Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: LePaul on February 09, 2008, 04:33:49 AM
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080208/wl_time/mexicotriestohelpdeportees
Mexico Tries to Help Deportees By IOAN GRILLO/MEXICO CITY
Fri Feb 8, 12:20 PM ET
Carlos Martinez was in a state of total panic after being deported from the United States to the Mexican border city of Matamoros - he had no money, nowhere to go, and, worst of all, he didn't speak Spanish. The 30-year-old New Yorker had left Mexico as a baby; when the Department of Homeland Security sent him south last May after he had served a prison term, he landed in a foreign land.
"I was crying when I went over the border. It was just a big joke to the U.S. immigration officials to have this Mexican who doesn't speak Spanish. But I was terrified," Martinez said.
Eventually, a fellow deportee invited Martinez to his family home in Santa Maria Zoyatla, a dirt-poor village of corn farmers, and they hitchhiked 1,000 miles south from the border. Having worked as a limo driver in New York, Martinez had no idea how to work the land, and after a few months he moved onto a nearby town to sell clothes in a market.
Martinez is one of a rising number of deportees arriving in Mexico with little connection to their ancestral homeland, often penniless and with criminal records. The increase is a result of a U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants. In 2007, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 237,000 migrants, up from 178,000 in 2005 and 155,000 in 2003 - the majority of them Mexicans.
The influx has prompted President Felipe Calderon to announce a new program called "Humane Repatriation," to help reintegrate the deportees into society. The program will organize refuge centers in border cities, transport to hometowns and jobs for the deportees, immigration officials say.
"Some of these people are arriving in Mexico's border cities with nothing but the clothes they have on. Many have no family links, no knowledge of the country. They are very vulnerable," said Rolando Garcia, an immigration official working on the new program. "What we want to do, quite simply, is give them a human reception."
Calderon has been less vocal in taking up immigration issues with Washington than was his predecessor Vicente Fox, who lobbied unsuccessfully for a guest-worker program. Instead, Calderon says he wants to focus on making Mexico more attractive for them to stay. And his Humane Repatriation program has been welcomed by many who work with the deportees in the border cities.
"We definitely need more government co-ordination on this issue," said Blanca Navarrette, who works at the Casa Migrante migrant shelter in Juarez. "The deportees arrive with a lot of difficulties. They don't even have basic Mexican identification."
But some say Calderon's program may be more style than substance. There has been no special budget approved for it in 2008, and few concrete details have been revealed. Furthermore, offering deportees attractive jobs could be wishful thinking in a country where the minimum wage is $5 per day.
(Good! Let them suck down YOUR tax money!)
Rep. Jose Jacques Medina, a leftist Mexican lawmaker who was an immigrant activist in California for more than 30 years, says Calderon should be defending migrants' rights rather than easing their landing after deportation.
"Calderon is very ignorant of the needs of the migrant community," Medina said. "Even the name of this program - repatriation - is considered an ugly word for Latinos in the U.S. It makes them think of the wave of deportations in the Great Depression."
To ease mass unemployment between 1929 and 1937, the U.S. deported hundreds of thousands of Mexicans, including many who had actually been born in the United States, in what was known the Mexican Repatriation. Most eventually headed back up north as jobs returned. Likewise, many of today's deportees plan to head back to the United States, where they have family and are accustomed to earning higher wages.
While some plan to trek or swim back, Martinez is trying to return to the U.S. by fighting his case in the courts. He was actually raised by U.S. citizens on Long Island, but Homeland Security argued he violated his immigration status when he was convicted of child endangerment for going on a date with a teenage girl. He beat the deportation in the first court, but lost on the prosecutor's appeal. While his stay in Mexico has been hard, Martinez says the people have been helpful.
"I've become proud of my country and the way people here lend a hand," Martinez said. "I bet if I were deported to the United States, no one would help me out."
(HA! Like nabbing up foodstamps, social security, endless emergency room visits and the sort isn't what most illegals do??)
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I'm not sure what I think about it. One part wants to feel sympathy for his situation. The other says 'don't let the door hit ya on the way out.'
If an organization wants to create a soft landing for the deportees ~ that's fantastic, as long as it is done with private funding.
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If their country had supported their own people to begin with there wouldn't be this problem. I think it's great they are starting to recognize the problem they helped create. It's just a shame that it took them so long to own up to it. They should have started this over 30 years ago.
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He was brought into the country as a baby, it's not like he chose to come here. Wonder what he did to end up in jail.
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"I've become proud of my country and the way people here lend a hand," Martinez said.
he called mexico "my country", what else is there to say.
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Seems natural that he'd feel bitterness (re: his comment about doubting anyone in the US would lend a hand if the drop-off country were switched) & embrace those who helped him when he needed it.
One thing that I've never seen (doesn't mean it's not out there... I just haven't heard of any demonstration of it) is a partnership between the US and Mexico in the entire "deportation" process.
So we go dump these guys at the border. Then what? They're just as miserable as before & take the next coyote trail back up? If we're just spinning our wheels in dropping these folks off... seems like there has to be a better plan devised. We can always improve the process on our side ~ but unless Mexico steps up & improves on their side, doesn't seem like any situation would be viable.
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Originally posted by Chairboy
He was brought into the country as a baby, it's not like he chose to come here. Wonder what he did to end up in jail.
"He was actually raised by U.S. citizens on Long Island, but Homeland Security argued he violated his immigration status when he was convicted of child endangerment for going on a date with a teenage girl."
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The only real solution is to imprison the employers of illegals.. just take the bird seed out of the bird feeder.
The illegals will either become citizens legally or go home on their own. The problem will be over in.. tops.. 3 years if you put at least 100 or more employers in prison right away.. the first 3 months.
This "poor unfortunate" will not exist. I mean... his situation will no longer exist.. we have encouraged his situation to happen.. his parents made it happen and mexico made it happen.
Time to fix it and stop the suffering.. it is the only humane thing to do.
lazs
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Originally posted by lazs2
The only real solution is to imprison the employers of illegals.. just take the bird seed out of the bird feeder.
The illegals will either become citizens legally or go home on their own. The problem will be over in.. tops.. 3 years if you put at least 100 or more employers in prison right away.. the first 3 months.
This "poor unfortunate" will not exist. I mean... his situation will no longer exist.. we have encouraged his situation to happen.. his parents made it happen and mexico made it happen.
Time to fix it and stop the suffering.. it is the only humane thing to do.
lazs
Word.
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John McCain will fix everything.
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It says he "violated the terms of his immigration" which, to me, means that rules were layed down as far as to what he cannot do and still remain in this country. He probably should have though of that before going after some teenage girl. I have zero sympathy for him as it is his own fault he was deported.
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Up the immigration limit so that those who wish to enter the country can do so legally...BUT...build the security fence some have proposed and increase the number of agents patroling the border by an order of magnitude to help bring the illegal crossings under control.
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Originally posted by C(Sea)Bass
It says he "violated the terms of his immigration" which, to me, means that rules were layed down as far as to what he cannot do and still remain in this country. He probably should have though of that before going after some teenage girl. I have zero sympathy for him as it is his own fault he was deported.
I still feel a little bit bad for him. I don't think that a compassionate "feeling bad" for anyone, though, should ever result in not following through with consequences.
Every single time my boys get into trouble, whether it's by me, the school, parents of friends that they're visiting (or whomever)... I always feel badly for them. I don't ever want to see them in painful situations. But the consequences always have to stand solid ~ they take what they've earned as a result of whatever inappropriate behavior they chose to participate in. Some of that has been painful or worrisome to watch ~ but always resulted in improvement. My kids are still pretty young ~ as they all get into the teen years when I don't 'control' much of what they're doing... I imagine that will get lots worse. I'm getting more gray just thinking about it.
I think that feeling badly for someone but still letting consequences stand is a big difference between conservatives & liberals. I have no respect at all for a group of people who base their actions on feelings instead of brainpower. It's all well & good to 'be nice,' but if you can't back that up with some wisdom, it's all worthless.
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Originally posted by Shuckins
Up the immigration limit so that those who wish to enter the country can do so legally...BUT...build the security fence some have proposed and increase the number of agents patroling the border by an order of magnitude to help bring the illegal crossings under control.
The fence is useless.
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Originally posted by Shuckins
Up the immigration limit so that those who wish to enter the country can do so legally...
that means no limit, what you said was to let anyone enter that wants to.
open borders mean you have no country.
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BOO ****ING HOO! Life is hard after you get kicked out of the country you illegally entered? TOUGH ****.
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Originally posted by culero
The fence is useless.
The fence will become useful when you legalize deadly force to stop those from coming across.
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Stem the tide at its source: apply the laws, jail fraudulent employers. The iceberg goes further down into political corruption.
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Originally posted by lazs2
The only real solution is to imprison the employers of illegals.. just take the bird seed out of the bird feeder.
The illegals will either become citizens legally or go home on their own. The problem will be over in.. tops.. 3 years if you put at least 100 or more employers in prison right away.. the first 3 months.
This "poor unfortunate" will not exist. I mean... his situation will no longer exist.. we have encouraged his situation to happen.. his parents made it happen and mexico made it happen.
Time to fix it and stop the suffering.. it is the only humane thing to do.
lazs
It would be, Lasz, if the jobs' were the only thing they came up for.
However, with the porous security that is used at the Social Security Administration, or the inability of the Dept. of Health and Human services' to do diddly about making sure that anyone applying are actually U.S. cits, or unemployment, or Hospital Emergency rooms, or the Loophole in the constitution that makes' anyone born on U.S. soil an impromtu U.S. citizen...
You would have to do something about all of those things, as well. You could simply do away with them, But I guarentee you, you would wish like hell you hadn't.
Getting U.S. business' to toe the line, and follow the law would be great, and one thing.
Keeping our Social care systems, that were supposed' to help those citizens' that have worked, and paid into them, secure from the drain that is incurred by illegal immigration, is another.
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Originally posted by Chairboy
He was brought into the country as a baby, it's not like he chose to come here. Wonder what he did to end up in jail.
he went on a date with a teenager.
buh bye now.
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Those things other than employment are only of significant proportions near the borders. You can't survive for very long without a job, can you? Managing to usurp some welfare would probably be the only one of those as critical as fraudulent employers.
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Originally posted by lazs2
The only real solution is to imprison the employers of illegals.. just take the bird seed out of the bird feeder.
The illegals will either become citizens legally or go home on their own. The problem will be over in.. tops.. 3 years if you put at least 100 or more employers in prison right away.. the first 3 months.
This "poor unfortunate" will not exist. I mean... his situation will no longer exist.. we have encouraged his situation to happen.. his parents made it happen and mexico made it happen.
Time to fix it and stop the suffering.. it is the only humane thing to do.
lazs
Well said.:aok
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WAHHHHH ....I'm crying...We deported one POS. I think I'll lose some sleep over this.....NOT... oh I forgot he came here as a baby..Is he frikken Moses now?
What? This assshat can't drive limo's in Mexico?
I say we not just build a fence but "electrify" the SOB also, make it more frikken interesting. You swim the river and yer wet arse scales a thousand volt fence, make it past the Border Patrol and dogs, jog thru traffic and yer free to commit crimes here in the U.S. It would make for a fun Reality Show... "So You want to be an Illeagel?"
Lets place the Natl Guard with ammo on the border also. Land mines would be a good option. No better yet we could all raise White Flags in the USA and just frikken surrender... What would the French do?
I shed no tears for this kinda chit.
BTW have a good day.
Mac
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mac, calm down.
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Originally posted by lasersailor184
The fence will become useful when you legalize deadly force to stop those from coming across.
No, not true.
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Originally posted by culero
No, not true.
Yeah, you're completely right. Certain death would serve as an incentive for most people!
handsomehunk.
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Originally posted by lasersailor184
Yeah, you're completely right. Certain death would serve as an incentive for most people!
handsomehunk.
Well, you certainly got your signature correct there :)
Your knowledge of the border area seems to be lacking, however. The fence is a useless boondoggle. Mother Nature already has a much better one in place. All we have to do is secure the roads.
There are a few exceptions, but those only apply to a miniscule percentage of the border. For the most part, its a huge waste of money.
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Originally posted by moot
Those things other than employment are only of significant proportions near the borders. You can't survive for very long without a job, can you? Managing to usurp some welfare would probably be the only one of those as critical as fraudulent employers.
Moot, unfortunately there are thousands' of illegals' that do not work here. They have found way's to circumvent the system, to recieve the money's that U.S. taxpayers' have put in.
Many simply have stolen SS#'s, or false licenses', or any of a bunch of different ways' to tap into our welfare system-which won't even try to verify anything in actuality, as long as the #'s and paperwork are in order.
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Sheesh.. it's like swiss cheese.
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Ah, I would also add that the same systems' are also abused by plenty of legal citizens', as well. But they are just one more peice of bait on the hook that makes' them come up here.
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A twelve foot fence will cause a rise in the sale of 13 foot ladders.
nothing wrong with slowing em down a few seconds but...
We simply need to arrest the employers.
I don't see how they can do an instant background check (couple hours) on me for a firearm... from some hole in the wall gun shop or a guy making a living from his home yet... they can't check if a employee is legal or not??
comeon.. it is all BS. They could stop it in a couple of years and not cost hardly anything.
except illegals votes.
lazs
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I'd rather see the problem stay as is than for the McCain/Clinton reform bill to pass. That will guarantee a greater influx of illegals.
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Martinez is one of a rising number of deportees arriving in Mexico with little connection to their ancestral homeland, often penniless and with criminal records.
Criminal record = no sympathy from me.