On Illegal immigration--Do you think it's more important to be compassionate or fair?

soulshadow7669

Now this is a question that requires thought.To answer honestly,illegal immigration laws should be fair,without a doubt. However, I do believe while being fair,compassion should play a significant factor.Reason being,there are countless numbers of children of illegal citizens,whom have embraced their host country,possibly have been in that country for a good portion of their lives,and have embraced both their ethnic and adopted cultures.There have been cases recently where children of illegal citizens,whom are now of teenage and young adult status,being deported to their native land,and they either are not welcome,because they have adopted their host country,or they cannot connect.With that being said,the sad reality that there are those whom have an agenda for harm or other ulterior motives,that manipulate both an illegal citizen into personal harm(Global terror/Drug trafficking/International gangs).So for me,justice weighs heavy,and maybe I would feel differently if I was DIRECTLY AFFECTED by being an illegal citizen,but one has to look at this realistically.

Chris

I don't think either. I think they should all be shipped back. If they are here legally then they should be made too learn the language in two years and then take a test. If they fail, they get shipped back.
If we went to Spain or whereever, we would be expected too learn the language.

mikearion

I don't think you have to sacrifice justice or compassion to deal with this issue. The thing that has been the most uncompassionate is allowing people to break laws that eventually must be enforced.

The most compassionate thing we can do now is enforce the law. People that know they are here illegally cannot feel good about themselves or what they are doing.

Insisting they go home and complete the immigration process legally is the kindest thing we as a nation can do for those folks. Once they do what they should have done in the first place they will feel better about themselves, be able to come out of the shadows and prosper like they really wanted to do.

JavaJones

Well since the problem here is the breaking of a law you could ask the same of say a burglar. Should we be compassionate or stand for justice and rule of law? Do burglars need to be let free because they felt they had to do what they did or that they were justified in their actions?

Dirty Martini

Its more important to be legal.

Fair is where you buy a corny dog. Life simply isn't.

louy lefty

If I rob your house are you going to be compassionate or fair?

Not To Serious

I think that if their are ILLEGAL it would be fair to DEPORT them

United American Socialist States

What is best for this nation and her citizens. Nothing more; nothing less. I don't care what the sob story is and I don't care about the people who exploit those who feel guilty for guilt's sake. The penalties should be applied harshly and immediately to those who break the law.

Green is the new RED!

I think first and foremost it is important to enforce the law and make Americans and America our top priority. That is fair and compassionate! It is not the responsibility of the United States to take on the rest of the world's problems. American, Legal Americans, are our responsibility.

julvrug

If a person is illegal, it means they have already broke the law, if it were me to break the law, i would have to go to court, be tried or what have you, so it should be the same for them. There are rare cases where a child is here illegally and did not know this until something happened. In that case if the child is now an adult and have lived here for many years without knowing there were here illegally, then there could be mild concession for them. Anyone who knowingly comes into the country illegally, should be treated the same, and if that means jail and deporting them, so be it.

Glenn T

I can be compassionate and fair at the same time. I can be compassionate to the people who count, Americans, legal immigrants, and those patiently waiting to come to America legally. Fair is sending the illegal immigrants back to their own country. Also fair to the group mentioned earlier. Why should we be fair and compassionate to the illegals, but not to the legal ones?

Ms.L.A.

Aristotle said it best. " The law is reason free from passion. " It kind of says it all, doesn't it?

Lori K

justice and fairness in law. The law must be equally applied. Currently, we are far from being fair to our legal immigrants and our potential legal immigrants. We are not applying the enforcement of our laws equally in regards to them. Our compassion, as a people, has led us to give preference to those who are not following our laws and thus being unjust to those who would.

JUSTME

Justice, of course. Rules are rules, and are made for the good of all. They must be followed.

Ferret

You 'can' be both. And you use the words justice and fair as if they where always the same thing. A lot depends on "who's" justice.

I believe that both are being practiced in America compassion on those that are comming here legally & justice that we are requiring them to come here legally according to the law & precepts set by the gov., aside from all of the illegal perpitraters that have invaded our country.

granny_sp

You can be compassionate and fair and justice can prevail.

mav

No compassion.

This my 25Th answer on Immigration, perhaps. Many of my views, and research data has Been provided by Lou Dobbs and his staff as well as my life experience. I will try to frame my answer in this way: Illegals crossing the boarder offer nothing to the USA. All they do is take from the system. They refuse to speak English. They can not compete in any work force except the lowest of service industries and drug trafficking. Send all 12-20 million of *Gods Children* back over the border.

Now, lets examine the role of Asians in the USA...Most have college educations, speak fluent English and present no law and Order problems.

There are two Myths that I want to dispel. Number One: Profiling is here to stay. The Crazy Liberals would like you to believe that we all look the same and act the same. We are not all Gods Children as Sen. McCain would like you to believe. Second Myth: There is NO American dream. There any countries that offer equal or better benefits than the USA...check that out on your own, please.

Unfortunately, few people in this forum have any idea what Ellis Island was. Most of our ancestors went Through Ellis Island in NY, Boston MA, RI and Phil. PA.

Lou Dobbs and his associates have agreed that the USA is controlled by Industrialists and Banks. I agree with that theory.
The american people have lost their country...perhaps for ever. Do you possibly think that Clinton, Inc will be any better than Bush, Inc? There must be justice at some point. During the 60s 70s we had race riots and riots over wars...from coast to coast.

At this time, I am not sure that we need civil unrest, but our dissatisfaction with our system of government can be exercised at the Polls in 2008. I get very disallussioned when I hear about the Black vote, the womens vote or the Labor union vote.

Conclusion: I offer no compassion for ILLegals that crossed over our Border.

New immigrants to tne USA must offer this country a skill set, a special vocation or other talent for the Good of the USA.

Thanks....Mav

roberticvs

It is more important to be fair, because we are a nation of laws. It is traditional in Western society that The Law take precedence over favoritism to any individual, group or organization. It has been such since the time of Hammurabi (where we got the idea of written laws).

However, it is also traditional in Western society, that the SPIRIT of the law is just as important as the LETTER of the law, and it is this precedent that allows judges (and cops writing parking tickets) some discretion as to how the law is enforced. The PURPOSE of the law is considered and whether Justice would be served by a strict letter-of-the-law enforcement or not.

In terms of immigration, we consider the impact that forceful immigration law enforcement has on families and our law-enforcement agencies (like ICE) establish their enforcement policies accordingly. ICE doesn't send heavily-armed soldiers in to neighborhoods to round up brown people in trucks, for example.

The downside, is that Mexican immigration has gotten so out-of-control, that it tests the compassion of the American people. Flag-waving protests in the street? Legal action by Mexican organizations against English-speaking culture? Gang violence and drug trafficking? Americans have had MORE than enough of this!

DAR

I think that in the long run justice IS compassion.

Equal enforcement against all.

Mom of 2

Is it compassionate or fair for an American soldier to die fighting for his country and then come home to find an illegal has taken his job and he is now required to speak Spanish?

TLB

If I could give Amanda H a billion points....I would.

Great answer

EDIT~~~~~~~~
No one likes to see a child in hardship, or any hard working person for that matter. However, I simply cannot take responsibility for everyone. If I can't do it, I don't think that it is right or fair to ask someone else to. We have laws that have not been enforced for some time. It is time to enforce them, and let the chips fall where they may. I believe that it is the best thing for me, my family and my country.

Anne

Lets see in 1986 we were compassionate and granted amnesty to 3.1 million illegals, and now 21 years later we have an additional 25-30 million illegals that also are demanding amnesty. Who could forget the marches in 2006 and 2007 where the illegals and their supporters letting us know in no uncertain terms that it was their right to be granted status. For me compassion ends and fairness starts when those demanding amnesty think that they have the right to set our immigration policies, and then demanding us to pay the bill and put up with their bull

StoneCold

The decisions are made by a country's laws. America does still have laws regarding illegals in the country illegally. If America keeps allowing illegals to break our laws from the get go, and then rewards them for it as well. Then society breaks down, and so do our laws.

jestersand - see if you can find a free movie off On Demand cable called "Iraq for Sale", watch it. It's a documentary. Then decide for yourself.

This war has been privatized more than any other war in the world. The war in Iraq has more to do with Halliburton, KBR Blackwater, TITAN, and CACI making a profit off of the war. The more money Halliburton and the other companies spend, the more profit they make off this war. If they order the wrong equipment, they pile it up and burn it. If a $75,000 dollar 18 wheeler breaks down, they blow it up. Those 18 wheelers are suppose to be delivering supplies to the troops over there, yet they run empty. The military Men and Women are living in mold and mildew tents getting sick from that. While the private contractors are living in complexes, driving "tricked out" and stylish new Hummers, and Explorers/SUV's at $40,000 each. Listen to the military personel, who talks of the mess(food) line, and how it should be changed to 24 hour schedule with food available 24 hours a day. Because the way it stands now, the enemy has the advantage of attacking them again during mess hall. And only because they know when they all sit down to eat together at the exact same time every day. Halliburton, KBR, TITAN, and CACI have been caught several times overcharging the government (tax payers) on items they purchased. Bush says in the documentary "that if it is so, then they'd be required to pay it back." Still hasn't happened yet. 63 of the 67 water plants that Halliburton is in control of, are contaminated with Malaria, and other pathogens in the water that those military men and women drink, shower, and use. They don't even know to have their blood tested for any of those contaminates in their blood stream. So this Iraq war isn't about "freeing" anyone. It's about Bush, Cheney and their elite buddies making a profit off of a false war, and robbing the American people blind. As one of the former employee to one of those companies in the documentary says... "It's a legal way of stealing from the American people."

I love this American country. I love, and care about the well being of those military men and women overseas fighting. But I have distain for a President, Vice President, and their elitists that not only rob from the American people. But also robbing from the American military men and women the very equipment, and supplies they need to protect and defend themselves properly. All in the name of greed for themselves, and their corporate friends. Those who use to be Senators, or High Ranking military officials themselves before going to work for those companies mentioned. They disgust me, and they should be ashamed of themselves. Which I highly doubt they are, given how they continue with the stealing. As well as their lies, and cover ups.

Razor Jim

20 million illegals is way behind our capacity for compassion. If we find compassion for this invasion it will be our downfall.

momoffour

First of all, a law has to be fair or it is going to run into constant challenges. So I believe that justice should dictate how we deal with illegal immigration because if you put compassion first, we are going to end up with millions of illegals that our government is going to have to support. We could just let them all in because we feel sorry for them because of the conditions they must live in in their country. But if we do that, we overload our own system with people that shouldn't be here in the first place. That hurts the needy people that do have a right to be here.

aaron b

fair.. we don't govern on compassion.. it just messes everything up. people need to follow the laws period...

yahooer

This is the best question I have seen in a long time. To be fair to all is the most compassionate. We have to run a country on what is fair to all not just because we have compassion for some.

evans_michael_ya

I have no use for compassion...I have no intention of begging for anything in this life. Fairness/Justice should be the ONLY standard of our political system. That being said, I believe anyone who wants to come to this country should be allowed to with as few barriers as possible. See...that's fair. We treat everyone the same way.

Amanda h

I think that justice and compassion are often the very same thing.

We need to base our decisions on more than one thing. The reality is that this issue isn't one dimensional. There are causes and effects. As such, if there are negative consequences for our citizens, they need to be protected.

Each country has the right to make decisions regarding their laws and the protection of the border. Why would one country not be able to make such laws?

The issue is more complex than you would like to make it seem. If, to improve the life of an illegal family, an American family's life isn't as good, that needs to be measured. Also, by helping 20 million illegals here, isn't that teaching the rest of their people there not to strive for additional education and opportunities but instead come across the border for menial labor jobs? Then, isn't that decreasing the potential of the illegals life, and the betterment of the country?

I think the true justice lies in the fact that the illigals are being exploited to do "cheap" labour. I mean, they are beeing used! And it sounds nice to blame the illigals for all the trouble, but as long as they are beeing exploited by other people, there is no justice for that! They are beeing used to do the dirty jobs, get no medic care and are underpayed. As long as the government allowes this, be compassionate. They can't help it also. Put yourselfes in their place, and I thought America was the land of oppertunities? Then first stop exploiting people. And compassion and fair are no seperate things. They go hand in hand, but thats only my view. I only see that America is declining to a police state, and a bit paranoid about all this. They see a terrorist on every streetcorner, and if it is not that it are the illigals. And the only one who really benefits from this all is the Government. They planted fear in the heart of people this administration, just to cover up their own faults. And on the way they make big bucks on it. Only my view....So have compassion and use your brain. Then fairness will follow.

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