Illegal Immigration Fight to Continue

What rights do illegal immigrants have?? America can survive without illegal immigrants. They cost this country billions of dollars each year. I am so tired of our government and business leaders adapting to illegal and legal immigrants. I can't go to an ATM without having to choose English or Spanish. Hmm, I choose English - because this is America!! I receive phone calls from solicitors talking to me in Spanish - this is NOT Latin America, this is America! Immigrants should be forced to learn the English language if they want to live here. Instead our leaders have adapted to the immigrants. Our leaders have made it so easy for people to move here. It makes our country look weak and so many issues have resulted from us letting so many people into our country. Our great grandparents were immigrants who came here for a better life. The difference between then and now is that our great grandparents adapted to America. They learned the English language. They didn't complain and expect America to cater to them. If people want to come here from other places, they need to work hard to prove they want to live here.

The term "illegal" itself is dehumanizing and is not even accurate. There is no such thing as an "illegal" person or "illegal immigrant". If there is then we are all "illegal" if we have ever broke a law--like speeding, or if our ancestors came here illegally (most did by standards of the dominant groups of their times). There are only human beings, some of whom may commit illegal acts (most of us fall into that category, whether we get caught or not). Even technically, by the law of our land, no criminal law has been broken by anyone entering this country undocumented. It is a civil matter, like a divorce or a lawsuit-- so if you are divorced or have even been sued I guess you are "illegal". Since spiritually, technically and legally there is no such thing as an "illegal immigrant", the only reason, therefore, to even use that term, is to belittle another group of human beings and that is bigotry. We were all called such terms by the dominant group of the time--two recent examples are the "n" word used to demean African Americans, and "WHOP" (without papers) used to demean Italian Americans (my ancestors). It is time to grow up as an American people and realize that what makes this country great are immigrants from all countries and backgrounds, and that we don't have to engage in childish schoolyard antics and call other people names in order to feel superior ourselves. The current Latino immigrants have earned the right to be here by working hard and abiding by our laws, just as all of our ancestors did before them. (And they are learning English at a faster rate than other non-English speaking immigrants of the past.) My family has become tired of the hate rhetoric disguised as concern for the rule of law and for national security and has started a movement in Georgia(which is spreading nationwide), made up of ordinary white and black Americans who want to welcome and protect our recent Latino, Asian, African, Middle Eastern and other immigrant neighbors, no matter what their immigration status, and help them assimilate into and continue contributing to the growth of our great nation. If you would like to join in with us or respectfully continue this dialogue (without name calling, please) feel free to write us at pilgrim1@mindspring.com . Also, Ms. Green, please find another platform on which to run and do not stoop to the level of other politicians who have run on the backs of the already oppressed. It is not fair to do, especially in this season of Good Will and it also doesn't make good political sense as in the recent November elections nearly every anti-immigrant candidate nationwide lost his or her election.

Who are these contracting companies why are there work sites not being raided.Dose Bannister own these compines? They want to make money off the backs of the middla class. I doubt that the owners of these companies have to live next to 17-20 people in a house made for one famliy! There are over 500,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia and Bennister wants evey one of them to move to Gwinnettt CO. so he can put them to work,

This fight must absolutley be continued and won. Thank you Ms. green for your perseverance. Illegal immigration (and yes, that is a vaild and accurate term despite the gross dose of political correctness exuded by Mr. Pellegrino) is a severe issue that costs American taxpayers billions in just about every aspect of our economy. I'm sorry Mr. Pellegrino, there IS a legal process by which one has to enter this country, and when one does not adhere to that process they have inturn broken the law. Now you can split terminological hairs of "illegal" all day long and how that may hurt someone's feelings but it is what it is. In your poor attempt to aruge the correlation between "illegal immigration" and the derogatory terms used for Blacks and Itlians you failed to realize that those terms were based on racism. The term "Illegal Immigrant" does not descriminate. I too welcome diversity in America, but not under the current pretense. I truly believe that forcing businesses to obtain proof of proper papers is essential in curbing illegal immigartion: when the under the table money stops so does does the under the table immigration. There, does that sound softer and more gentle?

I sincerely hope the county will continue this fight against an illegal use of immigration. People who are not authorized to work in this country and unauthorized to reside in this country should never be rewarded in any manner; certainly no "illegal alien" should ever receive one penny of taxpayer money by any means. Keep up the good and righteous fight Commissioner Green, against this corrupt violation of law that now plagues our nation, state and county.