Latinos, Others United Against Lou Dobbs

Somebody doesn’t like Lou Dobbs. I would say that NOBODY likes Lou, but I’m sure there are still those who find his rantings and ravings muy interesante. I don’t. And neither do these people.

More after the jump.

From Roberto Lovato’s column on Huffington Post:

For years, Dobbs and CNN banked on the fact that many of the Latinos who bear the brunt of his systematic media assaults–Spanish-speaking immigrants–were unaware of the threat that Dobbs posed. (Not surprisingly, CNN does not translate Dobbs for broadcast on its CNN en Espanol network). But all of that is changing; Latinos are increasingly making the connection between racism in the media and discrimination in their hometowns, and coming to a simple, yet historic conclusion: Lou Dobbs is the Most Dangerous Man for Latinos in America.

Which is why, today, Presente.org (of which I am a founding member) is joining with Latino organizations throughout the United States demanding that CNN get rid of Dobbs. And we are not alone. In the coming weeks, CNN President Jon Klein will be inundated by a growing national chorus of calls from www.bastadobbs.com and others demanding his network to stop promoting Dobbs’ brand of “news.” From a Latino perspective, Klein and CNN must respond if they are to maintain any semblance of credibility in the Latino media market. If CNN doesn’t live up to its claim to being the “most trusted name in news” it risks losing out on the fastest growing viewing demographic in the country.

What’s gotten those bees in their bonett? The kind of thing that should piss anyone who hates racism off. Dobbs has been spending his time with FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. And while the name of the org sounds innocuous, the group just happens to be founded by an individual labeled as a white nationalist hate-mongerer and the group is listed as a hate group by Morris Dees’ Southern Poverty Law Center.

So … Lou Dobbs (who happens to have a Latina wife) is hanging out with folks who basically think his Latina wife is inferior to them in just about every form imaginable and would like to pack her up in a box and ship her back to Mexico. Classy.

Well, Dobbs has been doing his radio show from FAIR’s national lobbying conference this week and many Latino groups have decided they’ve had all they can stand and they can’t stand anymore.

The movement to drop Dobbs marks a critical shift in the direction of Latino activism in the United States. It was previewed in 2006, when media and technology helped move thousands to march through the streets, waving flags, beating drums and demanding change. And now, as the destructive role that the national media can play in spreading myths and misinformation becomes painfully clear, we are witnessing a new age of Latino media activism. These battles will be fought through Internet organizing, on cell phones via text messaging, and on blogs as much as in the streets. Paradoxically, we have no one to thank for this new movement more than Lou Dobbs. The Most Dangerous Man for Latinos in America may do as much as anyone to unite us in our ongoing struggle for civil rights.

I think Dobbs is an asshat, so I’m all for this Most Dangerous Man for Latinos in America label. Now, if you can get him off my teevee just who do I make the check out to?

daniellebelton
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45 responses to “Latinos, Others United Against Lou Dobbs”

  1. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    What right leaning group isn’t listed as a hate group by Morris Dees’ Southern Poverty Law Center? The you are a racist if you oppose illegal immigration meme is even older and more worn out than the all Obama protesters are racists meme.

    Reply
  2. Vanessa Avatar
    Vanessa

    I’m not always for political correctness, but Lou Dobbs says such awful things about Mexicans that it breaks my heart to know that there are people who agree with him. He inflames xenophobic tendencies. He’s not just against the idea of illegal immigration, but the immigrants themselves and their families, whom he thinks of as scum.Too much hate on TV.

    Reply
  3. Vcat Avatar
    Vcat

    I wouldn’t think that being against illegal immigration makes anyone a racist–except if they only seem to be worried about illegal immigrants who are not white. Does Dobbs always/only focus on brown, spanish speaking folks or does he single out other groups too?

    Reply
  4. Vanessa Avatar
    Vanessa

    Scott: Not all Obama protesters are racist (though most seem at the very least hypocritical and ill-informed). But some certainly are.Likewise, some opponents of illegal immigration have been whipped up by twisted statistics that allow them to blame many of America’s problems on immigrants, and others just don’t like to see the changing demographics of our country. This has always been so. But policy should be written in a humanitarian, reform-minded way, and when people start thinking of their neighbors as enemies, or the Other, it impedes our ability to improve the system.

    Reply
  5. malted_tea Avatar
    malted_tea

    That boring old guy? Gee, I never kept the channel on long enough to hear words come out of his mouth. I’ll need to watch this week and see what the hubbub is about.

    Reply
  6. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    he says things about ILLEGAL immigrants. not ones who came here legally.good grief. hit dogs will holler.

    Reply
  7. David Wise Avatar
    David Wise

    Dobbs uses the illegals as a whipping post to jack up his ratings by exploiting xenophobic fears. I still can’t get over his Mexican-American wife accepting his behavior. That’s like a black woman being married to the head of the John Birch Society.

    Reply
  8. V Avatar
    V

    Even the words we use– "ILLEGAL" immigrants– have an impact on the discussion we have.I’m in favor of calling those people "undocumented" immigrants, so as not to imply they are criminals. Not having the right papers isn’t a situation worthy of your anger.

    Reply
  9. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    V:If you are here without the proper papers then you are here illegally by definition. The left doesn’t like to use the word illegal b/c they refuse or can’t acknowledge that the illegals are in fact in the US illegally. Yes the situation is worth anger when it costs US taxpayer money. Dobbs also spends more time talking about Hispanic illegals b/c they make up the largest single group.David:You are confusing racism with opposing illegal immigration. It is the similar to people confusing opposition to Obama with racism.

    Reply
  10. SpelmanGirl Avatar
    SpelmanGirl

    I enjoy Lou. He talks about illegal immigrants, not legal ones. I applaud him for saying what so many people what to, but can’t. As a black woman, I really do not like the way many of the illegal (hell even legal) Latinos treat black people. They will kill you if you walk certain areas in California and NY. If you are here illegal and I have to pay for you, you are breaking the law and should go. Period.

    Reply
  11. V Avatar
    V

    Undocumented immigrants are job-seeking people– often economic refugees– who live amongst us. You do not "pay for them" aside from through your taxes (which are very low in the United States), which is how we all pay for improvements to our community. Most undocumented immigrants do in fact pay taxes from their wages, and there is debate about whether they contribute more than they "take" in school services and emergency hospital visits. Do you begrudge children brought up in America a public education, or a person injured on the job in America treatment? I would not. I respect and support minority rights in America, for black, latino and white people. SpelmanGirl, do you see the bigotry in what you wrote above? Let me flip it for you so that you do:"As a Latina woman, I really do not like the way gang-affiliated (hell all of them) Blacks treat Latino people. They will kill you if you walk certain areas in California and NY. They abuse the system and I have to pay for their social services that they don’t deserve." I recognize how horrible this sounds, and I hope you do too.

    Reply
  12. krystal Avatar
    krystal

    Dobbs also spends more time talking about Hispanic illegals b/c they make up the largest single group.Even so, no excuse for glorifying border shooters and the media extremism he displays.Its hate, no matter how you want to spin it. your presence on this blog and advocacy for such employment of tactless and base rhetoric is an example of that underlying hate and merits the backlash rightfully deserved from the sane 70% of the evolving nation.You’ve traded your noose and sheets in for a night-time cable TV news show…Res Ipsa Loqitur

    Reply
  13. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    @ V what about asian people?anyhow, so what is your solution for illegal immigrants? the people criticizing lou dobbs need to get some business. he doesn’t think that latinos are the problem. he thinks that illegals are the problem. it just so happens that 83 percent of illegals are latino. that’s 10 million illegal latinos in this country. that’s less than 1/4 of the total latino population.

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  14. Another V Avatar
    Another V

    Job seeking or not, if you enter and remian in this country without the proper paperwork you are here ILLEGALLY and need to go! I don’t care if you’re brown, yellow, white or purple! I’m sick of hearing that illegal immigrants are only "seeking a better life". Hell, some drug dealers are "seeking a better life", it still doesn’t make what they do legal and neither does putting a fancy name on ILLEGAL immigrants.

    Reply
  15. Maggie Knowles Avatar
    Maggie Knowles

    After watching Lou Dobbs racist show, I stopped watching CNN. Everytime I see the CNN logo, I feel a bit nauseous. I have this emotional memory thing going (don’t we all?). I hear racism, I see the CNN logo, I feel bad, I associate the bad feeling and memory of Dobbs’ racism with the logo and WA-LAH! Can’t watch CNN anymore without the bad feelings coming to the forefront. Bad feelings are now attached to the CNN logo.I did this with Rush Limbaugh, if I have to hear his show, I make sure that I listen to the commercials carefully so that the bad feelings I get from Rush will transfer onto the products being advertised. To this day, I still can’t bring myself to buy Advil, an advertiser on one of Rush’s shows that I heard in Los Angeles a few months ago. I see Advil and I feel bad that they support the likes of racist Rush, so I choose a different brand.Of course the corporations know how advertising works, however, I don’t know if they are aware that there are folks like me out there who consciously use this mechanism to help decide what products to purchase.

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  16. V Avatar
    V

    swiv– Of course I meant asian too. 🙂 It got lost in the typing.I don’t believe there is a "solution" to illegal immigration. It’s impossible to drop a SWAT, round up, and deport all undocumented immigrants, and Joe Arpaio/Lou Dobbs style demonization of their families is dangerous. I am all for comprehensive immigration reform and pathways to citizenship for long-time residents.No one would mind Dobbs’ opposition to illegal immigration if he wasn’t so inflammatory and insulting to entire communities of people. Most Latinos in the United States are legal Americans, and resent the constant incitement to xenophobia.The problem with calling people "illegals" is that you are using the word to define a person. If you made a bad left turn, should I always refer to you as an "ILLEGAL"? If you smoked marijuana in college, are you an "ILLEGAL"? Not all laws protect you from danger, and not everyone who does something "illegal" is a dangerous criminal whom you should fear and hate.

    Reply
  17. Maggie Knowles Avatar
    Maggie Knowles

    We should have open borders for people and controlled borders for corporations.

    Reply
  18. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    what if the residents bypassed the conventional means? and what does comprehensive reform mean? does anyone who is calling for it know what the process is? and in changing the process, does that mean people will stop bypassing it?this word "comprehensive" doesn’t mean anything to people who don’t know the process as it stands. to sit there and say we have to change it, you have to know what you’re changing. as someone who has gone through the process and whose parents have gone through the process, i think there’s nothing wrong with the way it is now. to give these people who bypass the system amnesty is a slap in the face of everyone who does it properly.you can refer to them however you want. a person making an illegal left turn is commiting an illegal act. a one time act. by virtue of an illegal alien being in a country where they’re not legally allowed to be in, they’re continuously commiting an illegal act by just being there.if 3/4 of the latinos are legal residents, then they need to fall back because dobbs isn’t talking about them. possibly about people they might know, but not them. and he is correct on his stance. citizenship shouldn’t be something given away.

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  19. David Wise Avatar
    David Wise

    Scott, I realize America can’t afford open borders. But we don’t need Dobbs’ demagoguery and muckraking on a nightly basis. It fuels hatred and anger.

    Reply
  20. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    just because you disagree with him doesn’t mean he’s prejudiced. he’s stating his opinion and basing it in fact. bleeding hearts are hilarious.

    Reply
  21. V Avatar
    V

    Your argument about a single-time offense versus continuous offense is meaningless unless you want to criminalize existence in the United States. The act of being here without paperwork is a single offense. If these immigrants are not costing you anything tangible, your objections are also superfluous. And to suggest that Latinos living here legally need to "fall back" is somewhat bigoted in itself– why shouldn’t they have an opinion on something they likely know personally?Lou’s opinions include that Mexican illegal immigrants are diseased lepers flooding our prisons and trying to conquer the Southwest. None of that is "based in fact", and all of it causes prejudice. Obviously you either haven’t seen his show or you also believe these easily disproved things are true.Defenders of extremists and conspiracy theorists like Dobbs would be hilarious– if they weren’t so dangerous to our humanity and liberty.

    Reply
  22. ErG Avatar
    ErG

    Hi everybody, it is sad that today almost a year after the historic election, there are still people that spreads hate to minorities, Lou Dobbs has a similar technique to the one used by Joseph Goebbels (Propaganda Minister) to attack the Jew community in the Nazi Germany, we all know the rest of this sad history. Lou Dobbs uses the “Big Lie” technique of propaganda, which is based on the principle that a lie, if audacious enough and repeated enough times, will be believed by the masses. The “Big Lie” technique against the immigrant population by accusing us in many different ways “we are trying to destroy America”.

    Reply
  23. bdsista Avatar
    bdsista

    Having practiced immigration law, the US legal system with regard to immigrants is pretty bad. It is incredibly expensive and designed to allow only certain groups in, mostly those that are not of color. I have yet to hear Lou Dobbs talking about Russian immigrants or German immigrants or those from the UK. You will not, and THAT is a big part of the problem is the racism that is inherent in the rhetoric. Which is immigrants of color are less desirable than those from the UK or other European nations. Glad we are finally exposing him for the closeted KKK Nazi he is.

    Reply
  24. Khrish Avatar
    Khrish

    How does this man sleep in the bed and stay married everyday to a woman of Latin heritage and then come on TV and talk about Latinos like he does. He is one sick SOB.

    Reply
  25. Elaine Avatar
    Elaine

    For Lou Dobbs, "Give Me Your Tired Your Poor" means give me your European tired and poor. While we have to stop illegal passage into the United States, Lou Dobbs rantings largely center around minorities. He is a Birther. He has been trying to wipe ACORN off the face of the earth for years. Now he’s hanging around FAIR. Look, I get it. Many whites don’t like the fact that they will soon become a minority in a land that was originally inhabited by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas (smile)

    Reply
  26. Paulina Avatar
    Paulina

    After reading this and all of the posts I have some points to make:-V/Vanessa…thank you for being educated on the issue. There are so so so so many misconceptions about the issue and I think that you’ve done people that haven’t done their research a favor by spreading some truth.-If y’all want "illegal" immigration to stop then as the United States, you need to help solve the problem at the cause. The problems = poverty and war. So why should the U.S. bother? Well, the if you trace lots of these problems back you can find the U.S. as the cause. I’ll give you an example, NAFTA. This agreement promised Mexico economic prosperity but it cause lots of hardship instead. This agreement has caused the price of corn (a HUGE dietary staple in Mexico) to increase significantly making it difficult for the citizens of Mexico to survive. OK…one more example, the United Fruit Company…lame. However, I will say that I do recognize the need for the U.S. government to reduce poverty within it’s own borders. There is a reason why there are underground economies…if people are being left out of the mainstream economies…they’ll make their own, duh. I’m just saying that we should hold our government accountable for all their dirty acts.-Having studied immigration law, I can definitely say that it is inherently racist policy. No one should govern nations, institutions, etc. with racist policy. -The reason why "illegal immigrant" or "illegal alien" is so harmful is because it perpetuates the idea of "other." It’s just xenophobic. Especially considering people as aliens. Do you remember when Katrina victims were called refugees? That was a no no…-Why should "legal" immigrants sit back while their fellow country men and women are being depicted as the scum of the world? Not to mention that many of these undocumented people are taken advantage of, denied civil liberties, treated as subhuman…I mean, the list goes on. -Lou makes it seem like all Mexicans are undocumented and that all undocumented people are Mexican. Not ok nor true. So…I’ve made more points than I originally intended but the last and most important point is that spreading hate whether it’s among ourselves, in our communities, in our institutions, in our media, or in our government is not acceptable and should not be tolerated.

    Reply
  27. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    @ Vso money isn’t tangible? illegal immigrants DO cost tax payers money. and the last i checked, money is something that can be quantified. by virtue of them being here, they are committing a crime. their existence in a country where they are undocumented and not allowed to be in IS a crime. hence, it’s it IS a continual offense. they didn’t come here once, and then leave that day. they came here once and decided to stay. do you know the process of immigration? how would you change it? quit trying to incite emotional responses by calling people who disagree with you extremist and dangerous to society. you sound like a deather or birther. @ bdsistaare our immigration policies different from other countries?

    Reply
  28. V Avatar
    V

    Hi swiv! I didn’t mean to incite emotional response there and I certainly don’t feel that people who disagree with me in general are extremist. People like Mr. Dobbs who spread misinformation that inflames public opinion *are* dangerous, however, because they can spark violence and rage among those who latch onto their words. Excusing those words because you agree with his overall anti-illegal-immigration message is also dangerous because it implies that you agree with the extreme things he says: Vigilantes who shoot border-crossers are heroes, and prisons are overflowing with these immigrants, and they are violent and dirty and a danger to your family. I hope you don’t.I know you think undocumented immigrants cost you money personally, but this is a debatable point. Undocumented immigrants with jobs other than day labor pay taxes directly out of their wages, and often use social services like hospitals warily. Economic studies go back and forth on whether they are a boon or hindrance to the economy, but no economist legitimately suggests that they are the huge drain sucking us into recession– we have much bigger economic problems locally. Even in border states, the presence of excess Mexicans working doesn’t cost you personally more than pennies.I am familiar with the process of immigration, albeit second-hand. It does seem bureaucratic, long, and expensive, and favors those with personal connections and technical education greatly. I am in favor of reforms (like any reasonable person) including lowering application fees, prosecution of exploitative employers– fewer people come when there are fewer jobs to fill– and of course improving relations and the economy of Mexico, which will decrease incentive to make the dangerous cross through the desert into America. But whatever the reforms, we cannot demonize and dehumanize people whose economic situation was so bad that they flee their homes to trek into a new country. It’s the generalized anger and hatred directed toward the people who for whatever reason do not go through the messy and broken immigration system that I object to, not anyone’s opinion on immigration as a concept. In this way it is an international human rights issue, not a taxation issue, and to me that has priority.Your attitude is a bit snarky, swiv, and it may have seemed that I was attacking you by saying that defending Lou Dobbs is dangerous (I’m sorry if you felt that way), but I do attribute some of that to The Internet, and with the benefit of the doubt I assume you’re a polite person in Real Life and that we could easily have an honest conversation. I really appreciate your questions, and I hope that you stay open-minded about the people you meet, regardless of their immigration status. Thanks for engaging with me. 🙂

    Reply
  29. V Avatar
    V

    Two general comments that are not really a reply to anyone: I was born in Tucson and grew up in a border town in Arizona, and in the 90s it was very easy to cross back and forth over the border– ever after school for lunch or to get your hair cut. There was not much crime and my high school didn’t even have any gangs, though there was quite a bit of poverty, as is often the case in rural towns. Illegal immigration was a hot-button issue because it was locally relevant, but I didn’t know any people who thought that "they should all just get out and stay out". The local debates were more often about whether increased Border Patrol presence was useful or not, or about safety for teenagers crossing into another country (in either direction!). Has anyone else noticed this, that people from border areas don’t have this Tom Tancredo-esque fear and visceral hatred of illegal immigration? Californians voted to give people without documentation driver’s licenses, and they supposedly have the worst problem of any state! My handily-elected congressman was Raul Grijalva of the Progressive Caucus.Thousands of people and families die in the desert, from heatstroke or malnourishment or dehydration, risking their lives to come to the United States to forever be hated by a segment of the population of their new country. There have been 189 recorded deaths so far just in 2009. Recently humanitarians and doctors who drive out into the desert to leave jugs of drinking water or provide medical aid are being prosecuted. This is a human rights issue, and most of those who live in the area know it.Last thing. Yesterday night I was watching Bill Maher’s roundtable on health insurance reform and not allowing undocumented immigrants to purchase insurance. He asked the question (in his typical blunt, shocking fashion), "What are we supposed to do with a bleeding Mexican?" David Cross, on the panel, made a straightfaced continuation of the joke: "I think we should put him over a sterile bucket and save the blood for a taxpaying American. I pay taxes and I feel I’m entitled to that blood." It was over-the-top humor, but striking in its illustration of how we dehumanize people who are symbols of a polarizing issue. It’s very sad.

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  30. Spinster Avatar
    Spinster

    By Elaine:"Many whites don’t like the fact that they will soon become a minority in a land that was originally inhabited by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas (smile)"Pretty much. Chickens coming home to roost maybe? ;-)As far as illegal immigration, I’m against it no matter the color. Hell, I used to work with a White family from Albania that is in this country illegally and I didn’t agree with their being here. And hearing about the gangs in California (as SpelmanGirl mentioned) also bothers me. BUT… undocumented immigrants are human just like everyone else and should be treated as such. AND BUT… the focus has always been, and will continue to be, on those illegal immigrants of color because goodness forbid this country becomes too "earth colored" and taints the "lilies of the field". Haven’t they forgot that their forefathers illegally seized this land and that the natives and those forced into slavery want them to "go back to where they came from"??? Of COURSE they’ve forgotten. 😐

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  31. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    what misinformation has dobbs spoken? has he stated that they cost us X amount of dollars in lieu of Y amount of dollars? they are not supposed to be here, period. there’s a process that needs to be followed, and they are breaking the law by bypassing and ignoring that process. any other process, you and no other pro-amnesty sympathizer would be ok with people by passing the correct process in which to make things happen.it doesn’t cost me very much. 12 million illegals in a country of 300 million people is peanuts in the big scheme of things. but they’re still breaking the law. just because it doesn’t affect me largely, doesn’t mean i don’t think it’s right. an illegal left turn is still an illegal left turn. even if that illegal left turn isn’t nearly the same thing as capital murder. people want to sit and talk about human rights like the day is long and the morality of it all. but what about the letter of the law? why even have laws? we’re going to reward those who break them because we feel sorry for them. their problems aren’t my problems.

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  32. Monie Avatar
    Monie

    @V"Californians voted to give people without documentation driver’s licenses…"Really? When did that happen. I live in California and although a particular State Senator has repeatedly introduced a bill that would give illegals DL’s, so far it hasn’t passed. And the people have not voted to give illegals DL’s either. Or did I miss something? Let me know if I have.On the immigration issue; I find it interesting that illegals in Mexico are simply put in jail, no debate, jail.Second; when Haitian’s are treated the same as Mexican and Cuban illegals then I’ll have more concern for Mexican illegals.

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  33. V Avatar
    V

    Monie, I was thinking of the bill Gov. Davis signed and Gov. Schwartzenegger repealed almost immediately. I do know there is controversy everywhere about this, usually along party lines.Undocumented immigrants are generally put in jail here too, without debate. But of course there’s a debate in the public square both here and in Mexico. It’s not about whether they’re here legally, but about what kind of treatment they should get: should they be allowed to apply for citizenship if they are long-time residents? What about families? Haitian people and refugees certainly do have the same problems and should be part of the conversation.swiv, Dobbs creates a sense of false danger around Latinos in America with the things he says every day on his show (search Media Matters on the subject). He has said that "Mexico has become our enemy", calls H1N1 the Mexican flu, claims bilingualism advocates just want to benefit illegal aliens, and thinks illegal immigration is among the top three issues for most voters. Certainly it’s issue #1 for him, as he talks about it every day like it’s the end of the world.Why not turn his focus to pot smokers? Or dangerous drivers? They are breaking the law too, and affect him about as much. There are dozens of issues that affect average people every day *much* more than illegal immigration, and to thrust immigrants to the forefront makes them a prime scapegoat for our problems. Certainly undocumented immigrants are have done something wrong by circumventing the system, and obviously it’s not right. Almost always they come out of desperation; I have never met an undocumented immigrant who came without it. Amnesty advocates feel the punishment for it is too harsh– often families get split up and people can be treated without any of the regard for their personal situation they might get in the justice system. They may be sent back to the border only to live and die on the street. I’m not going to argue that an undocumented person who is arrested shouldn’t be deported. But, should they be rounded up on the street or at the store? Should we send dozens of officers into a small, minority town like Guadalupe and spend days checking everyone’s citizenship as they leave the house? I don’t like those tactics, and people like Joe Arpaio and Lou Dobbs do.Human rights for prisoners are still important. I admit I’d have a hard time feeling compassion for a murderer, but an impoverished family or a refugee is a different story. They shouldn’t be feared or hated by Americans, and they should be treated humanely. That’s all we’re asking– not for amnesty for all– and when Lou Dobbs makes "enemies" of Mexicans every day, it creates a troubling situation for all people of Mexican descent living in America.

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  34. Miguel G Avatar
    Miguel G

    As an American of Hispanic heritage, I find the level of hyperbolic vitriol directed at Mr. Dobbs to be completely biased and constitutionally baseless. The man is arguing that a provision in our constitution’s 14th Amendment be legally addressed to change and reflect our current society. Wasn’t this why the 14th was added in the first place?A simple change of the verbiage would address the travesty of "anchor babies" and end a good deal of complaints regarding the very real possibility of illegals using the existing and proposed American health care system and all at taxpayer expense.By changing the verbiage to: All those born in the United States and it’s territories and/or embassies, to persons in country or on those aforementioned areas legally will be citizens of the United States.How hard would that little line be to end the debate?

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  35. Paulina Avatar
    Paulina

    A few more points:-Swiv…I’m interested to know if you’ve broken any laws in your life…just curious (p.s. that wasn’t an attack in any way). Also, our laws are written by our government, our government is made up of people "we" elect (and should hold accountable)…bottom line, they are people not gods. Our laws are revisable and just because they are in place and written does not make them just. -There is a program in place throughout the country that gives regular police officers immigration authority (trust me when I say that I do respect what our police officers do, however, I don’t think they should have that power). This means that undocumented immigrants are thrown in jail and then promptly deported. It’s called 287 (g)…it causes a lot of racial profiling (whether the person is here legally or not), fear of the police in many communities, which causes serious crimes to be under reported, and the list goes on. -The road to legal citizenship is crazy hard and takes a VERY long time. For example, if you have a sibling in the United States that is trying to sponsor you (there are different "preferences"), as the immigrant, you can wait an average of 12 years. That’s a long time and it can be longer for some countries. I would also like to point out that there is a ceiling put on the number of immigrants that can come in for every country…and it is the SAME for EVERY country. I have a feeling that there are more immigrants coming from places like Mexico (simply because of proximity if nothing else) than there are from countries like Andorra or Lesotho. -Someone said/asked something along the lines of whether or not our immigration policy was similar to other countries…does that matter? Should we strive to have immigration policy, or any policy at all for that matter, similar to other countries’ law? I don’t think so…I think we should be working towards having just and comprehensive law. -If they didn’t have to move they wouldn’t have to. Do you think these immigrants like making the perilous journey across the desert, across other country borders, or even across oceans? Would you like to be separated from your family? I’m not trying to draw out any type of emotion by saying this…I’m just being frank. None of that sounds like fun to me and to think it’s EASIER than taking the "legal" path is just absurd. I was talking to a very conservative (I mean…SUPER conservative) white male about the immigration situation and he said "Well, I can’t lie to you. If I were in their situation, and I had to feed my family, I would do the same thing." -One more thing…almost done…there is a long history of interaction between the U.S. and Mexico (once again because of proximity) where the U.S. used Mexican labor to prosper by making it legal for short periods of time. I’m referring to The Bracero Program….or even the current guest worker program that was called modern day slavery by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Basically this isn’t new and is not going away…

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  36. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    and just because a segment of the population chooses to ignore it doesn’t make it not just. the law is the law, and in this case, the law isn’t not just. of course i have broken laws, and when caught i have paid the price for breaking the laws. the process is a long time for EVERYONE. not just a few people. you have to have certain requirements for citizenship. it’s not free, it’s not easy, just like it should be. if you want to gain the rights of a US citizen, you’re going to have to deal with it. just like any other country. it does matter how our immigration laws compare to those of other countries. why should we do something different from other countries in how they deal with people wanting to become nationals? why should we be more lax and inclusive just because a few bleeding hearts feel sorry and want to give everything away?so because the US has a colonialistic history, we have to all of a sudden change the laws of today? the history of this country doesn’t make the law, the intent of the law unjust. and again, to reiterate: lou dobbs doesn’t have anything against mexicans. he has something against illegal immigrants. is it his fault that the overwhelming majority of illegal immigrants are hispanic decent?

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  37. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    and i do think that dobbs does spend a whole lot of time on this issue. a population that makes up less than 5 percent of the population doesn’t mean jack in the big scheme of things.

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  38. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    According to the the attached article from the LA Times, illegals cost CA over $5 billion, while according to FAIR they cost CA $10 billion.http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/02/local/me-cap2?pg=1The bottom line is any illegal is breaking our laws and shouldn’t be rewarded.

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  39. Bmoregirl Avatar
    Bmoregirl

    People are so focused on "illegal" v. "legal" immigration. We need to focus on the law itself. Is it fair that Cubans can come whenever they feel and stay and Mexicans, Guatamalans and Haitians cannot? What makes Cubans, Nigerians, Russians, Chinese, etc. more deserving of legal immigration than others. In a word, nothing. Everyone in this country is a descendant of immigrants (whether by choice or by force) and I don’t see anyone preparing to leave anytime soon. So, who are we to question people who want what we want/have? Los Dobbs is not only a sick man, but a horrible newsman. The topic of conversation on his show is the same every night. He should be booted off for having a single issue show. As for the "we pay for them with our taxes" bull….PLEASE. Do you have any idea how much your food and housing would cost without "illegal" immigration. Every immigrant group that has come here has brought the good, the bad, and the ugly with them. We don’t kick anyone else out. Why do we want to get rid of CERTAIN Hispanics? @Spelmangirl: Did you love Lou when he stated President Obama was possibly an illegal alien? Was he your boy that night?

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  40. LaJane Galt Avatar
    LaJane Galt

    People come here illegally because there is WORK for them to do. Take your concerns to the American businesses that hire them. They are the same businesses that support and are supported by the Chambers of Commerce. They are the same businesses that donate to politicians. Would you like to guess to whom many businesses (especially LARGE corporations) donate their money.Free market anybody?Get real.

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  41. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    you do realize that companies caught hiring illegals get hit with fines already? yea. old news.and i definitely think the wet foot, dry foot thing is outdated. the cold war is over. send the cubans who come over on banana boats back. but i think cuba is sending them over here.

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  42. swiv Avatar
    swiv

    LMAO @ people making this a hispanic issue. because hispanics make up 10 million out of the 12 million illegals, this is a hispanic issue?how much more will certain groceries cost if there were no illegals? i don’t think the economy was hurt bad after they decided to protest.

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  43. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    LaJane GaltWhy illegals choose to break the law when they come here is not relevant any more so than why someone robs a bank.

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  44. hal Avatar
    hal

    again most of the anti dobbs comments come from the uneducated.if you are an illegal alien you are breaking the law period.that they pay no taxes but want social benefits is a fact too.dobbs has never said anything bad about legal latinos but only illegals.dems.dont care about latinos but only want their vote.minorities listen to the msnbc news that only tells one side of news.do illegals really believe that the white house will take care of them if they make another 20 million people legal when economy is broke allready.better wake up and get all the facts and you want get them from obama press lovers

    Reply
  45. jim Avatar
    jim

    if our borders were opened to mexico they would also be open to anyone else who wanted to come through mexico.most muslims are dark complected and what an opportunity for them that would be.the usa has allready lost its control of sanity with political correctness being more important than hurting someones feelings.if you dont believe this ask the families of the dead solldiers at fort hood which some are latino.there has to be some law on borders are this will get worse.i personally like the way latinos want to work and wish it would rub off on some americans here today.dont believe there is an answer to please all and obama doesent have it for sure.just hope that latinos dont let politicians play them just for their vote as other races have been.

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