Your son/daughter has autism? DENIED!

[Andara Bledin]

My point is that an extremely common argument for why Illegal Immigration should be allowed in the USA is the fact that the original immigrants who many of the politicians in power descended from were themselves illegal immigrants. In fact it's one of the only arguments about why it's okay for people to just show up in the country and expect to be citizens.

So it would stand to reason that a similar argument could be made for other countries that if they have origins of questionable value that it is equally wrong that they pass negative judgment on others who wish to immigrate. The argument would seem even stronger in fact since in that case we are talking about people legally immigrating to Australia and not just illegally.

First: People don't want "illegal immigration" in the US. Hell, we have too much of that, already. There are, however, people who want less restrictive immigration regulations based on the "our ancestors were immigrants.

But that argument, to put it bluntly, is fucking stupid. It sounds good on its face and then falls apart as soon as you try to force it to make any real sense. I mean, really, how can you illegally emigrate into a country that doesn't even exist, much less have any laws regarding immigration.

People use "Ancestral behavior" as a "why you should be more understanding" in many different cases.

In fact it's used for everything from "why you should be apologizing to every minority that your ancestors hurt" to "why the world owes us an apology and our own country"

Doesn't matter that the people alive today had nothing to do with any of the bad things done. It's still a common political tool.

Stupid reasons are still stupid, no matter how often they're used or by what sources.

Appeals to authority and appeals to tradition are not good reasons for anything and should be called out every time they crop up, no matter who is using them, or to what end.

^-.-^

[protege]

But that argument, to put it bluntly, is fucking stupid. It sounds good on its face and then falls apart as soon as you try to force it to make any real sense. I mean, really, how can you illegally emigrate into a country that doesn't even exist, much less have any laws regarding immigration.

I know that most of my ancestors were immigrants. Hell, some of them were here about 500 years before Columbus, in Newfoundland! But, like you said, there were no laws about such things then. Also, my later ancestors that left Norway much later, did things legally. They landed at Ellis, and eventually settled in Iowa. Same with family from Ireland (fled during one of the potato famines), Germany (fled during 1870s political unrest), and other places. They did things *legally.*

[Nekojin]

I have some sympathy for people who come over illegally. They are inevitably taking a VERY perilous journey to an uncertain future, and they're usually doing so because their situation where they were is WORSE, and they have no chance of immigrating legally.

But that sympathy only goes so far. A great deal of illegal immigrants (at least, of the Mexican immigrants in SoCal - not so sure about others) still hold a primary loyalty to their original country, despite their situations in their original country being bad enough for them to flee here. If they find things better here, it would be logical for them to try to go through legal channels, try to get amnesty for their illegal entry, work for their green card and eventual legal nationalization.

One of my former bosses was a man whose parents had immigrated legally. He had total sympathy for illegals, and was completely fine with the company we both worked for having illegals on the production floor. I just don't understand that.

[AdminAssistant]

"Legal channels" are often prohibitively expensive for people escaping countries to make a better life for themselves.

[daleduke17]

"Legal channels" are often prohibitively expensive for people escaping countries to make a better life for themselves.

Then they can stay out until they can afford a way to get into our country. I have to wait to afford a vacation (can't just stowaway on an airplane and hideaway at a hotel and get away with it).

Follow the rules or don't come. Pretty simple.

[Nyoibo]

Then they can stay out until they can afford a way to get into our country. I have to wait to afford a vacation (can't just stowaway on an airplane and hideaway at a hotel and get away with it).

Follow the rules or don't come. Pretty simple.

And when you're living in a refugee camp because you've been forced out of your home or it's just been destroyed, with no income trying to survive on what little you can get in handouts of food from the UN and other groups running the camps, exactly how do you afford a way into your country?

[Duelist925]

Then they can stay out until they can afford a way to get into our country. I have to wait to afford a vacation (can't just stowaway on an airplane and hideaway at a hotel and get away with it).

Follow the rules or don't come. Pretty simple.

You going on a vacation is rarely a matter of life or death, and I'd hardly think it could possibly affect your childrens futures in any signifigant way.

[s_stabeler]

Then they can stay out until they can afford a way to get into our country. I have to wait to afford a vacation (can't just stowaway on an airplane and hideaway at a hotel and get away with it).

Follow the rules or don't come. Pretty simple.

that might be fine for economic migrants, but what of refugees? frequently, genuine refugees have to flee with whatever they can carry. would you deny someone sanctuary because they couldn't stop to grab whatever amount of money you deem to be sufficient?

[daleduke17]

that might be fine for economic migrants, but what of refugees? frequently, genuine refugees have to flee with whatever they can carry. would you deny someone sanctuary because they couldn't stop to grab whatever amount of money you deem to be sufficient?

There are legal ways for refugees to come into the country. There is financial assistance from private parties to help pay for green cards/work permits/whatever. Don't come floating into Miami on a car hood, or crossing the Rio Grande 40 miles from El Paso or in the back of an overstuffed VW Microbus into San Diego. Come in the front door and there will be help. Come in the back door or through a window, get tossed right back out of it.

[NateSean]

I suppose it's no different from Canada's policies. You can't move there if you're over a certain age for very similar reasons

[fireheart17]

I suppose it's no different from Canada's policies. You can't move there if you're over a certain age for very similar reasons

I don't believe there's an age limit to migrating to Australia. As long as you're able to work, it's fine.

In all honesty, if people are wanting to migrate with health issues, then it needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis involving people actually GOING over there and TALKING to the family, rather than just going "Oh, she has <disability> she'll cost the taxpayer <exorbitant sum>" without actually assessing HER as a person.

Some of the comments about this on AdelaideNow's FB page were absolute shockers. There were the assumptions that all the African refugees had AIDS among other things.