I thought the Constitution protected the rights of U.S. citizens, legal immigrants – temporary and permanent. Not illegal immigrants.
Lawyers for 10 Latino men arrested in Danbury in the past year filed a civil rights lawsuit accusing city and federal officials of a plot to harass immigrants through illegal arrests and intimidation.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven, alleges authorities violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, free speech, free association and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
In my neck of the woods, I’d say, “Hispanic” of course. The whole East Coast “Latino” semantics jive makes my Hispanic neighbors giggle because – under the accepted urbane collegiate definition – I qualify as “Latino” since half my genes come from the Mediterranean.
Nine of the men were day laborers arrested in a sting operation on Sept. 19, 2006. They were waiting at a park and got into a vehicle driven by a man who they thought had hired them to demolish a fence, but who was actually an undercover Danbury police officer, according to the lawsuit.
When the men arrived at the purported work site, they were arrested and shipped to detention centers around the country. All nine are free on bond and their immigration cases are pending.
Essentially, the role of the Danbury PD was with – and on behalf of – ICE conducting federal arrests for illegal immigration. The 10th man arrested has already been deported.
#27
What about the thousands upon thousands of people trying to get into this country legally and are having to wait? If we are simply going to look the other way for people that circumvent the system then why have the system at all? The people that want to immigrate legally ALSO want jobs and a better life. What you are suggesting is to give preference to people that successfully circumvent the system over those that try to work within the system.
#28
Great. We give them a fair trial and then deport them. At the end of the day, there really is no consequence to the police doing this type of raid. So what if they get off? They’ll walk out the court room into the hands of Federal immigration authorities and be deported no matter what the result of the case.
ben&jerry:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/taxes.asp
J/P=?
RE: Thomas (#33) – My comment was in reference to the poster’s opening statement that “the Constitution protected the rights of U.S. citizens, legal immigrants – temporary and permanent. Not illegal immigrants”; nothing more. Then again, reviewing the post and comments, I doubt this is the time or place to discuss things in a reasonable manner.
>>Yes it is a HARD STANCE!
Sounds more like a WIDE STANCE to me.
>>Just some numbers for the pantry wist crowd.
Hoo boy. Leave it to you to cut ‘n’ paste from hatemonger mass e-mailings that perpetrate urban legends.
I’ll bet you were really pissed when you didn’t get the $10 million from the Nigerian guy too, huh?
#9 Axtell wrote:
“Why is it that the people, simply trying to make a buck and doing jobs no American will do, are the only ones in trouble here?”
Any industry that cannot operate without the use of cheap labor provided by the exploitation of illegal alien workers is being artificially being kept afloat. If these industries are not viable with the correct cost associated with legal labor, they should not be in business and are ultimately doomed.
>>Any industry that cannot operate without the use of cheap labor
>>provided by the exploitation of illegal alien workers is being artificially
>>being kept afloat.
Well, that business model seems to have worked pretty well for China and India. The only difference is that they sweat-shop their own citizens, as they don’t seem to object. Americans don’t want to do that shit, so the jobs either go to immigrants, or overseas.
>>#37 yes, hide those numbers, they get in the way of your babbling.
Hide them? WTF?? I promulgate their total EXPOSURE, for the xenophobic hatemongering bullshit that they are.
You are the one who hides behind cut ‘n’ pasted hatemail to support your silly little neuroses.
Tsk.
If memory serves it doesn’t make any difference where you are from or who your parents are it is based on your sir name. For example I have a friend who is half Native American (Apache) and half Scottish. She married a man named Ruez and suddenly she became Hispanic in the eyes of the equal oppertunity folks. Go figure?
Did you even read the second part of what I wrote. Many illegals don’t pay taxes on their income, working as independent contractors. Also, they get cash under the table. Even those that are paying taxes drive down wage levels.
As for high school kids, most employers don’t like to hire just for weekends and summer or for after-school. They prefer the regular schedules that non-students can take.
Does anyone have the link to the video of the guy that “hired” a truckload of day laborers and dropped them off at the Immigration Department?
>>As for high school kids, most employers don’t like to hire just
>>for weekends and summer or for after-school. They prefer
>>the regular schedules that non-students can take.
Right. And most grown-up don’t want to wash dishes, stuff tacos, pick lettuce, or do any of the other shit jobs that the illegals do. So what’s the fucking problem?
>>Did you even read the second part of what I wrote. Many illegals
>>don’t pay taxes on their income, working as independent
>>contractors.
Many legals don’t pay taxes either, working as “independent contractors”. That’s a matter for the IRS.
Would it sooth the raging hatred in your breast if all the illegals paid their taxes? That would make them kinda like regular folks, huh?
Or do you hate the Spics and the Beaners so much that there’s nothing they can do (other than STFU and go home) that will shut you up?
#34
This is where I got it from (right or wrong).
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/15/124229.shtml
Mister Mustard:
Wait until it happens to someone you know. Then lets see you make light. Again it is not all, but the man who killed our friend had been deported before and was laughing about it at night court. Mean while a family had to bury there mother and our friend and he got a free ride home. Where is the justice?
#34
This is where I got it from (right or wrong).
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/15/124229.shtml
>>#45 your hatred for latin americans spews out like sweat.
YOU are the one whose loathing for latin americans spews out like sweat, m’hijito. I welcome them as neighbors, friends, and colleagues. You are the one who has some kind of weird self-loathing thing going on, and I gotta tell ya, it’s CREEPY.
>>I told you, you wanna give away what’s yours, there no
>>stoping you. Enjoy!
Thanks. Now will you STFU??
These were our friends
http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2006/06/16/two-more-americans-struck-down
Oh wait it didn’t happen according to “Mister Mustard”
try this for others that “Didn’t Happen”
http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/text/crimevictims.html
>>Just some numbers for the pantry wist crowd.
>>Hoo boy. Leave it to you to cut ‘n’ paste from hatemonger mass >>e-mailings that perpetrate urban legends.
>>
>>I’ll bet you were really pissed when you didn’t get the $10 million >>from the Nigerian guy too, huh?
>>
>>Comment by Mister Mustard — 10/2/2007 @ 10:31 am
Wow! 10 million $$$???
How can I get in on that??
>>Oh wait it didn’t happen according to “Mister Mustard”
I never said illegal immigrants were involved in ANY crimes. But so far, Charles Manson and the BTK killer (both real live nephews of their Uncle Sam) have got your Beaner/ Spic “murder spree” beaten six ways from Sunday.
As to your links….Ewwww. Man, those are some creepy web sites. I’ll bet the people running them wear white hoods and organize lynch mobs.
Hatred begets hatred, Moo Man. I’m shocked and disappointed that a promoter of a “family values” commodity like ice cream would be consorting with human dregs like the hatemongers who run those sites.
Tsk.
I see the douches, I mean lawyers, that are representing the illegals are professors and students of Yale law school. That explains it all, today’s liberal universities are about as far out of touch with reality as is the President of Iran. Let the douchery begin.
>>you seem to confuse illegals with latin americans.
No, I don’t. It looks like you’re the one who is confused, m’hijito. I welcome the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. I welcome the homeless, the tempest-tossed, to enter the golden door.
You, on the other hand, seem to hate anyone who hasn’t filled out the proper forms.
Tsk, son. I pity you. I truly do.
#39, #45
Your argument is laughably specious. Basically, you are arguing that because we need cheap labor, we should go beyond looking the other way; we should give illegal immigrants all the rights and privileges entitled to legal immigrants. Why have a border at all?! Why spend billions of dollars controlling the border if we are simply going to turn around and ignore any of its restrictions?
There is BIG difference between India and China and the US in that India and China are not employing non-citizens. Rather, they are employing their own citizens which are allowed to be employed cheaply. In short, they do not have minimum wage and thus are able to fully employ their workforce. If that model floats your boat so much, then let’s get rid of minimum wage. It would certainly reduce the incentive to immigrate illegally.
“under the accepted urbane collegiate definition – I qualify as “Latino” since half my genes come from the Mediterranean.”
You’re the second person I heard that from, the first one was a buddy from Italy who defined as Latin because he’s from Italy.
#6
“We all seemed to live through it and – guess what – those orchards and farms never went out of business.”
I bet that was DECADES ago when globalization meant slave labour South of the border.
#11
I’d give you a thankyou BJ for not being a bigot but I don’t have a Visa.
#24
“Then, there’s no taxes withheld, and the illegal keeps all the money while undercutting the regular workers.”
Actually, the IRS is aware of it and offers “special” Social Security numbers for illegal immigrants so they can pay their taxes.
#26
You are a big example of a self hating hispanic.
#42
“She married a man named Ruez and suddenly she became Hispanic in the eyes of the equal oppertunity folks. Go figure?”
That’s because that’s what the Majority of hispanics have in their genes, some have a lil’ bit of african too and a bit of Asian, etc.
#53
“today’s liberal universities are about as far out of touch with reality as is the President of Iran. ”
Uh… Your REPUBLICAN president George W. Bush is a Yale Graduate and so is his father and his grandfather.
>>Your argument is laughably specious.
Most people aren’t laughing. They’re either saying “what’s the big problem with letting hardworking, honest people come to this country, as our forebears did, and make a better life for themselves”, or they’re foaming at the mouth saying “fucking Beaners and Spics… I hate those bastards…let a single one across the border, and the next thing you know everybody’s got a car horn playing “la Cucaracha””.
>>Why spend billions of dollars controlling the border if we are
>>simply going to turn around and ignore any of its restrictions?
Because we have a fucking moron trying to play “president”. What other explanation is there for somebody who wants to spend FORTY-NINE BILLION DOLLARS to put up a 700-mile fence across a TWO-THOUSAND MILE LONG BORDER? That guy needs a psych evaluation, stat.
>>then let’s get rid of minimum wage.
Bet you’d love that, huh Thommy? I doubt that would solve the immigration problem though. Everybody who couldn’t get a white-collar or union job would flee, requiring 100X the number of people willing to work sweat-shop hours for a dollar a day.
This is America, son. China and India may think it’s OK to treat their citizens like dogs (or worse), but we don’t. What’s wrong with you?
Adding a little legal commentary here – the U.S. Constitution applies to all “people”, regardless of their citizenship status. The problem of doing otherwise is that a police officer has no way to tell who is or is not an illegal alien, legal resident, or citizen, without first intruding. And a little something called the Fourth Amendment precludes police from intruding on people’s lives.
(Imagine the consequences if the cops could just stop you and ask “Let me see your passport/Social Security card”, and failure to produce such papers would give them carte blanche to do whatever they wanted to you. When’s the last time you carried either on your person?)
Such, illegal aliens are allowed the same Constitutional protections as anyone else, and they shouldn’t be criticized for seeking those protections – it is, after all, the exact same thing any of us would do in the same situation.
That being said – just because someone sues in no way shape or form means they’re going to win, or even have a prayer to. Likely this is a tactic to delay deportation proceedings, as civil cases take a number of years to pass through the system and it seems a little uncouth for the government to make the plaintiffs unavailable in a suit against itself…
>>And a little something called the Fourth Amendment
Pffft. This is the Regime of the Chimperor in Chief! Who gives a fuck about the Fourth Amendment? Or the Bill of RIghts? Or even the Constitution, for that matter. After all, it’s “just a goddamned piece of paper”.
Other leaders have gone down in history for phrases like “ask not what your country can do for you…..” or “nothing to fear but fear itself”, or “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” ; Little King Georgie’s oratorial legacy is going to be “Constitution = goddamned piece of paper”, “Heck of a job, Brownie”, and “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”.
#60
“self hating hispanic? why? because I hate freeloaders and law breakers?”
The last time I checked, the illegal immigrants didn’t risk murder, rape and death in the border between Mexico and the USA just because it was an extreme sport being taped by ESPN.
And they didn’t left their families because like Kevin Federline they found a rich woman capable of supporting them.
“I don’t know if have noticed the problems between different latin american nationals and each other, specially when they share a border. I bet you call them that too.”
Actually I do notice that, a miniature version of that is happening in Costa Rica where they are blaming Nicaraguan immigrants legal or not for the few economic woes rather than blaming their dumbass president and their own incompetence.
>>You are a big example of a self hating hispanic.
Truer words were never spoken.
I guess maybe he hates himself because his forbears raped and pillaged the land belonging to natives, and brought the cancer of Spanish-speaking culture to South and Central America. ¡Que lástima!
In the words of Rodney King, “can’t we all just get along?” If we were all sitting in a room face to face I’ll bet we’d be much more civil.
Speaking of Rodney King, the spanish word for him is pinata.
Leaving aside the issue of whether illegals are entitled to rights enumerated in the Constitution – and to the best of my knowledge and belief they do not – everyone seems to miss out on an aspect of the whole “shit jobs” issue.
I speak from extensive personal experience when I say that anyone who buys the argument that we “need” illegals because there’re jobs that Americans “won’t do” has been snookered into buying the Repuglican greedhead excuse.
There is no job an American won’t do – if the price is right. That is the way that the “free market” that Repugs value so highly works. If no one finds it worthwhile to perform the job for the prevailing wage, then the wage must be increased until you get takers – what you DON’T do is make an end run around the free market and import people who are used to a significantly lower standard of living and therefore find the wage Americans refuse to be adequate.
And it’s not just in shit jobs – the whole H1B scam is simply an excuse for corporate scum to get out of hiring skilled, educated Americans who demand that their pay be commensurate with their duties and abilities. We’ve always had a disproportionate number of the best programmers in the world, but to hear the greedy bastards who want all the profit for themselves tell it, they can’t find any. Bullshit. They just can’t find any to work for chickenfeed, like a recent immigrant from India or Pakistan will.
So Mr. Software exec is rewarded handsomely for “keeping down costs”, skilled Americans have to take either crappier jobs or less money for the same jobs – and as a consequence, young Americans see their now-crappy pay prospects and choose another career path, thereby undermining America’s store of intellectual capital.
As usual, a few Americans get most of the money in play, a larger number of non-Americans get more money than they would at home – and overqualified Americans now take jobs and salaries beneath them to survive, and the middle- and long-term prospects of yet another American industry is given away to foreigners.
To paraphrase the great American humanist philosopher Kurt Vonnegut, “And thus did the American Dream go belly-up, turn green, bob to the scummy surface of cupidity unlimited, fill with gas, and go bang! in the noonday sun.”
Thanks, Mustard, to you and your like-thinking knee-jerk liberal brethren. Doing the Republicans’ job for them whilst patting yourselves on the back for being so wonderfully “tolerant.”
Ya. Pffffft.
Troutster, if you want to pay $15 for a head of lettuce (what they’d probably charge if companies paid a living wage to the people who pick it), knock yourself out. Run for President.
The rest of your unctuous, self-loving monologue is too silly to even respond to.