sit on MY roof on their breaks. They have absolutely no concept of private property. They figure, if it is there, they are entitled to take it.

    LaShawn, I think you’re terrific. Keep up the excellent work.

    Comment by monticup — 06.01.07 @ 11:45 am

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79. Cricket, periodically I am called upon to address the “goyim” thing. Please understand that “goyim” is a legitimate Hebrew word which literally means “the nations.” A more common translation is “gentile.” We use it regularly and it appears in the Torah, as there is no other word for non-Jew in Hebrew. It is not a perjorative term, though there are certainly some Jews who use it in that way, just as some people may say “blacks” with a sneering tone of voice, but that doesn’t mean that “black” is a perjorative term either. Be aware that “goyim” is not in the same class as “spic” “nigger” “kike” or any other word that has NO OTHER MEANING except the derogatory.

    Comment by batyah — 06.01.07 @ 11:47 am

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80. It is important to note that a lot of the problems with the illegals has to do with poverty. I am not by any means saying that it is our job to solve but that the attitudes of those in poverty. (Not from situations, but raised in generations of poverty) Have a mindset that is different from your average middle class person.

    I advocate people read the book Framework for Understanding Poverty by Dr. Ruby Payne. I am not a spokesperson for her but she has points that are valid. I see many things that she talks about first had working in an urban government school.

    Comment by Heather in MD — 06.01.07 @ 11:49 am

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81. I wrote to Bush the first summer he was in office, expressing my opposition to what he was trying to get done with his first boss, Vicente Fox. Much to my surprise, I got a letter back from the White House assuring me that Bush was NOT in favor of illegal immigration.

    At first, I thought this was just, as they say in Texas, “pissing in their face and telling them it’s raining.” Now I realize that they were being perfectly serious, except that they would deal with the illegality aspect by just declaring that there is no longer any such thing as an illegal alien.

    Comment by Gary — 06.01.07 @ 11:51 am

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82. Batyah, I love Yiddish. It’s so expressive in so many ways, with no real direct translation. For example, I’ve been schlepping boxes around our warehouse this morning. English has no word to correspond to that. Of course, to the uninitiated, this can be a problem; first time someone called me a mensch, I thought I had been insulted.

    As for Mr. Bush’s dual brains, one dead right about foreign policy and one dead wrong about domestic policy, how can we possibly explain it? Makes no sense at all.

    Comment by RedBeard — 06.01.07 @ 12:01 pm

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83. I have more than a few experiences, and ALL of them are negative. Perhaps the most telling regarding the cultural values of illegals happened about a year ago.

    In Texas, almost every person employed in residential contsruction is non-english speaking. And I would estimate that over 90% of them are illegal.

    A new house was going up on the empty lot next door to us. We have a fenced yard which our dogs enjoyed. Our 10 year old English Mastiff was fond of laying by the wrought iron fench and watching the activity.

    One day Lucy comes to the door soaking wet. Someone had urinated on her. Looking out the window, we noticed a group of “laborers” enjoying a hearty laugh.

    Complaining to the builder did no good. The same crew was back the next day. Although I do not speak Spanish, I walked over and delivered a verbal message I am certain they understood.

    This unfortunately is not unusual. The only case of rape we have had in our neighborhood occurred last year and the criminal was here illegally.

    We are a nation of laws, and one of the reasons we are where we are today as a country is that most people are law abiding citizens. This immigration bill invites those to become citizens who have no respect for our laws or our values. Bush has it dead wrong - it is the people who care about the US that OPPOSE the shamnesty plan.

    Jim M.

    Comment by Jim Manion. — 06.01.07 @ 12:04 pm

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84. My first paragraph was poorly written. What I was attempting to say was that people in generational poverty have a different mind set and values from the middle class. The mexicans you see not only have that issue but also cultural issues. Americans social interactions and concept of space and privacy are different from some others. For example the way lower class blacks see speaking correct English as selling out and lower class Mexicans see speaking any English as selling out.

    Also, as someone else stated, they started their American journey as law breakers and then are able to freely walk around with out fear, why should they not be arrogant, our governments have allowed it.

    Comment by Heather in MD — 06.01.07 @ 12:04 pm

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85. This bill is the biggest piece of garbage ever created.It is so full of loop holes and exceptions it’s pathetic.It seems the only people that were not consulted in this backroom deal were the American people.The various social ethnic groups such as LARAZA ,LULAC and Corporate America were consulted just not the American people.

    I am really getiing tired of the media making it out like all Democrats support this garbage.I am a registered Democrat all be it a conservative one and I have yet to meet a Democrat or Republ