Illegals are aliens, not immigrants

All legal immigrants and citizens should take note.  America has an elephant in its living room.  Because my view on this topic makes me sound like I am prejudiced against people of color, let me tell you first that if you are here illegally from Canada, you are an alien.  If you are from France that same thing is true.  This is a hot topic as it fuels an emotional response from people.  I am a teacher, but I fear for my position in the school system.  If my name became known, it would devasting to my future in the profession.  I am also a Christian, who is called to love and minister to all people.  My concern is presently for all the above mentioned people who are contributing to American society in positive ways.

We must remove the emotional aspect from our thinking on this subject.  Where I live and work, in Florida, as in many areas of the country, we are besieged by a constant influx of people who are looking for a piece of the pie.  They come for many reasons, and I understand and appreciate their reasons.  I try to help the families of my students to meet their many needs.  Regardless, I am still a first hand observer of the cost to our quality of education, and the drain on our counties resources.  The taxpayers must know the costs.  How much does it cost to hire translators for each school, government office, medical facility?  How much does it cost to translate myriad publications into Spanish, Haitian Creole, Brazilian Portuguese, and the many Mayan languages?  No matter what you are told about your school, the standards have been lowered to accommodate these students referred to as English Language Learners (ELLs).   We have noticed that illegal students from countries where the education was good do not stay in our school for long.  For instance, students from Cuba come and go quickly, but students from Haiti where few receive basic educational skills never leave.   I would not want my own family to be students at my school.  The teachers are wonderful, but the drag on our progress is detrimental to English speaking students.  

We must realize that when people come illegally to our country and do not contribute they create a parasitic relationship.  People who come here but continue to wave their flags, send the money back home, refuse to learn our language, engage in gang activities, and drive without license or insurance are taking from all of us.  Investigate the case of Montejo V. Martin County Memorial Hospital.  Mr. Jimenez, an illegal from Guatemala, was hit and seriously injured by a drunk driver in 2004.  Yes, that is awful, but why should we foot the bill for his care.  We should, certainly, provide the minimum care to preserve his life, which was done.  The hospital took care of him for a long period of time, incurring tremendous expense, with no hope of recompense.  A guardian for Mr. Jimenez was appointed, an illegal cousin, Montejo, was the legal guardian, go figure.  Now the hospital finally sought help and with proper legal documentation in place hired a fully equipped private jet with medical staff and returned Mr. Jimenez to his own country.  He was no longer in a vegetative state and could return home.  Now the hospital is being sued for million for his illegal deportation.  This practice is called repatriation and is done in many hospitals all over the country.  Here’s the rub, if the guardian wins, who do you think will get the money?  (The sick man or his mother in Guatemala--No way)  The cousin will profit, who is still illegal, and pops in and out of jail on DUI charges.

Our healthcare system cannot subsidize the costs of illegal aliens with no insurance and no money.  Just you try to get the care this man got with no insurance!  You would be treated by the county hospital and released to family or possibly a skilled nursing facility.  If you own a home or are employed, you would have liens on your property and possible garnishment of your wages.  Take it from me, years ago my husband had a similar situation, while employed with no insurance.  Because we continued to work and owned a home, we were garnished and liens were placed forcing us into bankruptcy.

All legal voters should be aware of upcoming legislation on immigration issues.    The SAVE Act of 2007--still has no vote.  H.R. 4088 basically states that Social Security Administration would use the “no match” letter program, which would require companies to fire employees with mismatched unless the workers could remedy the problem within 10 days.  In addition, the SAVE Act would increase of Border Patrol agents and more funding for infrastructure and technology across the southern U.S. border.  

The New Employee Verification Act of 2008 is still being reviewed.  This bill calls for a mandatory electronic employment verification system that would require all employers in the U.S. to search a federal government database during the hiring process for all employees.  

I remain committed to my students of all immigration status and will continue to do my best for them.  Folks, please contact your senators and congress people to give your opinions on immigration legislation.  Fences will not work—you cannot fence in the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico.  Laws and enforcement of existing laws will work and are our only recourse.