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More than 14,000 people deported from Ga., N.C., S.C.
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More than 14,000 illegal immigrants have been deported from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina in the past eight months, according to federal immigration officials.
“The fact of the matter is that our officers deport people every day. Deportations are up every year. I attribute that to increased activities by the agency and increased resources,” Barbara Gonzalez, a regional spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency, told The Greenville News.
Federal agents find out about illegal immigrants in several different ways. Some jails screen all their prisoners and notify agents when they find someone in the country illegally. Others are caught in workplace raids or by fugitive teams.
Federal officials said 14,118 illegal immigrants in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia have been deported by the federal government since Oct. 1.
Anyone serving time for a crime must complete their sentence before immigration agents start to deal with them,
When immigrants lose their appeals to stay in the U.S., they are sent back on flights home to their native country, sometimes with an escort if their are certain risk factors, Gonzalez said.
Each flight costs taxpayers between $600 and $700 depending on the destination, Gonzalez said.
The Pickens County jail screens all its inmates to see if they are in the country legally. Officials have found 78 illegal immigrants since last August. Twenty of them have already been picked up by federal agents, with agents waiting for 11 more to finish their sentences, assistant sheriff Tim Morgan said.
The ones that aren't picked up tend to have been charged with less serious crimes like reckless driving or disorderly conduct, Morgan said.
The Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency decides which immigrants to deal with based on who is the biggest threat to the community because of national security or public safety threats, Gonzalez said.
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someone please tell me the point in this.... am i taking this wrong... or are they just really not saying anything productive in this. i mean they say that so many people have been deported... and then they have to throw up how much it cost taxpayers to send these people home like its a waste of money... and why cost so much.. i bet if i was tryin to go on vacation to wherever they send these people for 700.00 in taxpayer money i could find a plane ticket for less than half the price for my money. lol
Its worth every penny of it to me if you take into account how much we will be saving in incarceration costs, medical expenses, education, and welfare these illegals absorb. Theres also an issue of protecting the citizens to think about. These individuals tend to drive with no license or insurance, they are prone to steal peoples identities. I think its a bargain myself.
Yeah, lets get rid of them all! then we can pay $5 for a head of lettuce, and $15 for a hamburger in a restaurant, oh, and the cost of that house you wanted to buy just went up 100%. Face it folks we need these people. You may not want to see them or acknowledge their being here but we need them. that is unless you know someone that will work as hard, for as little (by comparison to the average amarican), that we pay them.
Its not the Mexicans, it's the system.
Not acknowledge them being here ???? You'd have to be blind or deaf to not notice them, Go into Wal Mart tonight at any given time. We've been overrun with these illegals and thats the problem Many of them do not pay taxes and they send their excess cash back to the motherland instead of putting it back into our economy, not to mention the drain on our tax dollars. Yes they might just work for less but in turn they rely more on the government and our tax dollars to get by thus creating a new class of poverty. The fact is that CHEAP labor is anything but CHEAP .
in response to JAFO
I agree with you about Mexicans being hard workers. They are willing to take jobs that we as Americans think we are "too good" to take. Most times you see road crews in the blazing sun, they are Mexican, roofing crews-Mexican,
farm workers-Mexican.
All I ask is for them to come here legally and learn English.
it doesn't do any good to send them back to Mexico.they just come back.the illegal Mexican that had multiple identities & drown last week @ lake keowee had been deported 6 times.he won't be back now.America has become the Mexican govenments gravy train.The illegals come here to work,send dollars back home & the Mexican government taxes their money.America is making Mexico rich.It's not"the system's fault".It's the Mexican government's fault.The Mexican government pockets the money why their people live in poverty, forcing the Mexican people to look abroad for a better way of life.I'm not for illegals being here.The Mexicans work like mules all day for hardly nothing.If they apply for
a greencard & get here legally,then I have no problem with them.
Cheap labor my butt... just ask Coes roofing. He pays those illegals well.
in response to sugar29625
you must have worked for Brantley Coe to know how much he pays people? or your statement is hearsay ?
13 million Mexicans here without permission, 14,000 is a drop in the bucket and 13,999 of those will be back in the USA within a week. Since Mexico refuses to do anything to help stop their people from invading our country we should bill them for all the cost involved with those people being in our country an if they refuse to pay we should be dropping bombs on Mexico City. Mexico is invading our country and will take over without firing a single shot. Once they become a majority in this country, around 2040, they will take control of Congress and the USA will become the Northern Territory of Mexico. And our governtment is just standing by letting it happen because the current Democrates want these people to vote for them.
Barak Obama, Change That Will Screw America!!!
Both Obama and McCain should understand the dire financial consequences, of leaving the AMNESTY door wide open. Instead of appeasing the pro-illegal immigration entities, along with the big business cartels, the church, and the special interest lobby, may be they should take it under advisement who pays for the low wage illegal foreign nationals, when they need medical care.
Who has been forced by misinterpretation of our laws by liberal judges, that we must educate the children of illegal aliens, and the automatic citizenship of whatever child is born here? Who pays for the welfare, the prisons and hundreds of hidden underground programs that citizens and legal residence are unaware of ...TAXPAYERS!
Some eye-opening, disturbing evidence that the national media won't tell you.
(www.mensnewsdaily.com/2008/05/15/striking-changes-in-arizona-as-illegal-immigrants-flee-the-state/#comment-62672 )
Read about costs the US government keeps under wraps.
This doesn't include education, free health care or prison services and much more not listed. Find that disturbing report here (www.eagleforum.org/sources).
Read about one committees free health care research. (www.townhall.com/columnists/AmandaCarpenter/2008/06/12/viral_video_on_immigration_costs )
Then go here to fight back: We must demand the Federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) that Democrats refuse to give us. NUMBERSUSA for unsuppressed facts!
well i assure you that there are enough mexicans in this country that we can send some home..... and wouldnt even notice. and its not cheap labor anymore.. i agree... i used to talk to some mexicans on a construction crew... they were makin more than the other guys...
this is nuts.. they need to be legal.. or go home.. it doesnt matter if they are here.. yes they work hard.. but my god... be legal. speak english.. or at least understand it
in response to redrider2k5
As a matter of fact, it came from Brantleys mouth. If it was a lie, he told it.
in response to JAFO
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wonder what Obama would do w/ em if elected(God forbid)?
in response to JAFO
The day I "NEED" a Mexican, is the day I "NEED" to get my winter coat out because Hell is freezing over!!
Well, I'm in agreement with JAFO. If all of you prejudiced people would start teaching your kids good work ethics again, maybe we wouldn't need the illegal workers.
But as it stands, the American work ethic is shot to sh**, with way too many teenagers & young adults "too good" to take real jobs & work their butts off for what they want. That's what creates the openings for the illegals (note: not all of them are Mexican!)
How can you not admire someone who's willing to risk their LIFE to get over here & work their butt off?
And you should thank God the immigration laws weren't as tight as they are now, when YOUR ancestors immigrated to this country! Yes - unless you're Native American, YOUR family members were immigrants also.
in response to slycin56
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in response to slycin56
Slyc, do you admire criminals ? Thats what these illegals are, lawbreakers. We have a legal immigration system in this country and if someone wants to immigrate they can take that course. I admire those immigrants because they truly want to become Americans. They wait their turn in line, they are documented and assimilate into American society. Thats the ones I can appreciate. We do not need an illegal lawless workforce in the USA.
in response to slycin56
How can we teach our kids good work ethics if our Americans can't get work! My husband owns and operates a brick/block masonry company for the past 23 years. For the past couple years he has been struggling, he has been out-bid on a lot of jobs because people hire "cheaper" workers and as the old saying goes "You get what you pay for", these people who wanted the job done cheaper end up in a fix..The mexicans are on the metric system so they build a foundation for a house, an American co. builds the frame of the house on our measuring system, what you get is a "bass-ackwards" house! I have seen an engineer come in and order a house be tore down(including the foundation)because it was such a mess!! All because someone wanted to save a few extra $! I am speaking from experience here and I am FIRMLY standing by what I said in my previous post!!
Well, lets see, the ones that are encourageing the illegals must be they ones that pay the $5.00 per hour and pocket the rest for themselves. I can only comment on what happened to me. I worked at a plant in downtown Bogart GA where the owners had about 125 Illegal Mexicans working for them I trained one for 18 months then I was terminated when the owner decided that he could do my job for $30,000 less then he was paying me. This has happened twice in my life. So please all you bleeding hearts.......DEPORT THEM ALL AND KEEP AMERICANS WORKING OR MAYBE YOU NEED TO GO TO MEXICO AND SHOW THEM HOW TO REWORK THEIR OWN CORRUPT GOVERNMENT. OUR'S IS CORRUCPT ENOUGH.
It just boggles me that so many folks try to portray the illegals as the victims here. What about the American citizens that are victims of illegals though. Twelve Americans die every day at the hands of illegal aliens. They are driving our wages down and putting Americans out of work and forcing businesses to close because they cannot compete with the cheap labor. Not to mention all of the plants that have closed their doors only to relocate south of the border. Some people wouldn't understand because they haven't been a victim of the invasion like I and many others have. Walk a mile in my shoes and see if you feel so warm and fuzzy about illegal immigration. Its a bitter pill to swallow, I just can't feel any sympathy for these lawbreakers that want to force their way in and make demands.
WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUCH A GREAT TOPIC!!!!!
NOW HERE IS ONE TIME IM WILLING TO AGREE WITH SPENDING OUT TAX DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!
BREAK OUT THE 6 PACK...ITS TIME TO PAAARRRRRRRTTAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!
It's truly sad that many of you only read part of what's out there to learn, and only believe that which you choose to or what suits you.
How can I admire a "criminal"? First, I don't consider illegal immigrants criminals just because they're here illegally. What I admire is anyone who is so driven to do whatever it takes to work & support their families, that they'll risk their lives to do it. If only more Americans & absentee fathers were like that.
Bye Bye Illegal, don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out, oh yea, AND STAY OUT!!!!! Deportation is cheaper than paying all the health care costs these people rack up and then dump on the taxpayers, also don't forget the welfare benefits that get paid out when they jump the fence to have a kid in the US as well...
IF YOU ARE HERE ILLEGALLY, YOU ARE A CRIMINAL, NOW GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY, YOU ARE NOT WELCOME, NOE WILL YOU EVER BE WELCOME.
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in response to slycin56
Skycin56, I have studied the illegal immigration issue for a while and I like to think I know a little about its impact on our country. As I said earlier I have been directly affected by it as well as many others here, apparently you haven't considering your attitude. Do you consider people that use bogus social security cards criminals ? what about people that drive drunk with no license or insurance ? How about the MS13 gangs are they criminals ? Do you condone American citizens being run down in the streets by drunk illegals ?
in response to slycin56
Slycin56, Heres a link to show the affects of illegal immigration. why not try to explain to these folks families about how wonderful these illegal aliens are. Maybe this is part of whats out there that you didn't bother to research. Look at the big picture here sir.
http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/...
I say deport every single one of them and put up that fence we hear so little about anymore. Put a minefield on this side of it and place armed guards on it with orders to shoot anybody that crosses.
The invasion has to be stopped and it must be stopped at any cost. And for those bleeding hearts that say that's not fair.....I worked a ton of overtime one week and still brought home LESS than a Mexican that makes $4.00 an hour less than me. WHY???? THEY PAY NO TAXES!!!!! Now is that fair?
SLYCIN:
You have a right to your own opinion but, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth! You say you don't approve of criminals and then you say that illegal immigrants are justified..WTF (note: illegal means NOT LEGAL) I think just about everyone in here has been(including me/my husband)or knows someone that their lives have been turned upside down because of illegals! You also said that Americans don't work as hard, you have a HELL of a lot of nerve saying that!! My husband works outside 6 days a week,12 hours/day,in the cold/extreme heat for the past 23 years!! It's an even longer story what I have seen in my career(nurse/real estate)
in response to proud2busa
I never said they were "justified"; I said I admired their determination, fortitude & work ethic. I also have a lot of experience working with a multitude of ethnic groups.
One fact that escapes many of you is that what's illegal now as far as immigration laws are concerned, WASN'T illegal a couple of decades ago.
I don't have an answer to the current immigration problem, but I do know that what we're doing now isn't working.
I also abhor prejudice & ignorance of any type and will always speak up against it. Isn't this supposed to be the middle of the "Bible Belt"? How can prejudice & christianity co-exist in the same person?
in response to slycin56
I am not being prejudice, I said most of us in this post are losing jobs to mexicans and their "cheap labor" and we are sick of it!! You also mentioned Americans not wanting to do the "dirty work because we think we are above it" let me tell you something..my guess is that the people in this post would do ANYTHING(even pick up cans)to support their family. My stepson is 14, all he wants to do is work because he wants things in life, he can't work with his dad(my husband)because he is too young but that boy will get up before the chickens and drive around in the subdivision where he lives on his lawnmower and cuts grass for people..now THAT is inspiring!! I find NOTHING inspiring about coming to a country illegally,taking the Americans' jobs away, and have the nerve to send the money back to Mexico!! You may not care how many millions of $$ WE spend so these illegals can live in a home, drive a car(without insurance) and have medical/dental coverage(medicade/welfare) Do you have any idea how much it costs my husband to have insurance on all his work trucks, workmans' comp., builders license(ANOTHER thing illegal mexicans DON'T have)!! GET A CLUE!!
SLYCIN:
In Re: to my previous post, my apologies for quoting that you said our Americans are "too good" to do the dirty work, that was another poster, my point to you was the work ethic me and my husband are teaching his son. When I make a mistake, I admit it and apologize but, I am FIRMLY standing by my opinion!
How can anyone admire a mexicans work ethic? They throw houses together in a matter of days, and I'm referring to multi-million dollar, 5000+ sqf houses on Keowee. I know someone personally who has seen the type of work they do and he has seen the superintendents and homeowners come in behind them and demand things be torn down and re-done by the person I know and his crew. By the way, they are American thru and thru and the supers and homeoweners are always satisfied. Now.. if the they would just realize the amount of money they are losing by not allowing the Americans to perform the work in the 1st place! Mexicans DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THEIR WORK, only how quickly they can half-a$$ get it completed! And, the person I know has been doing this kind of work for over 20 years and doesn't mind doing what it takes to get the bills paid, so for anyone that thinks Americans believe they are too good to take certain jobs, well think again. The only reason Americans don't want some of the jobs that mexicans are performing (half a$$ed), is simply because the companies refuse to pay what an American is worth. We have to pay taxes and that eats into what we bring home. Of course a mexican comes out to the good making 5/hr, they get to keep every penny.
let's be real! by 2010 they are projecting a hispanic population of 48 million people. all of these suggestions, are knee jerk reactions to personal gripes you all have about jobs or tax money usage. the reality is, the hispanic population is here to stay. we don't have enough jails or resources to gather them up and do anything. just face it! now that we have gotten past that, i think we should at least register them. take biometric information from them, give them worker status and require them to pay taxes on income. after doing that we can then figure out what to do from there. the whole idea of doing nothing until we have a complete solution is what is absolutely ridiculous. the different factions are fighting back and forth and wasting our time and money over a situation to which there is no solution that involves rounding up 48 million people. anything we come up with though, will definitely include the registration of these immigrants. why not just go ahead and do it?
let's move forward with offering worker status to anyone who registers. all that does is allow them to work and pay taxes. pay them minimum wage like everyone else. their taxes on minimum wage is the same as everyone elses. that way they won't be undercutting everyone else with cheap labor. children born here, that do not have at least one parent that is a citizen or both parents as registered "worker" tax payers should be assigned an ID and assigned worker status.
this doesn't resolve the entire situation, but it is an important start to any "final solution".
I don't agree with illegals either. On the one hand, everyone is talking about the cheap labor and how it is okay to keep the illegals here so we can have cheap tomatoes. So, it is okay to take advantage of them (ACLU or some like group, I've got it, MexicanCLU should stand up for these poor poor people). Anyway, I did speak Spanish and when I worked with illegals in a textile factory, they would make fun of how stupid we Americans were to lose our jobs to them and believe that they don't understand English. I don't know about all illegals, but I do know that they were non too thrilled to find out that I not only spoke their language, but well enough to understand most of what they said. They are very resourceful and can, in my opinion, learn the language, pay taxes, become a citizen, and add to the economy instead of draining it or go home. How many of you know that our public schools actually have teacher work days (when we have to take off of work or make arrangements during the school year for our kids' supervision) so that the American teachers can cater to the ESL students. They need to hire more Spanish teachers and split their days to teach Spanish to meet our foreign language requirement and use the other part of the day to teach English to the Mexikids. I think that fair is fair and that if these people want to have our teachers speak Spanish, then they need to send money to the American tax system to pay for it instead of sending it home to entice more of them to come here -- hey, and pay for your own babies, meds, food, and housing too.
in response to goat34
Although I agree there IS a problem with illegal immigration, the flawed argument of "they pay no taxes" holds water about as well as a collander.
Most illegal aliens in the US actually pay more in taxes than you or I. Since they are here illegally, they have taxes, FICA, Medicare, etc taken out of their checks, just likie the rest of us. The difference is that they cannot file a tax return, so their chances of getting any state or federal tax refunds are nil.
Moreover, they pay sales taxes, gasoline taxes, property taxes (though that's another problem I'll address later), etc. So, contra to popular mythological fallacies, yes, they do pay taxes.
There are, however, other arguments that are much better and factual rather than perpetuating the unfounded myths.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
Funny how when someone mentions illegal immigrants it automatically translates, stereotypically, into Mexicans, when the fact is that Mexicans represent less than 25% of the total estimated illegal alien population in the US, and the totality of Latin-American illegals is less than 40% of the total illegal population herein.
Although I fully agree that there is a definite problem when the US has turned its head to allow for illegal aliens to enter into the US, and then comes up with stupid excuses for not enforcing the immigration requirements in the US, and then when enough illegals have populated the area, the government leaders simply issue an amnesty, then the immigration laws in the US lose credibility.
We need to address this issue, but we need to do so in a fair and equal manner reagrding ALL illegal aliens in the US and not just singling out the Mexicans.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
ortizforsenate.org
in response to Capt_Leo
Thank you for splitting those hairs for us! We know you are terribly knowledgable about everything. Can you offer some solutions rather than just reparsing the data. This oneupmanship, of "the REAL facts are", is boring. Let's hear some suggestions for solutions. You are wanting to represent the people, what are your ideas?
in response to Capt_Leo
yes, i believe you are correct, some of the illegal immigrants are voluntarily paying taxes.
i only researched the hispanic data because they are the largest group and would have the largest statistical impact from any solution devised. with 48 million of them i figured the other immigrant minorities would kind of follow suit. i would have to question your representation of the hispanic population being only 25% of immigrants. my numbers are from the bureau of census and by your numbers you are suggesting there are going to be 192 million illegal immigrants here, by 2010! if that's the case, we might as well surrender! we only have a military of 1,426,705. everyone of them would have to come home and take 131 immigrants at gun point and escort them across the border. oops, i forgot, we aren't supposed to deploy US troops in the homeland. That leaves law enforcement
1) There are approximately 740,000 sworn law enforcement officers now serving in the United States.
2) Each year there are approximately 33 million crimes committed in the United States, an average of one crime every two seconds.
each of them, would have to take 260 illegal immigrants across the border at gunpoint. on top of the crimes that are occurring every two seconds.
i would bet a pretty good number of illegal immigrants that are working, are getting paid under the table, working under a false ID, working under false papers, or cash/dayworkers. the general laissez-faire "don't ask, don't tell", "haven cities", pretend they aren't there and resulting exploitation of cheap labor, is enriching the contractors and employers at the expense of the tax coffers, the social welfare machine, medical resources and filling job slots usually filled by the least qualified in our own communities. people who probably won't get or keep jobs anyway. our own young, inexperienced, unqualified refuse to work if they can't make $8-9 dollars an hour. they say it isn't worth their time. they can run the streets and hustle up $150 a week and sleep in until noon.
i find the recent salmonella problems an interesting phenomena. i don't think it is the dirty bomb smuggled in that is gonna take us to our knees. it is the collectors/processors of this produce and participants in our food chain that can just defecate in the fields or in the rinse water and spread significant outbreaks of diarrhea in the population. you may think that to be no big deal. to those of you who have experienced it, multiply it times 150 victims in a given area, needing hospital attention and you can see how simple acts like that can have costly repercussions.
i think it has immeasurable value to get a list of illegal immigrants (by offering worker status as incentive) and be able to identify and monitor them as everyone else is now being monitored. all these "ghosts" floating around our society are unnerving if for no other reason! get them into the system and onto the grid.
in response to In_Search_Of_Truth
correction:
192 million immigrants
NOT
192 million illegal immigrants.
regardless, any solution reached has to apply to all immigrants (illegal or not)seeking citizenship.
in response to In_Search_Of_Truth
Search...
Actually, well stated comment. It makes...
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
in response to In_Search_Of_Truth
Search,
LOL, well the preceding well stated comment was meant re the comment you had posted before, but your comment in your last post is well-stated, as well.
I may have not qualified my comment re less than 25% of the illegal immigrants being Mexican, but I am not sure, since this window when I am writing doesn't allow for me to review my prior post. Either way, the point was to show that less than 1/4 of the ILLEGAL immigrants in the US are Mexican and that rather than simply singling out the Mexicans we need to expand our attention to include ALL the illegal immirgants and not just the Mexicans when we address the issue.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
"Posted by Capt_Leo on July 8, 2008 at 8:44 a.m.
... Mexicans represent less than 25% of the total estimated illegal alien population in the US, and the totality of Latin-American illegals is less than 40% of the total illegal population herein.
Yep, I did qualify it in my post. You may have overlooked it or misread it.
Anyway, yes, the problem of undocumented aliens in the US is very real and can pose some serious threats. Your mention of salmonella is an excellent example for a good argument to back up your post. Moreover, other health risks are a reality... entries without inspection could cause serious pandemic consequences. Look at the Tuberculosis incidents that have occured in air travel over the past few years.
Actually, (LOL) we are on page on this topic.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
Slycin56.....Are you stupid or something?!!!....
there are absentee fathers in mexico too...do you know why?.....because THEY ARE HERE!!!
Do you not think? do you not realize? Are you that far off track? Are you that ignorant?! Do you really think you make sense?
It wouldnt be so bad if we who pay the taxes, get at least the same
benefits as they do. But the free ride needs to stop....
also, Slycin56, since you dont care about where your money goes, I was wondering if you would mind loaning me about 600 dollars, because I want to
take a cruise to Cazumel Mexico?
PLEASE!?
in response to Capt_Leo
the point is, regardless of how many millions there are, all immigrants are going to need a solution which is going to include illegal or not. sending them all home, is not even a possibility.
even when picked up for a minor crime, we are following a path of least cost by sending them back to come through the fence again. we don't have the jails to hold them all. in their situation, anything and everything they do is technically a crime. selective enforcement invites retaliation from their relatives in the food chain. it is not a pretty picture.
Attrition through enforcement is the answer here. Take their jobs magnet, take their welfare and they will self deport in large numbers. In the 80's the government had the bright idea to legalize the ones already here too since they supposedly weren't going to leave anyway and here we are today in worse shape than back then. We cannot solve the poverty problems in mexico, guatemala, chile, honduras, etc by simply opening our borders and granting citizenship or work permits. By the way, the majority of border jumpers these days are about 80% mexican, thats why the border patrol uses the term OTM for illegal border crossers. There are mexican border jumpers and there are Other Than Mexican border breakers, OTM's.
in response to southernwoman
If you get a moment, read my 2nd post. It's just like what you wrote in your comment. I hope more people read the comments that me and you posted in re: to homebuilding because it is VERY true and we are speaking from first hand experience. Have a blessed day.
SOUTHERNWOMAN:
I think the ONLY one in here that "admires" a mexicans work ethic is SLYCIN. I have been back and forth with SLYCIN for days giving this person first hand experience information. My response from SLYCIN is that I am prejudice...No, I just speak the truth.
sugar29625:
Don't even start on Coe Roofing. I had my roof done by them a few years ago and YES most of the workers were Mexicans. BUT I had to fire an AMERICAN man when it took him almost 2 months and about three phone calls and he kept telling me "Oh I will be there", and he never showed up. Coe Roofing was there in less than a week and had the job done in one day.
in response to proud2busa
Exactly, we are not trying to be prejudice. It's just very hard to not be when our's are trying to make a decent living and get cut short because some stingy developer choose to save a few bucks, only to realize down the line they should've used a true, qualified individual in the first place. Being that you have family in construction, you know that a builder has to stand behind their work for years. And I'm sure you've seen some of the structural disasters these people create! How are some of the builders gonna feel in 5-10 yrs when homeoweners call demanding the foundations be fixed, etc.? All at the cost of cheap labor. I was close to purchasing a townhome in the late 90's but after seeing the shoddy work those cheap laborers performed (and to my luck the home was not completed by the closing date), I chose to purchase a brick home built back in the 70's. I know my home was built by good ole hardworking Americans and it shows as I tear out walls and such while I'm doing renovations. Those folks that think some Americans are too good for this kind of work are wrong. Every day, someone new, American, of course, comes on the jobsites asking if anyone is hiring.
in response to clemson_girl
a day? for your whole house to be roofed. my house is only 1400 sq.feet and it took them 5 days. course it was when we were having record temps. so they quit around 1 or 2 every day, but, wow!
xenacat2:
Yep. They started at 8am and were finished when I got home that evening around 8. Not exactly sure how long they were actually there. This was in the month of July I think. But there was a roof full of Mexican guys. I highly recommend Coe Roofing.
in response to southernwoman
You are absolutely right! And yes, I have seen some structural disasters! I guess the homeowners will be S.O.L if something happens because chances are the "cheaper labor" was done by illegals and I will bet my house and truck they(illegals)don't have general liability insurance not to mention workmans comp. You get what you pay for! Yes,my husband is a brick/block mason. He always had a job to keep him busy until about the last 2 years when developers' realized how much $$ they can save by hiring cheap labor. He still keeps busy but, there are times when he won't have anything for a week. That's when he drives around to any/every building site looking for work. 7 out of 10 times he is out-bid by illegals, it's a good thing there are still some "true American" developers' that make sure he not only owns the company, but works it as well(they want to make sure my husband isn't sub-contracting out to illegals)I am in the real estate business and I can tell you, your home may have been built in the 70's, but you are 100% right, it was "American made" and NO corners were cut. If you ever want to sell your home, you will get just as much for it (providing kitchen, baths are updated)as a brand new home! We live in an older home as well and I wouldn't have it any other way!
in response to proud2busa
" and I will bet my house and truck they(illegals)don't have general liability insurance not to mention workmans comp."
Are you referring to the Hispanic construction groups when you are referring to "illegals"? Um, if so, then would you like to bring your truck and the deed over here? Might be nice to get a vehicle and a house so easily based on someone's pure ignorance... or stupidity.
"7 out of 10 times he is out-bid by illegals, "
Are you sure they are illegals who outbid him... or just dark-skinned folks who look like Mexicans since 'they all look alike'?
When I had my multi-lines insurance agency in Greenville (1997-2004), I sold alot of General Liability and Workman's Compensation plans to Hispanic contractors (some Mexican, some Guatemalan, some Honduran, some Salvadoran... etc.). And every one of those clients of mine were legal, and they were licensed by the State of SC, which otherwise, they could not have been licensed.
I'm proud to be an American, too... I am just not ignorantly bigotted. The two are not necessarily equivocably synonymous.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
There are some things I WON'T do for a vote... and one of those things is that I won't sell my soul.
BTW, my immediately preceding comment does not contradict my belief that a definite problem exists in the US regarding illegal aliens which are undocumented and that we need to address the issue of illegal aliens in SC as well as the rest of the US. I just don't believe in the bigotry behind discrimination due to one's color, race, nationality, ethnicity, or gender.
Actually, Search made some excellent comments and positive suggestions which I think warrant addressing and serious considerations.
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
in response to Capt_Leo
No. I am speaking from experience. So, before you judge me, I am talking about 2 builders, who built several distinct homes in the Anderson area for the past couple years. My husband and I went to talk to these men about doing their mason work, I never will forget, their EXACT words were "we hire illegals, they are cheaper"! You were not there, I was so, don't kill the messanger. Your comment about "dark skinned folks" are you assuming that I call all dark skinned people "illegals"? I guess I call my husband an "illegal", he is dark skinned because he is Native American. I work for one of the largest real estate companies in the WORLD, I am blind to color, age, ethnic group, sexual orientation, etc. The comments that I made about this article are from personal experience(all comments that were made to my husband and I)
I realize you have a lot of knowledge about a lot of different things and I admire that but, did you ever think that my personal experience is something you don't know because you were not there.
in response to proud2busa
proud,
I am not "judging" you. I asked question that were left begging. How do you know they were illegals? And when you qualify a comment in such generalities that indicate all, always, most, the majority, then you need to realize it will leave the question begging (plain, Philosophy 101).
Your comments regarding the illegals, when the fact is that most Hispanic contractors realize the prejudices simply because they are Hispanic, even though some of them might actually be US Citizens, came off as being quite prejudicially bigotted. I am not personally attacking you, just pointing out how the comment read.
I am Hispanic. I owned the first Hispanic-owned multi-lines insurance agency in the Upstate, and possibly in the State of SC. I was born in Cuba. In 1969, I raised my right hand and pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the USA. I was congratulated by Bob Dole for taking my American Citizenship so seriously, especially for being a 5th grader. I still remember that day.
This being said, I might be Hispanic, but I cannot condone illegal entry into the US. And at the risk of redundancy, I feel there is a real and definitive need to address the issue of illegal aliens in the US.
BUT, I also feel strongly against stereotyping and folks making unfounded judgments on other folks based on nationality, ethnicity, race, color, creed, sex, etc. When you see a "Hispanic-looking" person out there on a job-site, don't just assume that he is an illegal alien just because he "looks it".
I even caught myself making that mistake once, as I went to a group of folks that "looked Hispanic", and started speaking Spanish to them. They just looked at me. Come to find out they were Cherokee. Talk about being embarassed!
Probably the best suggestion I have heard made by ANYONE regarding the matter of illegal aliens in the US, as a positive solution... was made by Search in this article's postings of comments.
And that suggestion is one that I will be looking into and expounding on seriously next year If I get the position I am applying for.
I appreciate your response in qualifying your earlier comment and clearing things up.
:)
Plain.
Simple.
Common Sense.
Capt. Leonardo Ortiz (USMM)
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