What do you think about the US immigration policies? Too strict/lenient?

I'm just hoping to spark some debate.

Immigration Gumballs

it's strict enough, but if someone enters the country illegally, they should be punished!

Interesting, seems like a sound argument, though I wounder what an immigration supporter would say to counter this video?

Illegal immigration is just what it is, ILLEGAL. That should be enough to throw them out of the country. If they want to be in our country so bad then why don't they do it legally like my grandparents did when they came over from Italy. It makes me sick to know that our government is allowing this to continue when they know it is happening right in front of their faces. I don't care if the illegal is a good, hard working citizen that pays taxes because if your going to make exceptions for a few you will have to do it for all of them. I think we should seal off (not completely) all borders in the north and south.

Another problem with not having tight security on our borders is the threat of terrorists entering country. It could be very easy for some Al Qaeda members to just sneak in through the southern border and start making bombs and other stuff and blow our country apart from the inside.

I'm not anti immigration but you need to come over to this country LEGALLY.

More bumps. I'm looking to bring a little bit more activity in the forums and what better way than with a healthy debate?

Don't say porn. I know that would be a surefire way, but IPBFree would send a squad of super-trained assassins to my home. By the way, IPBFree, they do NOT need to be "super-trained." That last batch was ridiculous, with all those fancy karate moves.

Honestly, am I bothered by immigration? Slightly. Enough to be one of the people who bitches about it? Hell no. Yes, what they are doing is illegal and should be punishable by law, but who's at fault here? The immigrant? No, the United States is. An immigrant comes into our country, he's not punished. No one gives a shit. We're too worried about being the "leader of the free world" to actually give these people what they "deserve." We're far too laid back about the entire situation to ever complain about it. If an American snuck into Mexico and was caught, would we get the gentle American slap on the wrist? Hell no! We'd be held in jail for that. The Mexican's are much smarter than us, actually going so far as to defend their laws. In that right, it can hardly be considered "illegal." If there's no punishment, no law is being broken, technically.

What gets me even more than this is how American's will bitch about immigrants stealing their jobs. Really? I was never aware a job could be stolen. It's not like he could jump you behind Kroger and take it off you. Why do American's lose jobs to immigrants? Because the immigrant is willing to work a hell of a lot harder, for a lot less money than most American's. If we're so tired of seeing this happen, force asshole companies like Wal*Mart, K-Mart and Walgreen's to actually pay the immigrant proper wages. It immediately solves this "epidemic." Equal work deserves equal pay, no matter how you look at it. If we could stop being lazy, we'd never lose a job, but we like to halfass it, then when a hardworking immigrant receives your position, all of a sudden he stole the job. Again, force the companies to pay them full wage and this "stealing" of jobs will end. It annoys the sweet holy hell out of me hearing all this.

Now, this is one I hear a lot from my friends and it usually leads to me putting them down. The immigrants don't belong here. Why? If someone could honestly answer that, I'd shut up, but no one can. As said, they work hard. With the back-breaking labor they suffer every day for maybe half the check you would receive, they show their dedication to make this country a better place, even if it means their ass. That's patriotism, intentional or not. This leads me to another question. Hard work is considered a staple of an American lifetyle. These "illegal" immigrants work harder than us, while we've lived in this country for far longer than they have. Doesn't that mean, by our own standards, that they deserve the right to live here more than any slacker? Yes it does. Doesn't bother me.

So they crossed our border by an illegal manner and a bunch of racist assholes get bent out of shape over it. As I've said many times now, if we want them to be punished, tell our government to stop twiddling their thumbs and to do something about them. Until then, I say we shut the hell up about it. Stop with all the pointless, anonymous hatred. Frankly, after reading my own argument, I'm more pissed at the U.S. of A. than I am at the immigrants. Hell, we could use more people like them.

ETA: I'd also like to make it clear that one cannot immigrate legally. You emigrate.