I grew up in the inner city, poor as hell, as the only white kid on the block. I remember my mom dating a Nicaraguan, and learning my first bit of Spanish in his dialect. I remember travelling there to visit his family a few years later and the long trip from the capitol city to reach his hometown. I remember shitting in a deep hole in the ground and bathing out of a bucket, one that had been carried up a mountain from a creek bed that ran below. the same creek locals washed their clothes in.. with trash both further up, and down stream. I remember my mom being hospitalized for days because of the parasites in the water.
A few years later she re-married a Mexican from Veracruz, after 16 years together I consider all of his family my family, mi abuela, y mi tia's etc etc. I speak fluently, routinely cook Mexican foods, and recognize Latino holidays. I was the only white worker on a Latino crew of construction workers for 7 years, and i consider some of them my brothers, as good as blood. My wife is from Liberia, but also speaks Spanish, and our daughter is mixed.
I have heard everything racist, or hateful that any person, white, black, or several shades of brown, can possibly say about themselves, and one another.
With all that being said, at the risk of still being called prejudice, I want to lend my opinion here. It probably isn't 100% correct, but I consider myself reasonable and objective.
The issue with the aggressive police state, police militarization, and state sponsored terrorism on locals IS indeed an issue, with many officers failing to understand their original duty to the People, rather than Government itself. Today's understanding of the Constitution has been twisted and stretched to meet the needs of may private individuals today, with its true intention often ignored. This is something that the people as a whole need to fight against. We must remain vigilant.
A right which one will not become belligerent to protect, isn't a right after all.
moving forward, I personally know at least 150+ Latino's I have worked side by side with over the years, and of which I can honestly say, perhaps 10-15 were becoming or had became citizens. MANY of which openly admitted the only thing stopping them from seeking citizenship was the tax requirement. It was almost an inside joke for us, they asked if I was paying my taxes, since I am American, of course, I never judged them for it, because I can understand the sentiment, the tax system pisses of more than a few of us, surely.
My point here is that, I've seen guys deported, and cross back again, only to get a DUI and be deported again, just to cross over one more time, come back to work on the SAME crew as if it never happened. I wonder if it would have saved him anything to become a citizen or if it still ended up being more cost efficient.. No taxes vs. Coyote fees.. lol
As close to my Latino family as I am, I understand they are here illegally, and that one day I may get a call saying any one of them has been depoorted.. its a crazy feeling. I'm actually torn on the subject because as a man with great understanding of how capitalism works, I feel horrible for families of illegals, including my own. I ALSO recognize the facts in the situation that leaking revenue across borders, works negatively against our own economy. I'm talking $200k in ONLY one year, between 3 Latinos, sent outside of our economy. ONLY 3 guys! Imagine the collective numbers.
Sending the money abroad isnt exactly the main issue though. its the illegal status. MANY countries have defined what constitutes a legal citizen, and what should be done to those who do not meet that criteria, the US isn't the first and wont be the last to ship illegals back across the border.
Granted being deported a week after an arrest seems a bit like overkill. I think an illegal should havea court date arranged, where they are given a set amount of time to initiate the naturalization procress, with a priority going to applicants who already reside in the states illegally.. but if they will not cooperate they'll continue to be deported, and we will continue to see sad stories like this. The solution cannot be reached from one side, like they say.. it takes two to tango.
The naturalization process needs to be streamlined, I've seen instances of unreasonable expectations (such as being required to return to the home country for 2-5 years before reapplying) where a person would have to sacrifice everything they had to participate in the process, as well as cases dragging on for years waiting on lawyers, and paperwork, while somehow foreigners from around the world seem to pour in at will with a good credit score and ebt.. but that's for another post I suppose.
case in point, I support our right to remove illegal residents AFTER due process, and proper opportunity to a REAL remedy, such as becoming a legal resident. I do NOT support the violent police state, or the greed and gluttony that is rampant in our infrastructure, and society.
If any illegal resident turned down an opportunity to become a proper citizen (be that a state OR national citizen) and they are fine with the emotional damage they can cause their family by doing so, then let them be deported. If they wish to avoid all that, I urge them to at least try to go through the process, and pay the same taxes as the rest of us, until taxes are abolished entirely.
You cannot turn a blind eye to a blind eye.
I hope the will be taken lightly and for what it is.. my personal observations and opinions. I'm always open to new perspectives and dialog.
Peace, Love, and Prosperity.