Recently New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin drew criticism for expressing the fear that his city might be, as he put it, “overrun by Mexican workers.” Hispanic groups protested the mayor’s statements, but his concerns are being echoed by many people in New Orleans and many more who were driven from the city by Hurricane Katrina two months ago. Illegal immigration is becoming a hot topic in the storm-ravaged city.

They say they are from the state of Tamaulipas, in northern Mexico, and that they came to New Orleans to repair roofs. Some of them say they have also worked in Houston, others say they were drawn over the border by the lure of high-paying jobs in New Orleans.

Of those surveyed, 81% said illegal immigrants accept low-end jobs that Americans don’t want. Some 73% said illegal immigrants aided the economy by supplying low-cost labor.

The poll was based on telephone interviews with 800 legal immigrants from Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa between Feb. 24 and March 21. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican Nationals! The program was called ‘Operation Wetback’. It was done so WWII and Korean Veterans would have a better chance at jobs. It took 2 Years, but they deported them!

Does anyone know how you do a ‘background’ check on someone who has been here illegally? Worked with someone elses ID? Fraud identification?

Are illegals Immigrant take jobs from US citizen or US citizen are to lazy to work? on hard working demanding job? please dont judge me before you read attached article? where are our hard workig people?

Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, and Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, are floating a plan to recruit seasonal legal workers in Mexico to help Colorado farmers who are struggling to find help to bring in crops. The legislators initially called it a “guest worker” program, but only the federal government can grant visas to foreign workers. The proposal is intended only to help expedite existing visa programs, not create a new one, as some critics have said.

Upwards of 1 million Mexicans are successfully crossing into the US each year, leaving behind a dearth of laborers. Increasingly, that void is being filled by people like Santiago – poor Indians from remote villages throughout Mexico.

In no part of Mexico is this situation more evident than in Zacatecas. It has the highest per-capita emigration rate of any Mexican state – an astounding 1 of every 2 Zacatecans are estimated to reside in the US. That opens the door to migrants who come from poor Indian towns in states like Veracruz, Hidalgo Durango, Jalisco, and San Luis Potosi.

If the illegals were “sent packing,” would the US economy be better or worse? Without a cheap source of labor in the US,would more businesses simply move to foreign lands where the labor would be cheaper thus reducing jobs for Americans? Are illegals doing merely the jobs Americans won’t do? Would there be more jobs for Americans and those immigrants who are here legally? Would wages go up due to there being less competition for jobs and employers couldn’t pay people “unofficially?” Would wages go down as Americans and legal immigrants fight for fewer jobs as businesses clothes down because they would have to pay more or would move out of the country? Would there be more tax dollars available to fund programs for citizens or would there be fewer tax dollars due to fewer jobs in the economy? Opinions 1 way or the other?

Additionally, you were all once aliens to this land … just consult your local Native American Tribe. They’ll be happy to fill you in on the details you seemed to have missed in history class.

No state will be hurt more than California, which is home to at least one-quarter of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. California’s $32 billion agricultural industry is dependent on them. They also make up a significant percentage of the construction, restaurant, hotel and other sectors of the California workforce.

Within weeks, the Dept. of Homeland Security, in concert with the Social Security Administration, is planning to send out waves of “no match” letters to employers. If an employee’s Social Security information does not match those on file with the federal government, the employer will be required to fire the worker within 90 days, if the discrepancy can’t be resolved. If the worker isn’t fired, the employer will be subject to a $2,200 fine per worker, and stiffer penalties later on.