Immigration

[CJTurtle]

Question

I have been sitting here reading all the responses of everyone on here.
I do have this question. Here's the question....... If these immigrants are coming over to be proud Americans, why is their flag held up over the American Flag?

Just recently they had problems here in Colorado.

What is to become of our futures? Overcrowded lands, its bad enough that I see mountains being build on and all natural resources are turning into townhomes, in which I know I can't afford. What's next?

[chazziff]

Maybe I should try to legalize my wife in Canada then? We've been happily married for 11 years.

In the US it isn't so easy... I'm at $40K in legal fees over the past 7 years, looking at another $10K in legal fees (not to mention the thousands in filing fees for various documents and motions) and my wife entered the country legally!

Our problem? Four years after filing for Long Term Permanent Resident status (have to be LPR for 5 years in order to be able to even begin the application process for US citizenship) it was discovered that Immigration had lost our paper file. She was in their computer system with an A number, but there was no paper to support the entry. To "get rid of the problem" they issued an illegal deportation order (didn't follow any of their own rules). The deportation order is for overstaying her visa (completely ignoring our marriage and timely filing of the appropriate papers which they lost).

This will all be over for us in 5 weeks, one way or another. If she is deported she may not return for 10 years. If one of the new proposed versions of the bills before Congress go through before this next round of legal appeals and we lose she will -never- be able to return.

During our battle with them, Immigration has ignored repeated FOIA requests both from myself (US citizen), from attorneys, and from US Senators. Decisions are at the discretion of individual Immigration officers who can choose to do whatever they want to. Immigration has their own courts, their own interpretation of laws (both civil and criminal), and their own police force.

In the US the only people who get deported, it seems, are the ones that try to get themselves legal.

For the friends of Migiziwoman (and anyone else even considering applying for immigration to the US) - GET A LAWYER. Do not go anywhere near Immigration officials without your lawyer. Even it means frybread and beans for the next 10 years to pay for the lawyer, it's worth every penny.

~b2w
good thing I like frybread and beans

holy shyt .. too rugged .. they lost her paperwork? see this world does have more than enough of its share of dumbazzez .. lol.

as for my partner immigrating into canada he is a landed immigrant as of now and will be until 2010 and then he has the option of applying for canadian citizenship - and as i stated previously, he is unsure if he even wants to apply for it. if he doesnt he stays a landed immigrant and still is able to work/live here legally.

the whole process for us took maybe a year and a half - with office interviews in saskatoon (where and how did you meet? what did you do on your first date?) and around $3000 in fees (mostly money orders for state bureau of investigation criminal record checks for each state he worked/lived in ... he thought we were good but he did forget that he worked with "the american indian dance theatre" (who forgets something like that?!?) and they were based in new york state at that time and he had to scramble to get a check from there in time ...). and fees to the federal govt ... for various visitors visas and work visas at $75+ for a three month visa.

i hope everything works out for ya ... and FYI during the last fed election there was talk of eliminating ALL fees for immigration into canada ..

[msanchezjr]

ndn country

as a cali. native, i have seen first hand the droves of people coming to california for the work and of course the services. but i noticed this happening when i was in grade school 1969 and nothing was beeing done about it then.it was hard to understand the teachers frustrations becuse they didn't speak the language of the students.you know my gradmother was beaten for speaking her own tounge. she was told as a child to speak spanish then told to speak english. sorry this makes me cry.you know our people had a treaty with the u.s. 1851 but in time with some help from a little thing called corruption! we as a tribe "lost our land" we can not even go to the cemetary with out permission.no education no health care no food no housing just a big get off "MY LAND"!!!! this is just a small piece of my history. I have no problem with a man or woman trying to beter them selfs just please! do it the right way.I was taught by my gramms.that ndn people are caring,forgiving,spirtual and loving people thats all i have to say. hoka all my relations

[GB_Huney]

hmmm...this seems tricky. Both sides of the argument are clearly shown and both sides have really good points. I can feel the frustration and anger from everyone who posted here. I think that everyone is entitled to thier own opinion and I think there are many different perspectives on why or why not illegal immigrants should be here.

I think that to each his own, but as human beings most illegals here are trying to make a life for themselves. I do know some good people and bad people. The people who are making and effort and keeping their nose clean should be granted amnesty. They should be given the opportunity to become a permanent resident and eventually a citizen. To those illegals who are here and deliberately causing trouble I think should be deported back to wherever the are originally from.

I think that when we look at this issue we are lumping good and bad people into one group and not looking at them as individuals. I will reiterate once again that this issue is very sensitive. The saying that one bad egg spoils the bunch can be applied to this situation. I am dating a hispanic and before him I thought that all Mexicans were ignorant and horny. I didn't even want to give him a chance when we first met; however, after really talking and getting to know him I found that this stereotype and generalization didn't apply to him (plus some Indians I know and trusted put in a good word for him). Since then I have met alot of hispanics that are very good people who deserve to enjoy thier lives here in America.

I guess that we just can't look at one person and totally generalize what that population of people will be. I know from first hand experience that it is hard to break down those stereotypes, but once you do it is worth it.

[between2worlds]

we went through the legal canadian immigration route about four years of being together and now he is legal

it took over $3000.00 altogether in fees

Maybe I should try to legalize my wife in Canada then? We've been happily married for 11 years.

In the US it isn't so easy... I'm at $40K in legal fees over the past 7 years, looking at another $10K in legal fees (not to mention the thousands in filing fees for various documents and motions) and my wife entered the country legally!

Our problem? Four years after filing for Long Term Permanent Resident status (have to be LPR for 5 years in order to be able to even begin the application process for US citizenship) it was discovered that Immigration had lost our paper file. She was in their computer system with an A number, but there was no paper to support the entry. To "get rid of the problem" they issued an illegal deportation order (didn't follow any of their own rules). The deportation order is for overstaying her visa (completely ignoring our marriage and timely filing of the appropriate papers which they lost).

This will all be over for us in 5 weeks, one way or another. If she is deported she may not return for 10 years. If one of the new proposed versions of the bills before Congress go through before this next round of legal appeals and we lose she will -never- be able to return.

During our battle with them, Immigration has ignored repeated FOIA requests both from myself (US citizen), from attorneys, and from US Senators. Decisions are at the discretion of individual Immigration officers who can choose to do whatever they want to. Immigration has their own courts, their own interpretation of laws (both civil and criminal), and their own police force.

In the US the only people who get deported, it seems, are the ones that try to get themselves legal.

For the friends of Migiziwoman (and anyone else even considering applying for immigration to the US) - GET A LAWYER. Do not go anywhere near Immigration officials without your lawyer. Even it means frybread and beans for the next 10 years to pay for the lawyer, it's worth every penny.

~b2w
good thing I like frybread and beans

[chazziff]

just wanted to share a friends story. he met this girl, she was from mexico, here illeagely. they fell in love got married and now have two kids. they have a hard time because she can not get a good job, and when she is treated unfairly there is nothing she can do. they are so tied up in paperwork there is really no immediate threat of her being sent back, but if she does get sent back it will take years and years to get back in with papers. what will happen that family? she has been here almost 10 years without papers. i am sorry but that pisses me off!

ooh boo hoo ..

i fell in love with an illegal immigrant from the united states and we went through the legal canadian immigration route about four years of being together and now he is legal - works pays taxes and pays for his health care through private insurance and pays into canadian pension plan/employment insurance and a private pension plan ... been together almost 14 years and have 4 children. and it took over $3000.00 altogether in fees (money that we saved up by the way cuz be couldnt work, through pow wows - gotta love winnin schemitzun drum contest - paid for his fees .. lol) and a novel of paperwork but we did it.

go get legal or get out ... sorry for being soo mean soundin but its my two cents and i'll spend it however i choose

[minne-wheats]

That's really sad about what happened to Grey Horse's leadsinger. I always wondered what happened to them.

I agree with Migiziwomen, that they should at least learn English before moving here, or at least take classes or something. I mean, if I went to a different language speaking country, I would NOT expect them to know English for me. I would take the time to learn that language, and be on my way.

[little bird]

Wow Windrider! That was a pretty powerful comeback! But true....

[windrider]

most people come here and work for companies with false papers taxes are taken out for wages but can't be claim ed or ever get socail security so thank a mexican if you get to draw social security when your old and a lot of you are seeming a little white with your sense of entitlement

You dont know what the hell you are running off at the mouth about.I have been working since I was 10 yrs old and am now 50.When I draw ss I dont have to thank anyone except myself.I have worked my *** off and paid my dues...so ss is MY due payment for the years of MY LEGAL TOIL!!!

Everything I have in my life is paid for with my blood and sweat......except for land...because one cannot own the land...it owns us.....


you better back the truck up and think about what you said....
I am a tomato...red thru and thru....and I have served beside my American Brothers of all colors to preserve the rights that American citizens enjoy and will do so again if need be.We as natives will not get back what was lost or stolen or destroyed by whining,but by standing up and being counted and heard.We have made great strides since the 60s to bring about the change that we are experiencing now.And now you wanna give justification to illegal immigrants because you got a beef against the white man!!!! ALL AMERICANS HAD BETTER WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE....FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!!!

[Migiziwomen]

just wanted to share a friends story. he met this girl, she was from mexico, here illeagely. they fell in love got married and now have two kids. they have a hard time because she can not get a good job, and when she is treated unfairly there is nothing she can do. they are so tied up in paperwork there is really no immediate threat of her being sent back, but if she does get sent back it will take years and years to get back in with papers. what will happen that family? she has been here almost 10 years without papers. i am sorry but that pisses me off!

[little bird]

Posted with Permission From Annie Fawn

This is really good...check this out!

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/australia.asp

[chickendad]

most people come here and work for companies with false papers taxes are taken out for wages but can't be claim ed or ever get socail security so thank a mexican if you get to draw social security when your old and a lot of you are seeming a little white with your sense of entitlement

Not all you say is completely correct. Most illegals are paid under the table in cash. This allows the greedy business owners to pocket more money for themselves. Some illegals get false paperwork and do pay into Social Security. Some illegals do collect Social Security and are on Medicare with their false paperwork, and like others in our society, alot are faking it to get this money. Some illegals have either gone back or been forced to go back, and President Fox of Mexico has had talks with President Bush to try to get Social Security for those who now live in Mexico. I feel their reward for the time they were here illegally is the pay they received while here. They knew that they would pay into our systems when they came here illegally if they were not paid in cash. That's the chance they took. Gas in Mexico is cheaper than here. Mexicans receive some food each month from the government. They need to work and vote in their countries system to better themselves. We have enough greed here that is driving up the cost of everything. We have enough people here already that drives up these cost. Schools are being over crowded. Cost of medical care is being over burdened from both the illegals and those who can't afford insurance. And again, as for Virginia, our prison systems are seeing a large influx of illegals who have committed serious crimes that they have to pay for by serving jail time. It cost about $30,000 to take care of an inmate, which is more than I get paid a year. We need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others.

[Migiziwomen]

i have thought about this issue and my stance is still the same. if you move to this or any country you should learn the language and culture. keep yours hold it safe to your heart pass it on. we were not given the choice so the two situations can not be compared. we did not go to another country they came to us raped us killed us stole, degraded, and ripped us from our family. our language was nearly destroyed. some languages are gone some are struggling to come back. i would not encourage anyone to teach thier child to only speak ojibway and not learn english that would be stupid. saying that you need to learn english in order to become a full citizen is not the same as what we went through. having immigrants learn english will not harm our funding, we are trying to preserve what was stolen, they are trying to forge a new life, we are trying to get ours back. i feel like i am going in circles cause i am running out of time, but wanted to say that i have thought this through, and immigrants should learn english. TWO WORLDS one foot in each that is how we will make this nation great.

Think about it! Natives were here and white (yellow,black, purple etc..) people came from somewhere else... hence the 99% immigrants... and also cuz ndnz only make up .08% of the total US population.

I also don't agree with the make everyone learn English! They did that to us and what good came out of it. A lot of us are just 'lost' and don't know what it means to be ndn and don't know which side to take on an issue. haha *jab, jab*

Besides, a stupid ignorant law that forces people to learn a certain language, may take the funding away for tribal peoples to finance their language preservation programs. Think about everything involving an issue before you decide your stance.

[Migiziwomen]

okay i remember that story, but he was not a kid he was an adult man and he was offered jobs and everything, the story kinda died out so i do not know what the outcome was but last i heard he was getting ready to go to school and was offered a good job. bullsh*t, if an american man was camping out in a highschool he would be in jail not in college.

I dont know if anyone had heard about this, but there was a mexican kid, who was living in a high school in Apple Valley, MN. He was not legal, and I guess he became good friends with the kids at the school. Everyone though he was a normal student. Well anyway, he got busted, got deported, and all his homies were all sad and upset that they would do that. WTF.

He plans on coming back this summer, as a legal citizen this time. He shoulda did that the first time. I just thought it was funny.

[Migiziwomen]

omg do i know what you are talking about. that tax thing applies to any immigrant that starts a buiss. also ain't that the sh*t! and let me tell you this that with the simali women they are so mean and they spend alot of time fighting with eachother. i have a really great dear friend that is simali and i will tell you she feels the same way. i do not have a problem with legal immigration, but please learn the language and intigrate (sp) into this country that you claim you want to be a part of. keep your language just learn this one as well. as my elders have said we have to walk in two worlds, i think that applies to everyone. i love diversity, i love to learn of other cultures, but as was stated how many do you think would fight as a US soldier if it was against thier other home country, the one they abandoned. i struggle i work my *** off, i drive a beater car, my kids have less then i would want for them, although they are rich in love and culture. well i am just rambling so i am out

Around Minneapolis, there are ALOT of Somali immigrants. They get to live TAX FREE for 7 years. They get all these nice cars, nice houses in nice parts of the city, and they want more, more, more. They are on welfare, and always want more. I dont get how they get everything they want, when already born americans have to work hard to keep food on the tables, roofs over our heads and clothes on out backs. Plus they drive like theyre still in Africa, (like****) dont mean to sound racist, but with them, sometimes I am.

Especially with Natives. I know some tribes have a pretty sweet per cap. But some dont.<--but all that is a different topic.)