I do agree that the flood of illegal immigrants into this country is a very real and serious problem, as our network of social services are strained to the absolute limit, and it won't take much more for them to collapse, at least in part. Witness the aftermath of Katrina...
I cannot possibly address the concerns or the reality which those of you who live in the bordering states face on a daily basis. Birmingham has a LOT of Hispanic peoples living and working here, but what I mostly see is them taking jobs that hardly anyone will take, no matter the wage...Chicken factories (of which there are gracious plenty in this state), crop pickers, day labor...I am quite certain that many of them are here illegally, but the majority are attempting to assimilate as best they can, given the circumstances of how they get here in the first place. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, there was no way for immigrants to get here other than accross the Atlantic...in a ship. They couldn't walk here, as our Hispanic neighbors are able to do. There was no real problem with Hispanic populations moving here at that time, as there was nothing for them to do in most of the Western States of the US...most of the Irish, Italians, Germans, and other European nationalities moved to our industrial areas, or large cities where work in factories or service were relatively plentiful. Same thing here...most of the people I know who build houses, own yard care services, eating establishments, large farms, etc, WANT these workers, not because they will work cheap, but because they, for the most part, will show up for work every day, give a full day....most of these same people have tried to hire others (I'm NOT pointing my finger at any particular race of people here), but become frustrated because they cannot depend on them to be on the job the next day. Some people will not work as a taster in a pie factory. In a global economy, when WE, as Americans demand through our purchasing power, cheaper goods and services, and the available workforce will not work for a competitive wage, a void is created, and filled by those who will allow them to remain competitive in order to stay in business. Textiles (again, a major employer in this state for many, many years) is a really good example...had an Hispanic workforce been more available 20 years ago in this state, perhaps almost ALL of our clothing would not be being produced in other countries....this includes the majority of the HD clothing some of us might purchase at the local dealership.
Like Two said, it will take TIME for these problems to be solved...learning the English language is no picnic because it is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. I shudder to think how long it would take me to learn Spanish if I was suddenly forced through economic necessity to move to a foreign country....5 years would be a conservative estimate, I think. No, we cannot afford to provide a safety net for illegal immigrants, and it is an issue which absolutly must be addressed. But, like it or not, predictions are that in some areas of the country, by the year 2020 or so, over 50% of the population will be Hispanic, and they will not all know the English language by that time...their kids will though.
The bastardizaton of ideas and philosophies by the likes of Rush Flemball and his right wing, foaming at the mouth counterparts, who do little, if any, research or verification of the words and venom the spew out of their mouth on a daily basis, in a word, make me sick. At the risk of being contraversial here, if you want to read a fully researched book debunking some of the things said by those mentioned above, pick up a copy of Al Franken's book...Lies, and he Lying Liars who tell them. I don't agree with everything he says, but there is no disputing the facts and figures he uses to support his statements. It may be an eye-opening experience for some. Others, when presented with ideas that do not fit into their view of the world, will be offended by some of the things he says...but at least it presents another side of the coin. And at least the book is laced with comedic relief, though at times it is an uncomfortable chuckle...
On another, and probably more controversial note...the biggest problem I have with those coming from Latin America is their attitude concerning having multiple children, based predominately on dogma espoused by a Church with leaders who are basing those ideas on 16th century concepts. People used to have 8 kids because odds were that half of them were never going to see adulthood...that is no longer the case. It is a case of quality of life...look at the world's starving and diseased children....and adults. Those issues will resolve themselves, again in time, through a basic Sociological principle....war, pestilance (sp), or famine. None of those are pleasant alternatives to voluntary managment of birth.
Bottom line...if peoples basic needs - food, shelter, and clothing - are not being met, they will take whatever measures necessary to meet those needs, even if it means running through the dead of night accross a basically invisible border. Fortunately, most of us here give little thought to those needs, otherwise we would not have the luxury of owning 35 thousand dollar motorcycles, cars of our choice, and having the time to think about the things written both here and above. Most of us worked our butts off to get here, and hopefully some of our brothers to the south will get here sooner than later.
Now our resources are strained to the limit, we are fighting another controversial "war" (which, by the way, was "won" by Clinton's Military), further draining resouces badly needed here at home, with no foreseeable end in sight. Bless the hearts of those who choose to be there, I fully support the men and women who are, but even they are being put into a situation which may be hopeless in the end.