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Seeking a better life
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This woman has no regret about her criminal activity or the suffering she has caused others. She will do it again in a moments notice when she gets a chance. The next time, hubby gets jailed for criminal facilitation and conspiricy while the employer gets jail time.
If Maricela truly knows what she did was wrong (illegally crossing the border and later identity theft by purchasing someone else's Social Security number), she would at least try to take the legal option available.
Obviously the punsihment ISN'T harsh enough if the woman is still contemplating illegal activity and viewing herself as the victim.
Nice you all live such sure and complete lives.
What is it you do not understand about the word "ILLEGAL?"
This nation will not survive with your "compassionate" attitude. Wake up and be a patriot or join the lawless society you are encourageing.
It can be done. I know many from Mexico who have been able to make a good life there with hard work and determination. It is possible.
Like other Americans I wish only that they do it legally as I did. Why did the father not go through the proper steps to make her legal a long time ago?
They should all go to Mexico and not split the family. It is of their own doing. Karma as they say
Theft is theft- and what part of the word "illegal" is no one understanding?
I have worked in the healthcare industry for years as a patient account rep (collector) and I have seen an alarming trend in the last few years. Hospitals cannot deny treatment to anyone and a lot of illegal immigrants are using identity theft to get healthcare. This is effecting our disabled and elderly, as also those Americans in actual need. Those who are using the stolen identities or not giving valid personal information are not only hurting the healthcare industry by them having to "eat" the cost of the medical services, but are costing the taxpayer monies for all the "charitable" writeoffs that need to be done or the accounts that cannot be collected (sometimes as much as 50% in any given month) because these people cannot be located or collected on. Do we wonder why health insurance premiums are so high? Hospitals and practitioners have to raise their costs to cover these losses by raising their prices, which in turn causes insurance companies to raise theirs. The illegals may claim they are not hurting anyone but they are going through their illegal life in blinders.
What good can come to our nation if laws are not upheld? Condoning or overlooking crime only leads to more crime. And I believe most of us prefer living in a society that honors and respects law.
It would have been more interesting to have read the story of the true victim--the one whose identity was stolen--and to hear of her troubles. However, telling of crime victims' struggles is not part of the deseret MORNING NEWS' agenda. (I miss the days when the deseret NEWS was "The Newspaper of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints." Now, our community is stuck with--but doesn't need--two Salt Lake Tribs.)
When the press plays a sad story about a criminal or otherwise bad person, be forewarned--you're getting hosed.
Go back to work Americans and quit buying Chinese junk and polluting the whole world.
What makes me the most angry are those who chose to come here illegally, yet demand rights just like full citizens do.
Yes, I'm sure they want a better life. However, their "better life" is costing the American government and inferstructure billions.
These people should stay in their own country and make a difference at home! If the millions who have come here illegally would rise up against the corruption in their own government, maybe desired changes would occur to keep their citizens at home.
The fact is the Mexican government not only encourages this illegal behavior, but openly supports it. They want their own citizens to leave, but post guards on their own southern border to keep other South Americans out, with orders to kill anyone caught trying to cross.
If we had that same type of law on our border, could you imagine the international outcry that would occur?
I believe there is room for compassion, but I also believe in law and order. These people should go home and wait their turn to come here legally!
Our government should also do something to expidite the process of becoming a citizen. A ten year waiting period is just too long. We are now in the 21st century, I just wish our governement would act like it instead of using old archaic social security cards for identification. Washington spend some money to bring our system up with the times, ( a fingerprinting system would be nice) or our children will have no America left for them!
Because the British emigration in King George's day was any different. Or the Irish emigration. Or the French. Or the Russian, Greek or Polish.
Tell me there weren't hundreds of thousands who came into Ellis Island under false pretense. Because their skin color and language was similar to yours, it was OK? Because the kids had blonde hair and blue eyes, and could say a couple of things in broken English from learning in their native Scandanavia it was passable?
Today, it's the same. Only it's Cubans in zodiacs, Asians in slow-boat cargo holds and people from Mexico, Mexi-cans, looking simply for what you take for granted on a Sunday morning in front of a computer, sipping coffee or cocoa getting ready for church or football: a better life.
Lawlessness will always be around. It's not Utopia.
Ain't karma grand.
In general, laws establish order, with the proper consequences for breaking them instilled. So, supposedly we have all of these "laws", and yet it's chaos, not order. From what I gathered from the story, it's a "lose-lose" situation. So, trying to more optimistic, which future president is willing to take this issue to the forefront and make the necessary changes? I challenge you....make a stand.
Things WERE different back then. In King George's day this really wasn't yet a country and there really weren't any strict laws about coming here. As for Ellis Island- yes, there were a lot of people coming in here under false pretenses and also a lot of bribery going on, but the fact of the matter is that they were all coming here legally, documented on a vessel and going through the ranks. Generally if they did not have papers, were not healthy, or did not have any type of funds (i.e. POOR), they were shipped home. The point is that they WERE documented, at least marginally, and they were all coming over here on a ship and PAID PASSAGE. Immigration laws were different then. They are supposed to be enforced a lot better now but we have allowed this big hole in the bottom of the country to allow those with the right kind of twisted ethics to sneak into our country and take advantage of it.
Mexicans are not, and should not, be considered the only people who fall into the illegal category. They only reason that they are in the forefront is that they are the most vocal in the illegal community about it. I have known illegal Canadians, South Americans, Asians, and Europeans. Most of these people do not voice themselves so as not to attract attention (and some go home because they can't deal with the pressure). I question why the Mexicans are so vocal about it. They SNUCK in illegally and should pay the consequences.
Intentionally not enforcing the law has created the situation reported in this "sympathy" article.
That said: our only means to survive - as a society and nation - is by the rule of law. Like it or not, that is the way it is. At the present time, uncontrolled illegal immigration, if allowed to continue unabated, cannot withstand the test of time on our society which will lead to it�s ultimate failure
Those who desire to be compassionate to those who come here illegally also need to extend the same compassion to:
1. Legal citizens who are victimized by illegal immigrants who commit identity theft.
2. legal citizens who see their hard earned wages going to illegal immigrants who flaunt the laws of our nation by receiving government subsidies, causing our educational system to be overcrowded by the children of illegal immigrants and demanding in-state college tuition,
3. legal citizens who have to pay higher hospital bills caused by those here illegally who use our medical facilities and do not pay,and
4. legal citizens who are victimized by illegal immigrants who rape, rob and murder our citizens and law enforcement officers then flee to Mexico.
And we all need to consider the corrupt Mexican government who ruthlessly enforces its own Southern border, but encourages its citizens to come to the US and send money home, and our own politicians who have no spine to enforce our laws, only looking out for themselves so they can be re-elected --- and our citizens who keep re-electing these corrupt, do-nothing Members of Congress.
Ellis Island was over 100 years ago. We have a new set of problems with new issues. Those who came from Europe were documented, unlike their modern counterparts.
Dear Amazed in Connecticut--Get your facts straight. Americans give more of their money to charity than ANY other modernized country. Who gave the most to the tsunami victims, hello, America. Who gave the most to European nations after WWII, that's right America did. The list goes on and on. Americans have heart & soul and are willing to show the world with their pocketbooks.
Other European countries are grappeling with the same issues we are. France is one example. They are so tired of being overrun with illegals in their country, that they ousted their liberal governement for one far more conservative. Why as Americans do we continually compare ourselves to Europe? I will never figure it out.
In Heaven, there are only White, Republicans, Consevatives Christians, Mormons, because they are all "doing the right thing." In Heaven, there are no illegals, no mexicans, no Muslims, no Jews, only "God fearing and commandment obeying Americans" from conservative Utah (especially from Utah County).
Final ruling : break the law = pay the price
Me thinkum you be wrong bout the white man. Not all the white man come here from Europe. Beside who would bringum the fire water for you to drink?
I speak the words of truth with my blood brothers and do not with forked tonque.
Me go sit in TeePee now and somkem' peace pipe with Neighbor
70% of the voters here have denied public benefits to non-citizens including in-state tuition and public money for college scholarships. We have to show ID to vote & those who are here illegally, if arrested for a violent crime, are denied bail. As of Jan 1st 2008, all employers must verify that employees are here legally or they face serious consequences, including losing their business licence. ICE in Phoenix has gone from only responding if a major drop house was discovered to responding every single time and as a result, deportations have doubled in the last year.
I have compassion for these poor people, and but I also believe in obeying the law of the land. Those who claim the law is "broken" and needs to be "fixed"- that's like saying because everyone breaks the speed limit, no one should ever be given a speeding ticket. It's broken because illegal immigrants choose to break our laws, steal our IDs & then complain about consequences.
They seem to have an UNLIMITED number of scams to defraud everybody! Unlimited!
Get them out of here and KEEP them out of here! No matter what it takes!
Mark Whitney
Sandy
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We all have positive or negative consequences for our actions in life. Maybe she should have thought things through a little more cautiously.
Those who have had their identities stolen are the real victims here.