43 ms·

The problem with the issue of illegal immigration in the US is that is has become too politicized, and the issues that relate to millions of people take precede

The problem with the issue of illegal immigration in the US is that is has become too politicized, and the issues that relate to millions of people take precedence over the issues of attracting the fewer immigrants who bring a certain skill to the country. I am going to criticize her approach a little first. She was a minor when coming over, but she did knowingly throw her employer under the bus as an adult who did not appropriately check her status for employment. The fact that this article exists seems a little self-serving and thankless to GS. If you are going under the radar and your employer had a slip up, the least you can do is keep quiet and keep working. You just embarrassed GS for nothing (not that the banking industry cares). That being said, let's go back to the issue: why was this qualified person not easily allowed to apply for preferential status under the immigration rules? She has a college degree in a select field where we need resources, a job offer from a company more than willing to employ her, yet she was still considered in the same bucket as millions of others? That kind of sucks and it would be the same situation as in high tech. Again, I know she should have stood in the line as millions of others and waited. However, today that is an unreasonable proposition as for many countries the line that is being considered is for those folks who applied in the 1990s. There is another conversation to be had about the millions of other people who simply skip the line, and whether we in America try to have it both ways by "not wanting them" but "wanting the cheap tomatoes at the supermarket." That is for another thread.

huherto 12y ago
As a Mexican national with a college degree she could really easily have obtained a TN visa. Then an H1B, then a green card. But she was already in a gray area, because she came at 14 and had obtained and used false documents. I guess once you cross that line, the whole thing becomes highly complicated.
huherto 12y ago
> America try to have it both ways by "not wanting them" but "wanting the cheap tomatoes at the supermarket." That is for another thread. Increased security at the border is keeping people in the USA. They would return to their families if they could, but they have to stay here because crossing back and forth is too dangerous. They should be able to come to the farms in the USA seasonally, help and go back to their families in Mexico. The money they bring to their rural communities will be highly beneficial to those communities. These are hardworking people that are desperate in need of work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracero_program http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracero_program
- hyperliner 12y ago
  That seems to be a formal, properly managed program with a specific need. I was referring to both sides of the argument: people simply skip the line too, which screws people who stood in an orderly line. So with both sides screwed up (people skipping the line and Americans going "I dont want them but I want the cheap produce and the cheap nanny"), no wonder it is a free for all.
  - spiralpolitik 12y ago
    Sadly a properly managed program would require employers to pay a minimum wage, which is unacceptable to employers (along with other things that would solve the problem like mandatory use of eVerify for all employment applications). Basically the current mess will continue because there is too much money to be made out of it.

huherto 12y ago

As a Mexican national with a college degree she could really easily have obtained a TN visa. Then an H1B, then a green card. But she was already in a gray area, because she came at 14 and had obtained and used false documents. I guess once you cross that line, the whole thing becomes highly complicated.

huherto 12y ago

> America try to have it both ways by "not wanting them" but "wanting the cheap tomatoes at the supermarket." That is for another thread. Increased security at the border is keeping people in the USA. They would return to their families if they could, but they have to stay here because crossing back and forth is too dangerous. They should be able to come to the farms in the USA seasonally, help and go back to their families in Mexico. The money they bring to their rural communities will be highly beneficial to those communities. These are hardworking people that are desperate in need of work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracero_program http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracero_program

hyperliner 12y ago
That seems to be a formal, properly managed program with a specific need. I was referring to both sides of the argument: people simply skip the line too, which screws people who stood in an orderly line. So with both sides screwed up (people skipping the line and Americans going "I dont want them but I want the cheap produce and the cheap nanny"), no wonder it is a free for all.
- spiralpolitik 12y ago
  Sadly a properly managed program would require employers to pay a minimum wage, which is unacceptable to employers (along with other things that would solve the problem like mandatory use of eVerify for all employment applications). Basically the current mess will continue because there is too much money to be made out of it.