DFLers soft on illegal immigrants
Post-Bulletin - Tue, Aug 1, 2006
I have read numerous letters in the Post-Bulletin defending the positions taken by our DFL legislators Andy Welti and Tina Liebling regarding illegal immigration.
Welti and Liebling have voted to give illegal aliens in-state tuition at Minnesota colleges. They have blocked attempts to require photo ID proof of citizenship when voting. They and their DFL caucus have prohibited police from inquiring about citizenship status. In each case, their arguments boil down to this:
“They’re here. Let’s give them benefits.”
Advocates of this position think illegal immigrants, and Hispanics in particular, should be able to take from society without society asking anything in return. This is a patronizing view that implicitly assumes Hispanics are incapable of performing the basic things we ask of citizens. Learn English? Understand U.S. civics and government? Pay taxes? According to Welti and Liebling, those things are all too difficult for Hispanic immigrants to do.
My parents were immigrants from South America, and one thing I learned very early was that for immigrants and their children there are two paths. One is to work twice as hard as native citizens. The other is to listen to the likes of Welti and Liebling, and think that the rules don’t apply to you because you’re too helpless. No matter how well intentioned Welti and Liebling claim to be, their permissive attitude toward illegal immigration is patronizing to all Hispanics and destructive to the people they claim to serve.
P. A.
Rochester
Immigration today far more complex issue
Post Bulletin - Sat, May 20, 2006
Comment on this story Illegal immigration is one of our most pressing problems, and people like Paul Moore who trivialize it need to take responsibility for making the situation worse.
In his letter, Moore states that we need immigrants to fill jobs no one else wants. What we really need is to put unemployed Americans in those jobs. Cutting the social welfare benefits of people who aren’t contributing to society would quickly make those jobs much more appealing.
Moore points to the fact that 66 percent of illegal aliens pay Social Security taxes. With a looming funding crisis for Social Security, we won’t be able to continue sending seniors their checks if 34 percent of the work force evades their taxes.
The 1986 Immigration Reform Act was a compromise — amnesty for illegal immigrants in exchange for laws to stop companies from hiring new illegal immigrants. It’s clear that all we got was the amnesty, and any amnesty compromise today would have the same results.
Everyone in this country is an immigrant, or descended from immigrants. However, the need for immigration when the country was largely unsettled is different from today when the country is fully populated. We can choose any immigrants we need instead of letting just anyone wander in.
It’s time to build a fence, and aggressively deport immigrants who commit a crime by coming here illegally.
M. T.
Rochester
I’m deeply bothered by all the illegal migrants in this wonderful country of ours. They take our jobs, tax our social services and our schools, and they don’t want to obey our laws. Who knows how many illegals work here.
I have one thing to say: Let the immigrant community complain all they want. If they don’t like it they can go back where they are from. In my book, illegal immigration is just as great a threat as terrorism.
Wake up, America, before it’s too late.
D. O.
Rochester
No room for divided allegiance
Post Bulletin 2006
Listen to the words of President Theodore Roosevelt: “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here is good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American.
“There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is the loyalty to the American people.” (Jan. 3, 1919)
H. K.
Rochester
Immigration policy is too costly
Tue, Apr 11, 2006
Most of us can understand tMexico can correct immigration
Fri, Apr 7, 2006he yearning for a better life, but last year a single California county spent over $350 million for health care benefits to undocumented workers, and it is estimated that the total national expenditure on illegal students in grades K-12 is $7.4 billion.
Our borders are poorly guarded, and our immigration policies reek of bureaucracy, but we don’t want to offend anyone (especially non-Christians) so we’ll keep on paying, and some will believe the Post-Bulletin when they keep telling us over and over that diversity is our strength.
R. T.
Rochester
Mexico can correct immigration
Fri, Apr 7, 2006
We have a major invasion of illegal aliens going on which most politicians ignore at the pleading of special-interest groups like greedy businessmen, drug smugglers and leftists. Please notice that these are not undocumented immigrants. You can’t be an immigrant and not be documented.
We finally have two local politicians who have enough backbone to take action against illegal aliens by proposing to deny them some taxpayer support for their law breaking. Congratulations, Fran Bradley and Tom Emmer, for having the spine to try to do what is right! Now if all state and federal politicians would start acting like law supporters instead of law breakers, Fran and Tom would have a lot of company.
Every religious person who feels sorry for illegal aliens would be advised to protest with Vicente Fox that his country needs to treat its citizens with charity and give them the opportunity to succeed in Mexico. Mexico’s disastrous socialist economy is the driving force behind illegal immigration and they have the power to correct their problem. They have the power to protect their citizens’ human dignity; that is not America’s job or responsibility. America has the right to manage its borders and manage who is invited to become immigrants. Vicente Fox does not have that right.
W. B.
Rochester
Immigration today far more complex issue
Post Bulletin - Sat, May 20, 2006
Comment on this story Illegal immigration is one of our most pressing problems, and people like Paul Moore who trivialize it need to take responsibility for making the situation worse.
In his letter, Moore states that we need immigrants to fill jobs no one else wants. What we really need is to put unemployed Americans in those jobs. Cutting the social welfare benefits of people who aren’t contributing to society would quickly make those jobs much more appealing.
Moore points to the fact that 66 percent of illegal aliens pay Social Security taxes. With a looming funding crisis for Social Security, we won’t be able to continue sending seniors their checks if 34 percent of the work force evades their taxes.
The 1986 Immigration Reform Act was a compromise — amnesty for illegal immigrants in exchange for laws to stop companies from hiring new illegal immigrants. It’s clear that all we got was the amnesty, and any amnesty compromise today would have the same results.
Everyone in this country is an immigrant, or descended from immigrants. However, the need for immigration when the country was largely unsettled is different from today when the country is fully populated. We can choose any immigrants we need instead of letting just anyone wander in.
It’s time to build a fence, and aggressively deport immigrants who commit a crime by coming here illegally.
M. T.
Rochester
Liebling, Welti smokescreens
Wed, Aug 23, 2006
It seems as if both Tina Liebling and Andy Welti are trying to do one thing in St. Paul and say something different back here in Rochester. I refer specifically to an Aug. 9 letter from Andrew Westreich which distorts their stance on illegal immigration.
Contrary to Westreich’s letter, both Liebling and Welti do support giving tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. The bill they support is the “Dream Act.” Although Westreich describes this bill as helping “students gain education,” he deliberately does not mention that its primary beneficiaries are illegal immigrants. Mr. Westreich then tries to put distance between Liebling and Welti and the bill, which is difficult since they are both co-authors of the bill.
Westreich also tries to deny that Liebling and Welti voted to prohibit local police from asking questions about immigration status. This is a deliberate distortion.
Several cities in the metro area already limit police in this way. When House Republicans tried to overturn this practice, Liebling and Welti blocked their efforts. Liebling, Welti and metro-area DFLers amended the bill to state that municipalities should have local control over immigration enforcement, thus negating the whole purpose of the bill. Westreich calls this adding “provisions” to “leave local control intact,” when in fact it was catering to Twin Cities municipalities who don’t want to treat immigration laws as “real” laws.
It is unfortunate that Liebling and Welti are resorting to smokescreens to obscure their records.
J. R.
Rochester