"English-only or even English-first requirements for government miss the point: the government exists to serve the people,..."

Wrong ... the government exists to serve the LEGAL CITIZENS. ... and therein lies a small but very, very important point. The distinction seems to be lost on our elected officials, which I predict, will change drastically come November. As a friend of mine noted "I sure don't relish the thought of $5 a gallon gasoline, but I'd rather pay for it in U.S. Dollars than in Mexican Pesos".

Gotta disagree with you on parts of this...

This nation needs to design a logical immigration policy and enforce it. The first step in doing so is to close the border. The second step is to severly punish companies that hire illegal aliens. The flow of illegal aliens crossing the border has to stop.

I'm no native american, myself. I have nothing against immigration. What these people are doing isn't immigration, it's invasion, and it has to stop.

I'm already pissed. I was mad as hell the first time I saw a Mexican flag flying on our soil. As a citizen of this nation, I will do everything in my power, starting at the ballot box, to protect this country.

A pretty large number of US citizens speak Spanish, and there are some who speak only Creole, or Chinese, or Ameslan, or other languages. While it's not possible to provide government services of every kind in every possible language, it certainly makes sense to provide them in the languages most commonly spoken in the US.

Chris,

I don't think we disagree all that much. Do we have to design a logical immigration policy? Absolutely: the one we have now is insane. Do we have to enforce it? Absolutely, and yes, against not just the individuals coming in illegally, but also against those who knowingly and wilfully violate the law. Right now, that's employers who submit false documentation, for example.

Are we being invaded? Absolutely; that's a point I've made as recently as yesterday, in a comment on Winds of Change. Does that need to stop? Absolutely; I am with you on forced cultural change, attempts to split the SW away from the US, and the flying of non-US flags with precedence given to the non-US flag (except, obviously, at the houses, embassies or other property of citizens of other nations).

That said, our combination of insane immigration policy coupled with non-enforcement is clearly the key enabler for illegal immigration, and needs to be cleaned up. We might disagree on how that needs to be done (I, as an example, would allow almost anyone who's not a terrorist, criminal, prior evictee from the US, or agent of a foreign government to come here and do whatever they want), but I think we disagree on pretty much everything else.

this site is so so so gay on so many levels. you should all get a life or kill yourself! fucking faggots.

HAIL SATAN
AVE SATANAS
HAIL ANTON LEVEY

Sorry, I don't feed the trolls. Particularly not the illiterate, witless, pre-pubescent ones.

My situation is complicated. First off I want the borders closed. I do not have anything against people wanting a better life. That is how most of us came in be a US citizen. Our parents or grandparents came from another country to make a better life. But they did it the LEGAL way. They pay taxes they live buy the rules set up by our country. If there are illegals in this country then they should live by our rules and PAY TAXES!

I want to give you a view from another side of this problem.

First off my daughter, who speaks Spanish thanks to school. She is 18 years old. She fell in love and is now pregnate by an illegal immigrant.

He is here in this country from walking across the desert in Arizona and finding his way to a home in Mesa AZ. Where there are other illegal's from his home town in Mexico. Yes they are illegal and have rented apartments in Mesa Arizona. They sheltered him and protected him until he was able to start working. Bringing other immigrants across the desert from Mexico. To live here illegally in the United States.

I have listened to him tell me about his life in Mexico. I have listened to the hardships that he was forced to suffer while still in Mexico and the hardships he has suffered bringing other illegals here. Which paid him several thousand dollars for helping them get past border patrol and into the U.S.

Now my daughter is pregnate with a child from an illegal immigrant. He will never pay child support! He will never help support that child. Why???? He is here illegaly. He does not pay taxes on anything that he earns. He does not pay into Social Security. He will never be able to be punished in anyway for anything he ever does here in the United States. WHY???

BECAUSE HE IS ILLEGAL !!!!!!!!! There is no way that the US government can hurt him !

He has wrecked a couple of cars and what happened to him? They deported him and he was back across the Arizona border and back into the United States in 3 days time. Taking up his life here where he left off. Helping more illegals get across the desert and into the US. As if nothing happened to him.

I feel sorry for my daughter. She did not know that he was here illegally. But now she does. He says that he will do what he wants when he wants. If they catch him they will only deport him and he will be back here within a week.

I can honestly say that I hate the man. I hate all illegals. They come and go in our country and there is no way to stop them. Something has to be done. I know of several Mexican men who have had sex with MINOR children. They were arrested and deported only to be seen again here in Mesa a short time later. So tell me where does it end? Something has to be done. Our country is going down hill and no one seems to care.

You know what people, ya'll need to stop hating on immigrants...now answer this...if they all leave, who the hell is going to be there to work in the fields..huh whos is gonna be there to harvest your crops, so you can eat..huh!!!! stupid ass people dont even know what the hell you are all talking about... you all talk about how mexicans complain about being in the field and there being more technology, then why the hell arent any of you people working there...someone has to do the job...so stop hating stupid asses!!!!!!

I am assuming, given that your comment was anonymous, that you are uninterested in any actual debate, and won't be coming back to see this. Nonetheless, I think that there's an important point to be made. With the exception of Sharon Jarvis, who has a very personal reason to hate a particular person and who has transferred that to a group of which that person was a part (not admirable, but at least understandable), the only one here expressing any hatred was you. The rest of us are just trying to find a way to deal with illegal immigration (not all immigration, just the illegal immigration).

And as to your question about who would work the fields (or, presumably, build houses or whatever) if there were no more illegal immigrants (I am assuming that you didn't mean to include legal immigrants in the "work the fields" comment, despite your, um, ambiguous language), it's time for a lesson in market economics.

If people were unavailable to work the field for fractions of the minimum wage, the supply of labor would shrink until demand outpaced supply. At that point, two parallel trends would occur: the price of labor would start rising, and the degree of automation and other cost reduction measures in food production would start rising. That's how markets work. It is the availability of a labor pool prepared to be underpaid and otherwise exploited that makes the jobs unattractive to those able to get better conditions and pay in other employment. If the pay and conditions improved, more people would be willing to do the work, resulting in a new equilibrium at a higher labor price.

This is ******** we shouldn't have to close the borders because if we did this would stop the growth of america.**** america if i could i would move back to my homeland Ireland.I mean i have many friends who parents came over here illegally and if they didnt i would never get to meet those great people. So **** all of you who want to close the border!

Well, Trevor, your profanity-laden, emotional, and reason-free rant certainly convinced me. Of something. Probably not what you hoped for, though.

I stumbled upon this website and I am absolutely amazed at the uneducated, profane gibberish that comes out of the mouths of those with an opposing viewpoint. Obviously they have no concept of polite debate. If that is any indication of the type of person that comes here illegally, then I say close the border and keep those profane people out, because they are obviously unfit to lick my boots, much less cut my lawn.

We're all just people trying to get by on dream for a better life.

all you stupid ass white people need to get over the fact that we have illegal immigrants in this country you should be happy to have us here cause if you really need think about it!! its not like you will be out there in the fields when its a hundred degrees out side!!! no you wont so get over it okay you should be happy that were here doing the hard work for your lazy asses that any know how to use a computer and sit in an air conditioned rooms!!you people only have to work an 8-5 job and ur tired you never know the meaning of tired till you work from 5-6 all day in the sun and only have like a 30 min lunch brake sittin in the sun to eat not in an nice air condtioned cubicle!!! you people have it easy!!! so dont be sayin you hate ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!! BECAUSE THEY ARE DOIN THE HARD WORK FOR YOU SO BE HAPPY THEY ARE HERE!!!!

Hmmm....I find it interesting that this country was just fine building our houses, picking fruit in our fields, and scrubbing toilets BEFORE the mass illegal migration began from Latin America. Yes, I think we'll be just fine once we deport you. Get off your high horse illegals.