Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Job search: Check classifieds or crawl under fence?

Family hopes father won't be deported
Fabian Ruiz was 19 when he first decided to seek work in the United States. He and a cousin waited until nightfall, then ducked through a hole in a fence separating Nogales, Mexico, from Nogales, Arizona.

They stowed away on a freight train bound for Tucson, then caught a bus to Utah. Another bus took them to Portland. A week or so later, they had joined friends working on a Christmas tree farm in the Salem area.
Hmmm, last time I was looking for work I checked the online classifieds. It just seemed easier than ducking through holes in the fence and stowing away on freight trains. But I guess I'm just a lazy American.

Eleven years later, Fabian is married to a U.S. citizen. He's a father of four and is living and working in the mid-valley. Now immigration authorities may send the 30-year-old back to Mexico, with a 10-year ban on any possibility of return.
What amazes me most is that some people read that paragraph and don't see the multiple laws being broken: Fabian is living here in violation of the law and he is working here in violation of the law.

It all points to a nation that talks out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to illegal immigrants, said Amy Ruiz, Fabian's wife.

"My personal view is this government wants the illegal Mexicans here," she said. "Why would they issue them (a tax number) if they didn't have a Social Security number? Why would they give them a way to pay taxes if they were here illegally?"
First, I don't care about your personal view. As to the second part... because they are morons who have no respect for the letter of the law.

Fabian's situation began, ironically, because he was trying to become a legal resident, the couple said.
Uuuh, no, his "situation" began when he was crawling through holes in fences and breaking the law.

The two have been together for about six years and have three children together, ages 4, 2½ and 16 months. Each also has a 10-year-old son from a previous relationship.
That's $480,000 worth of education his kids are getting.

Fabian returned to Mexico briefly in 1998 after learning that his grandfather had suffered a heart attack. Coming back, he tried to make a daylight jump over a fence outside of Douglas, Ariz. This time, however, the Border Patrol caught him and sent him back.

Fabian waited until nightfall, circled around the outskirts of town and tried again. This time, he was successful. But he's not counting on being able to do it again.
The Democrat Herald does not point out that this makes Fabian a felon.

Fabian is one of some 100,000 to 150,000 undocumented aliens in Oregon, according to estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center. The nation's undocumented population is estimated to be about 11 million people, more than 6 million of them from Mexico.

Their effect on the state is hard to determine. Schools and medical clinics aren't allowed to deny services to someone based on his legal status. Law enforcement agencies aren't allowed to check for green cards or arrest people for immigration violations.
In unrelated news: law enforcement will no longer be able to look at their watches when "enforcing" curfew.

Fabian obtained a job, a driver's license and a marriage license without legal residency. He and his wife rent a residence, own two vehicles and pay taxes. Two speeding tickets and his presence in the United States are the only marks on his record, said Hecht, his attorney.
He is an unconvicted felon, working illegally, and in violation of our immigration laws. Let's not forget that.

This is another one of those sob stories presented by the mainstream press to try to make us feel sympathetic towards lawbreakers. They purposely leave out factual evidence and statistics while emphasizing quotes from the family and invoking "children" throughout. It's just shoddy reporting.

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