<p>
Maybe. But I wonder. I’m not thinking something sinister, just the usual complications of blended families.</p>
<p>CTTC: I answered them.</p>
<p>I don’t really see immigration as “destroying” native cultures. Culture doesn’t exist in a bubble. It moves, it evolves, it interacts with other cultures, and it must change.</p>
<p>
Based on your posts, it doesn’t seem as if you consider the cultures, families or individual immigrants as human beings.</p>
<p>Um, why would you say that? I am a constant migrant, I know very much the pain of immigration and being away from my extended family. I identify no countries as “home”. But I didn’t really see it as “destroying” a native culture, I just saw it as enlightening. I have been an immigrant while you have not. Fellow immigrants and TCKs are my peers, but to you, they are only your clients. You will always be on the outside; I have been on the inside. But that’s OK, because you will always be securely on the inside of the American identity, whereas I will always be simultaneously inside and out.</p>
<p>
As I said, I read your posts. It appears that you are looking at this in a different way than I am. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. </p>
<p>The immigrants that I work with (I am a volunteer) are my friends, not my clients. I suspect that your circle is different from mine. Mine is comprised of very poor immigrants, mostly from Mexico and Central America. They often have no history of literacy in any language and come from a very different culture. Many simply do not want to be here but feel they have no choice in order to feed their families. Many never want to actually BE American citizens. They want to earn money and return home to their families and cultures. I find it heartless to not consider the fact that the status quo exploits and harms people, and the answer isn’t necessarily more immigration. (That was not directed at you personally, just an expression of my frustration at the simplistic and thoughtless answers of some people with regard to this issue.)</p>
<p>
You answered the q’s about the particulars of this girl’s situation, even though you aren’t the OP who knows them?</p>
<p>Zooser, yes identity theft – see <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/nyregion/12detain.html?scp=4&sq=aclu&st=cse[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/nyregion/12detain.html?scp=4&sq=aclu&st=cse</a></p>
<p>New York Times article starting off with – </p>
<p>The news media campaign was all set to go. There was even a Web site ready with a sympathetic profile of Alexander Alli, 49, the man the American Civil Liberties Union had chosen as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking custody hearings for more than 1,000 legal immigrants long locked up while they challenged the government’s efforts to deport them on the basis of criminal convictions. </p>
<p>But at the last minute someone at the civil liberties union checked the details of Mr. Alli’s criminal history. It turned out that Mr. Alli, a native of Ghana whose wife and three children, all United States citizens, live in the Bronx, had taken part in one of the biggest cases of identity theft in this country.</p>
<p>At least 30,000 people nationwide had been victimized in an intricate scheme by a loosely knit ring of 30 people, mostly Nigerian immigrants, according to law enforcement authorities and court documents. More than $50 million had been drained from credit cards and bank accounts.</p>
<p>Kay, as we know from some of the heartbreaking posts here at CC, identity theft is not a victimless crime.</p>
<p>The U.S. is not the only country with immigration problems. I don’t think it’s “trendy” to blame American policies. The problem for me is that immigration issues seem always to stem from the most base human impulses, and run counter to what we teach our own children, and many religious principles as well. Migration is a perennial human condition and will never, ever cease. All the money being thrown at protecting borders from the marauding hordes will never end immigration. It’s time to change the mindset about nationalism, tribalism, and boundaries. I envy Europeans who can live in any country of the EU, and cannot understand why on earth we don’t have an American Union with Canada and Mexico, at least.</p>
<p>
I meant here on CC.</p>
<p>
I know many Europeans who are not at all enthralled with the EU.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Maybe they’d rather have a nice, high wall instead?</p>
<p>
My, but aren’t you disrespectful of other opinions.</p>
<p>The EU is simply trying to copy the US. We have a section of 50 independent states across a wide region joined by a central governing organization. Citizens of one state are free to interact with and move to other states at will. We invented this concept so there is nothing to copy from the EU in this regard. </p>
<p>You could propose to bring other states into the US, you’ll find about as much support for that as you’ll find for letting fringe and non-european countries into the EU… Not much.</p>
<p>Well, as a matter of fact I am, if the opinion consists of building guarded walls. But, actually, I was being facetious there. I don’t know these “many Europeans” you’re referring to, after all, and trust that you won’t go repeating it to them (if anyone cared).</p>
<p>My answer to the OP’s question is no, I don’t feel that bad. When I saw the title, I immediately thought of a student dying right before or during graduation.</p>
<p>
That was your perception and had nothing to to with anything I wrote.</p>
<p>Mouse, the EU limits membership very carefully, and does not admit countries that do not fit in economically. Most European countries limit illegal immigration much more effectively than we do.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My proposal would be reality based, which would be a radical change. </p>
<p>We deal with this issue like we deal with health care in this country. Instead of just owning up to the fact that we are not heartless enough to let people without insurance die, we have them go to the ER which is the single most expensive, ineffective form of health care.</p>
<p>So we can continue to shake our fists, claim to be defending our country (whose economic engine would collapse if we did deport everyone) and continue to engage in wishful thinking based policy. We can continue to allow employers to abuse their employees because they are too afraid of being deported to demand safe working conditions. We can make plans for a stupid wall. </p>
<p>Or we can face facts.</p>
<p>More than I am a liberal, I am realist tempered with being a humanitarian. I’m not sure how to proceed but I do know that the majority of Americans are either too greedy or too goodhearted to deport enough people enmass and/or shoot them when they are determined to get into the country. Most are here to stay and there are more coming up behind them. </p>
<p>What we are doing is failing. I think it’s time to try something else, even if it does force us to face a reality we are uncomfortable with, even if it means trying to absord more people than we think (and it’s only an opinion) can afford. </p>
<p>I’m just so tired of the ER approach to social problems. It’s embarrassing to watch the least effective policies be renewed over and over and over again.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You consider riots effective? Keeping tension as high as possible by refusing to let immigrants into mainstream society effective? </p>
<p>No, thanks.</p>
<p>What does everyone think should be done in this case? Just curious. </p>
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