Immigration Tightens

[Mita]

Read the article on "Immigration horror stories aren't unusual"  on this website:   www.gazette.com

I find this article a little strange because the people written about here were clearly on the wrong side of the law.  Like the French woman entering on a tourist visa  but had intentions of marrying her American fiance.  Does this mean that it's only after 9-11 that the BCIS is implementing immigration laws equally, with no distinction to the nationalities of people entering US borders?  

As a Filipino, I've always heard about horror stories about entering the US and took care that we did everything right. Also, from forums I've been reading and participating in since my husband and I decided to move me to the US, I have learned a lot about US immigration laws and requirements and found that other Filipinos like me were careful to do the right thing by US immigration cause the alternative was getting in real trouble.  And this is all before 9-11.

Any comments?

[Ray]

... in response to Immigration Tightens , posted by Mita on Oct 19, 2003

Hi Mita,

For the most part, I think the “victims” in that article were nothing more than a bunch of whining cry-babies who didn’t play by the rules and got caught. Some folks just think they are better than the rest of us and don’t think they have to wait in line like we did. I have no sympathy for the people trying to sneak in ahead of the line. Send them home and make them follow the rules.

Before 9/11, they were more lax about enforcing the immigration laws and 3,000 people died because of it. I guess the whiners who want to roll back the Patriot Act have forgotten that we are at war and a bunch of suicidal maniacs can’t wait to get over here and kill their families.

Yes, I think that most Filipinos are careful to follow our immigration laws, but there are too many popping up on the M-A forum all the time asking for advice on how to beat the system by staying here after entering on a visitor visa. I tell them to go home! :-)

I don’t agree that immigration policies treat all potential visitors equally regardless of nationality. Rightfully so, applicants from most Arab countries and terrorist states and screened much more closely than others. It is much harder to get a visitor visa from some countries, such as the Philippines and Mexico, because of the terrible track record or their countrymen who came before them who violated their visas and never went back home.

Ray

[Windmill Boy]

... in response to Immigration Tightens , posted by Mita on Oct 19, 2003

Mita

Thank  you  for  bringing  back  memories  of  living  in  "the  springs"   when I  was  there working  for the  Broadmoor hotel  from  1994 - 1995.  I  noticed the  photo of   The Garden of the Gods  with  Pikes Peak in  the  background  right away.   This  Gazette  must  be  a new  newspaper  because  I  don't  recall  that it  was  the  newspaper  I subscribed  to  when  was  there.

As  I  am  getting  more  and more  interested and  serious in the  Chinese  woman  I  am  writting  with, I  have to  start  payiing  attention  to  these  matters.  While  I  am  looking forward  to  meeting  her  in  person in  the  spring  I am  dreading  going through  the  immigration  process  especially  post 9/11  if  we  decide  this  is  the  way  we  will  procede.  I  am  not  adverse  to  try  living  in  china either.  we  are  just  beginning  to discuss this  topic together  a  little  bit.

Thanks  for  the  memories  of  the springs.

Windmill Boy

[Mita]

... in response to Re: Immigration Tightens , posted by Windmill Boy on Oct 19, 2003

Hey Windy,

You used to live here?  That newspaper was called the Gazette Telegraph and people here still refer to it as the GT.  It's Indian summer time - just when I stowed away all my light, summer clothes I now have to dig them up in the extra closet!  That's Colorado for you...I bet you miss it.

Good luck with your Chinese ladyfriend and not to worry about the immigration process - there is so much information and help you can get online.  

Mita

[Humabdos]

... in response to Immigration Tightens , posted by Mita on Oct 19, 2003

"implementing immigration laws equally, with no distinction to the nationalities of people entering US borders"

What a joke! What about all them damned illegal Mexicans?

Deport Deport Deport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hum

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: Immigration Tightens , posted by Humabdos on Oct 19, 2003

Well Hum,

I've got some good news and bad news for you. First the good news. )))

Good news: Federal agents rounded up more than 300 illegal aliens working on inside cleaning crews at Wal-Marts throughout the US.

Bad News: They were all east European. Federal Agents overlooked the tens of thousands of "undocumented" Mexicans who were on the outside of the Wal-Marts, mowing the lawns, trimming trees, and cleaning the parking lots.

Dave H.

[Jimbo]

... in response to Re: Immigration Tightens , posted by Humabdos on Oct 19, 2003

Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)
By: Woddy Guthrie and Martin Hoffman

The crops are all in and the peaches are rotting
The oranges are piled in their creosote dumps
You're flying them back to the mexican border
To pay all their money to wade back again

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis a-mi-gos, Jesus and Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportee

Some of us are illegal and some of us are not wanted
Our work contract's out and we have to move on
But it's 600 miles to that mexican border
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like theives

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis a-mi-gos, Jesus and Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportee

My father's own father, waded that river
They took all the money he made in his life
My brothers and sister come work the fruit trees
They rode the truck til' they took down and died

The airplane caught fire over Los Gatos canyon
A fireball of lightning that shook all our hills
Who are these dear friends all scattered like dry leaves
The radio said they were just deportees

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis a-mi-gos, Jesus and Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportee

No, all they will call you will be deportee
All they will call you will be deportee

[Michael B]

... in response to And all they will call you will be, depo..., posted by Jimbo on Oct 20, 2003

And Cisco Houston sang it beautifuly. It was a common trick back then to hire illegals to get the crops in and then call 'La Migra' to have them all deported the day before payday (how convient that there was no penalty to the farmer or labor ganger who hired them in the first place). Woodie wrote the song (but to my knowlege there is no known recording by him nor any program bill of him ever actually performing it in public) because he read a newspaper story that the plane which INS had charted to send them back had crashed. The news story recited the plane's crew, the pilot and co-pilot and stewardess by name, age and hometown and even noted that the pilot and stewerdess were married to each other. After giving the names and details of the crew they said 'and 28 deportees'....they litterly DIDN'T have a name on the big airplane (at least not that was noted on the manifest or in any INS records that could be found) and the authorities were not even able to notify the relatives of most of them....but that don't matter none, it's not like they were humans with feelings and hopes and dreams and people who loved them, you know. After all, they were just deportees.

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re: And all they will call you will be, ..., posted by Michael B on Oct 21, 2003

They should have sent them on a bus! Or better yet made them walk back or swim same way they got here. Do you really think an illegal alien would give their real name? ROTFTNTPIMP!

Hum

[Mita]

... in response to Re: Immigration Tightens , posted by Humabdos on Oct 19, 2003

HAHAHAAHA!!!!  They were here first - weren't they?  At leaast in Colorado they were...

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re: Re: Immigration Tightens , posted by Mita on Oct 19, 2003

No, the American Indians where here first until them damned Spaniards killed most of them and made the rest slaves to build catholic churches. What ever happened to Cortez the killer?

Hum

[Dave H]

... in response to Here first? Montezuma's revenge, posted by Humabdos on Oct 20, 2003

Hi Hum,

Contrary to popular opinion, it actually appears that the Vikings might have been here first.

Dave H.

[Peter Lee]

... in response to Here first? , posted by Dave H on Oct 20, 2003

I thought it was the Chinese!!

[Jeff S]

... in response to Here first? , posted by Dave H on Oct 20, 2003

The Chinese beat them by a few hundred years.

- Jeff

[Mita]

... in response to New info, now, Dave , posted by Jeff S on Oct 20, 2003

Jeff,
I read about that recently and am looking for the book- interesting!
Here's a link that was generated by interest from the book:  www.1421.tv

Mita