Furthermore, none of these types of visas are issued to citizens of Mexico or the Philippines. Want to guess where a majority of our illegal immigrants come from? With no way to immigrate here legally, what choice do we leave them? With Mexico in a state of complete anarchy (the government no longer has effective control of the streets) and citizens living in abject poverty, can you blame them for looking at the rich land of opportunity to the north? Can you blame them, when they have no real legal means of immigration for taking a risk and coming here illegally? Would you do the same? Or would you stay in your city, watch your family be killed by the drug violence, and struggle to feed your family?
Oh, ok, what about this "diversity lottery"? That last category. Can't they immigrate using that. Sure. But, let's go over how it works. First of all, you can't apply for this type of visa if you're from El Salvador, Guatemala, or Mexico (that's just Central America). Guess where most of our illegal immigrants come from? Let's say you're from another Central American country and want to immigrate. Congratulations, your chances of winning the lottery are less than 2%. Of the less than 2,000 visas issued to Central and South America and the Caribbean? 200 went to Central American countries - guess where most of the non-Mexican illegal immigrants come from? (Cuba got the most at almost 700).
So, yes. I agree with you. But, I also want to say this - the system that makes them illegal is broken and needs to be fixed. We wouldn't have nearly the number of illegal immigrants if citizens of these countries had any hope of immigrating here legally.
Now, about slippery slopes. This law targets Hispanics, no it doesn't do so in the language, but rather in the spirit of the law. Everyone knows that the majority of people who are here illegally are Hispanic in origin so, because the law states that the police are now allowed to ask anyone they suspect of being here illegally to produce their immigration papers who do you think they are going to ask? Are they going to ask me? A whiter than white tall southern Californian sounding girl? Nope, they're going to ask my cousin who inherited all of his mother's good looks (she was from Mexico) and none of his father's (he was a Upper East Side New Yorker).
Let's say I happen to look like my cousin and am waiting in front of Home Depot waiting for someone who is perpetually late like me to come pick me up. What would give the police man the clue that I might be illegal? Would it be me standing like a day laborer, waiting in front of Home Depot, the color of my skin and hair, or would it be all three? I bet if you took out skin/hair color it wouldn't be any of those because once you add that, all bets are off on assumptions. Laws like this are designed to target specific populations, just like New York City cops used to raid known gay hangouts in the 1960s to bust guys for sodomy laws, or why African Americans get pulled over and searched at higher rates than whites ("driving while black"), or why we talk louder and slower to janitors and hotel maids. We assume, judge, categorize, and accuse.
That's, why the law is anything but "no big deal". It's a slippery slope and before you know it we'll all be required to carry national IDs, register our race, religion, and national origin in a database, and be singled out for what we think - and last time I checked there was a document that we as good as hold holy that says that that is not ok.
(personally, I think this law violates both the equal protection clause and the 4th amendment, but that's just me)
continued from above...
Oh, ok, what about this "diversity lottery"? That last category. Can't they immigrate using that. Sure. But, let's go over how it works. First of all, you can't apply for this type of visa if you're from El Salvador, Guatemala, or Mexico (that's just Central America). Guess where most of our illegal immigrants come from? Let's say you're from another Central American country and want to immigrate. Congratulations, your chances of winning the lottery are less than 2%. Of the less than 2,000 visas issued to Central and South America and the Caribbean? 200 went to Central American countries - guess where most of the non-Mexican illegal immigrants come from? (Cuba got the most at almost 700).
So, yes. I agree with you. But, I also want to say this - the system that makes them illegal is broken and needs to be fixed. We wouldn't have nearly the number of illegal immigrants if citizens of these countries had any hope of immigrating here legally.
Now, about slippery slopes. This law targets Hispanics, no it doesn't do so in the language, but rather in the spirit of the law. Everyone knows that the majority of people who are here illegally are Hispanic in origin so, because the law states that the police are now allowed to ask anyone they suspect of being here illegally to produce their immigration papers who do you think they are going to ask? Are they going to ask me? A whiter than white tall southern Californian sounding girl? Nope, they're going to ask my cousin who inherited all of his mother's good looks (she was from Mexico) and none of his father's (he was a Upper East Side New Yorker).
Let's say I happen to look like my cousin and am waiting in front of Home Depot waiting for someone who is perpetually late like me to come pick me up. What would give the police man the clue that I might be illegal? Would it be me standing like a day laborer, waiting in front of Home Depot, the color of my skin and hair, or would it be all three? I bet if you took out skin/hair color it wouldn't be any of those because once you add that, all bets are off on assumptions. Laws like this are designed to target specific populations, just like New York City cops used to raid known gay hangouts in the 1960s to bust guys for sodomy laws, or why African Americans get pulled over and searched at higher rates than whites ("driving while black"), or why we talk louder and slower to janitors and hotel maids. We assume, judge, categorize, and accuse.
That's, why the law is anything but "no big deal". It's a slippery slope and before you know it we'll all be required to carry national IDs, register our race, religion, and national origin in a database, and be singled out for what we think - and last time I checked there was a document that we as good as hold holy that says that that is not ok.
(personally, I think this law violates both the equal protection clause and the 4th amendment, but that's just me)