Immigrant Backlash

It's unfortunate that Ramirez was killed. This is the tip of the iceberg. We must end illegal immigration now or this nation will explode in violence. How can you explain to American citizens why they can't find work or earn a decent living? Illegal aliens take jobs away from Americans and drive down wages. Americans are losing their jobs and homes. Gas and food are super expensive and families are struggling to pay their bills. Unless our government puts an end to illegal immigration things will get very nasty and violent. Have you seen the violence in Mexico lately? Just a taste of things to come. Illegal immigration is threatening ALL immigration. We can't import more foreigners into our country in these economic times. Sorry, we're full. NO MAS!

I guess the slaughter of those Newark college students was not a hate crime. This act was not anti-Mexican or ethnic intimidation. This was about a bunch of kids who just became fed up and angry about people coming to America illegally. This was never not about immigration and these kids should have known better and they should all be charged with assault.

That's because America is still the land of Racism. Native Americans, Blacks, Jews, and now Latinos are the scapegoats for all of America's problems. The racist white man is still the most dangerous domestic terrorist.

Until the laws are enforced, I am not surprised that people are turning vigilante. It is sad when someone dies a senseless death, and is murdered. The perpetrators should be prosecuted, but on the other hand, if the illegal man was not here, he might still be alive. You have to also include the illegal factor as it is a law that was broken as well.

We really need new laws enforced and people might stop taking the law into their own hands. And maybe the perpetrators would not have acted knowing that they too can and will be caught. They may have thought they could get away with it.

Agree. No excuse for such violence. Now, if only the Mayor of San Francisco could explain to the widow who buried her husband and two sons after they were murdered by an illegal immigrant with a felony criminal record, why he ignored federal law to maintain his liberal Sanctuary City policies. He avoids her and does not accept responsibility. But, desires to be the Governor of California (Northern Mexico).

illegal immigration has reached a saturation point and we all knew this was going to happen. i won't be surprised if street wars break out. they need to go home to their own countries

Actually, it's the illegal aliens who seem to be angry with us. Last year, in 2007, illegal aliens killed over 4000 Americans. Some were cold blooded murder, others were DUI hit and runs, and many others were hate crimes.

Well, I hate to say it, but the illegal shouldnt have been here. I hear all the time about illegal immigrants murdering legal U.S. citizens. So what comes around goes around i guess . . . By the way, Nancy Pelosi SUCKS

This isn't an "Immigrant" backlash. It's an "illegal alien" backlash.

Get it right. Illegal aliens in this country have NO regard for our laws or our rights to enforce them. Now, because a kid gets killed and he happens to be Hispanic (which by the way, is considered "white"!), people are trying to make more of it that it is.

Were the kids who beat him to death wrong to do it? Of course they were. No one has the right to kill but I don't see people getting outraged about the over 50,000 Americans killed by illegal aliens?

Also, where did you come up with this BS statistic about anti-Hispanic hate crimes being up 25%? LOL! Now you're just pulling things out of your ...

I think everyone was aware of the immigration issue way before 09/11, however, the government made it easy for us to live and be prosperous here. Besides being aware of the tragic loss of life, the government offered the TIN for them working without valid social security numbers and mortgages were made available as well. This sounded like an invitation to risk your life for a better life. The ignorance and the media is to blame for creating this hatred. We should remind everyone that the true natives to this land were of brown skin color, the white people were the immigrants. It truly is ashame, we need to go back to basics, we need to bring God back into our homes and schools and teach our kids love and respect.

How come Teresa Puenteon doesn't have a blog for the deaths of Tony Bologna, and his sons Michael,and Matthew who were murdered in their car by Edwin Ramos who is an illegal alien from El Salvador and a member of the MS 13 gang?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/20/MNK011MAFR.DTL

Or how about the Jamiel Shaw II,who is black and was shot and killed by another illegal alien gang banger in LA.
Where's their sob story?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-shaw19-2008jun19,0,3526164.story

Just like Chicago these bang bangers were protected by sanctuary-city policies that protect illegal aliens while American citizens are murdered.

Please do not disrespect immigrants by referring to these people as illegal immigrants. They are illegal aliens. Illegal aliens. Illegal aliens.
Backlash? Get real! There are 1000 times more instances of illegal immigrants committing felonies on Americans and then being protected by the ACLU than the story you wrote. This culture you are so quick to apologize for, because they encountered a single incident of drunken ignorance, is helping to bring our society down. Gangs of youths roaming our cities, highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country, and sucking up every social program offered.
Taxes are exploding to provide them health care, schools, welfare, and teaching English because they refuse to speak it or learn it.
Why not write about the facts in California on prison population, social programs, taxes, gangs, and the role the ILLEGAL aliens are playing in that states demise? I guarantee you these drunk kids will get what they deserve as our judicial system is designed to provide the harshest punishment to anyone that commits a crime against an illegal alien.
When writing such backasswards articles you twist the situation similar to some cities using the words Sanctuary City. The actual term should be anti american city. Sanctuary sounds as if its safe, protective, and somewhat religious. Sure, its safe. Unless you are an American.
Case in point. Illegal alien with previous felonies in S.F. kills 3 Americans. But S.F. did not turn him over to the Feds. Now an American lost her husband and 2 grown sons. Safe? Yeah right! For who?
Protective? Yes, if you are an illegal alien you are protected. If you are an American you are a 2nd class citizen in these Sanctuaries. Religious? ONly in the contest of Oh My GOD what the heck is happening to our leaders. They are GODless.

Please stop twisting the information to give the impression we Americans do not welcome immigrants. We do. But, some of us are not interested in welcoming illegal aliens and all the problems they bring with them (gangs, crime, teenage pregnancies) or cause for us (taxes, overcrowded schools, social program abuse).

And if we had a choice of what illegal aliens to give protection or citzenship status, why not those that come here and work and put no demand on our taxes or social programs. Such as the Polish or other central and European countries. No gangs. No violence in their communities. No outrageous teenage pregnancies. No huge demand on social programs.

I agree with the authors comment, "No matter what your opinion is on the immigration debate, there's no excuse for such hateful acts."
However; it's very rare when you hear about violence committed by illegal aliens against citizens of this country. How about the illegal alien in Minnesota that rammed her car into a school bus several months ago killing 4 children and severely injuring 6 others. Or how about the MS-13 gang member that gunned down a father and his 2 sons in cold blood with an AK-47 during a road rage incident in San Francisco. Americans are tired and frustrated with our politicians for allowing the illegals to over run our country. This violence must stop and we must solve our illegal immigration problem.

I have heard to0 many people wrongfully blame Mexican-Americans and immigrants for being the cause of our nation's financial woes. This is unfortunate and I hope Obama and McCain will both continue to embrace Latinos and their positive contributions to our nation. A March 31 Cesar Chavez National Holiday needs to be enacted. He was a paragon of social justice, pacifism and reverence for life including respecting the lives of animals. He was renowned as the Gandhi of The Fields. Gandhi, King and Chavez comprise a wondrous trinity of goodwill and equity.

There is no excuse for this type of behavior and no one condones it. However, if the man was in his own country he would be safe and sound and the incident could never have happened. Again, I'm not condoning this incident in any way, but illegal immigrants need to be removed from our country. They cost us billions of dollars a year and despite the lies that liberals tell that they add to our economy its only a fraction of what they cost us. The people who killed this man should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law

This attack should not have occurred and cannot be condoned. neither can the attack by 8 minority youth on my wife and I when we exited night school. The publicity given an attack TO minority is many times that given to an attack BY minority. Does my wife not have any rights?

Killing is wrong just like the killings of hundreds of Americans by ILLEGALS!! Want to come to the US come legally and learn English before you get here just like I would habla Espanol if I went to Mexico. Teresa Puente and the SunTimes only print one side of the arguments. We never see the Murders, Rapes, and other crimes committed by ILLEGALS! We don't get the information that one of the major reasons the US National Education level has dropped is because 90% of ILLEGALS are from Mexico which only required a 4th grade education!! That the US and local governments spend billions to put everything into Spanish and teach bilinqual education (why is this usually only spanish)! Truth is there is terrible discrimination going on against LEGAL immigrants and American citizens when we allow this invasion of our country. Wages in lower paying jobs would rise by 30% if ILLEGALS were gone and 8 million jobs would be available to Legal residents. Deport all ILLEGALS now!

Why is it a hate crime only when a mexican or a black is attacked? An American of european heritage can be beat all over Chicago and it will never be a hate crime.
I had a friend in Florida who was murdered by a black man who wanted to kill a "WHITEY" for no other reason and was not charged with a hate crime.
So somebody tell this ignorant white man WHY is a hate crime committed only by whites.

Gee, having a sound immigration policy saves lives. Would be impressed if you reported hispanic on white hate crimes.

it's not anti-immigrant, it's anti-illegal immigrant.....

Just like they canceled Labor Day at Tysons and replaced it with a freaking muslim (spelled in lower case just to pee them off) holiday in Tennessee......

That's what pees me off!

No surprise. This country is under attack from the south. People are sick of this invasion. This is just the beginning, I hate to say. No country can survive this assault on its borders, especially millions of third-worlders.

If an illegal immigrant commits a violent crime, they are prosecuted and deported. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

As for the Pennsylvania case, the savage teenagers who killed Mr. Ramirez should get the maximum sentence under the law. They had no right to kill anybody, and the fact that Mr. Ramirez was an illegal immigrant is irrelevant. They didn't know he was here illegally when they attacked him. They just saw his brown skin.

This is a race crime, but they are trying to make it about illegal immigration. It won't work.

i think this is crap. !!!!!!!!
very badly written!!!!
you do not deserve this job!!!!!
Us Mecicans have rights too!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Illegal aliens should be deported.

This invasion has to be reversed or it will literally destroy our country from within. More than 20 million illegal aliens steal jobs from hard-working Americans, cause undue burdens on our health care, education and welfare systems and most illegals do not pay taxes. Their numbers are growing exponentially and they will soon totally overwhelm this country.

Right-thinking, responsible Americans can help. Familiarize yourself with how your senators and representatives stand on the illegal alien issue. For example, recently a law to make English the Official language of this country was DEFEATED in the U.S. Senate. I saw a list of the senators who voted against "English As The Official Language," and they were all Democrats. This is not to say that the Democrats caused the problem. We all did by allowing the invasion, by not speaking up sooner and by catering to illegals who are here by not demanding that they speak English. Do you realize how much that costs us?

Write or call your senators and congressmen --- tell them how you feel about this problem. Demand a fence along the southern border, ask for more ICE enforcement on employers who hire illegals. Demand an end to the ridiculous sanctuary city policy in Chicago. Ask for your senators to vote for English as our Official Language. And when your senator or congressperson says they are in favor of giving benefits to illegals, vote them out of office! By the way, there is legislation pending that will give social security benefits to illegal aliens when they reach age 65. Also, by the way, Candidate Obama wants to give FREE health care to illegals.

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Write or call senators Obama and Durbin and tell them how you feel. Both their names will be on your ballot this November -- they will listen.

As usual with articles like this one they make it sound like some poor hispanic illegal was just quietly walking along and had no responsibility in any of this. Until you check further into the story. Here is a man who has children and when you check the age of the children....his "fiance" had to be 14 or 15 when she had their first child. The 15 yr. old "friend" he was supposidly walking home, was his fiances little sister. He wasn't walking her home. They got dropped off by "friends" who atleast the woman was still a highschool girl, with a child, and her husband. After spending the entire day and evening with these "friends" he had them drop them off at the park. The girl went home...alone....and was comming back to the park to meet him. The boys made some remarks and they got into a fight. The fight had ended....but he called his friends to come back and HE started the second fight figuring he had back-up and that's when he was kicked in the head. He died 30 hours later after surgery and there's still question as to whether the surgery went well because this hospital doesn't have a very good record.

I wonder, why is this 25 year old man with highschool kids and not at home with his fiance and his 2 kids? What's he doing out with his fiances little sister that late? Call me wierd, but I find that odd. Why re-start a fight with a mob of kids when the fight was over? He is the adult in the situation here. And the only people questioned are the friends of the victim....minus the 15 yr. old he was re-meeting at the park. I mean it was a short walk from the park to the girls home.....why not take her directly home? Why drop them off at a park only to have her be comming back to meet him at the park? And during this whole time, this man never uttered a word? How does anyone know he wasn't making racial remarks in Spanish or egging the fight on himself?

As with every story there's too many missing pieces to come to a concrete judgement that it was a hate crime against a Mexican illegal alien and that he was totally innocent from any part of this. I'm sure the boys will be punished for their actions. As our citizens are. I wonder about all the victims of illegal alien crimes in which the people walk, run for the border or just get a new identity to keep on going. Nationwide we never hear all the stories of child rape, driving and killing people and leaving the sceene of an accident, rape, murder.....of which there are 1000's.

This isn't about immigration.....you don't hear about people just attacking immigrants. Each and every time it's always about the Mexicans and their illegal status and all the problems they drag with them and all the crimes they get away with. The lewd and vulgar and racist comments they make that go unchecked because people don't know Spanish. It's not about immigration or just the color of their skin that has people enraged. It's the unequal enforcement of the laws and the double standards. At this rate if some illegal Mexican male made filthy comments to me and I smacked him for that.....it would be a hate crime for me. But if I did the same to him.....he'd be justified and race or immigration status wouldn't even be considered. Either way, I'm wrong. Why? Coz I'm a legal citizen and not brown.

Just something to think about because if these boys jumped a white adult male that was hanging out in a park with an underage girl this late......they'd be blaming the adult white male. If it was a group of Mexican boys who jumped an adult white male because he was out with a 15 yr. old Mexican girl....the white guy would still be blamed....especially if he re-started the fight when his back-up arrived.

Are we angry enough about this issue to make our voices heard??

Two gentlemen on the ballot this year promote illegal immigration:

BARACK OBAMA voted for every piece of legislation designed to benefit illegal aliens. His platform calls for free health care for illegal aliens. He voted against the bill that would make English the official language of the U.S. He is in favor of the sanctuary city policy in Chicago.

DICK DURBIN, he and Obama vote in lock-step consistently in favor of benefits for illegal aliens. Durbin was against the fence along the southern border. He's in favor of giving social security benefits to illegal aliens -- as if not enough cash isn't leaving this country going to Mexico, but the federal government would send social security checks to Mexicans after they turn 65. He's in favor of the sanctuary city policy. And, of course, he voted with the Democrat voting block in the senate AGAINST English as our official language.

If you are upset about the invasion of illegal aliens, let our senators know by voting against them in November.

Bad things happen when good people remain silent!
If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

Voting against current office holders has been my way of life. Trouble is, they are all thicker than theives. I think we should deport all of the politicians and keep the damned illegals (they are less of a problem)

WTH...... this is the only place I know that we play favoritism with our laws.

How in the h-e- double hockey sticks do you allow for people to enter our country illegally, get a job with false information,& get government assistance that taxpayers pay for. ANd not even bat your eye in the process!

Thats like only letting certain people steal from a store, but see a different race walking out of the same store and areest them for theft!

Government both Federal and State allow this because it is profitable. I can't even go to the store now and see a label that DOESN'T have Spanish on it! Where is the Korean,Polish,Chinese,Japenese,Samoian,Hindu, Pakistani, Arabian, language on the label!

Right--- sounds kinda dumb when you look at it in the way it really is.Everyone else has to adapt except for the lawbreakers that America cottles & employs-

You are all unbelieveable. None of you have any right calling yourselves "American" for the type jigoistic vitriol that's bieng spewed here. This is aparently a forum for thinnly vieled hate to be paraded around in the light of some sort of victim's plight. The opinions being expressed here sound as though they'e bieng formed without any insight as to the conditions that other people live in outside of the incredilby pampered USA. If any of you people were to come within sniffing distance of the quality of life these immigrnts experience, there would be a national call to take over some other country's resources in an effort to assert to the world our rightful entitlement to only the best most exclusive elements of their existence. Its just a good thing that hasn't happened yet. The notion that some influx of non-whites has deprived any of us of any dimension of what we've worked for or deserve is absolutely ludicrous. Most of you would never dain yourself to the type of working experiences that these people endure in an effort to improve their own lives. The last time I checked, all of us are here as a by product of the search for a better life. And most of us can't claim any where near the same means by which we arrived on these shores. At least those coming from Mexico haven't murdered an entire indigenous people to get their foot in the door.

Furthermore, I am continually amazed at the unflinching hipocrisy displayed by the conservative right when it comes to the type of roll they expect the government to play in our lives. I thought you all were supposed to be in favor of limiting the roll of the federal government and its reach into our lives. I guess it stops when ever it comes to what a woman can do with her body, who can marry who, or where the brown people live. Outside of all of that and other issues, feel perfectly free as long as you are a christian (lower case to "pee" off SA007 and her friends) male. Even more amazing is the ignorant view that the simple presence of these immigrants illegal or otherwise is directly related to lowering wages and increased costs of living. The fact of the matter is that our government at the behest of you sub-literate apes has allowed private industry to go unchecked as their CEO's and executives nickel and dime us over a percentage increase in profits. the overwhelming majority of you are perfect examples of the microcosm at play here in how you pursue the ten cent lower prices at Wal-Mart as opposed to supporting your own communities in support of a better quality of local economy. There has been a critical lack of discussion on what industries should be seperated from the pursuit of monetary gain. Healthcare in all of its forms has been at odds with profiteers as a result of this for decades. Not because an illegal-alien suffered a work related accident while building houses in your gated suburbs. Blame the contractor that picked him up at Home Depot as opposed to hiring a union worker in his own community.

How is it that we as a culture have completely forgotten the gains made by baby-boomers that raged, marched and indeed bled for our country to progress to state of inclusiveness and compassion. Clearly empathy has been migated in favor of selfish gain on all fronts. I am a true American in the face of hate and fear. I encourage any who reads this to take inventory of your actions for or against those who are different and truely weigh out the consequences. You ask why it seems that only white are tried for hate crimes? Could it be that whites have the longest history of hate in this country? The expectation that the rest of the world or even your own neighborhood should immediately fall into lock-step with your beliefs is ignorant at best, incredibly dangerous at worst. Hopefully my child will encounter yours at some point, and if we are all at an intellectually even plain, Christmas in your house should be incredilby uncomfortable.

In closing, I can't wait for November to roll around. The look of shear indignace on any of your faces as you serve our countries first black President will be more than enough for me to sleep better at night knowing that your time is coming to an end and we will finally be able to get back to the business of being peacefull loving human beings. Not just when it comes to interacting with those who share the same skin color or religious background

It's not just Shenandoah. In Murphysboro, IL a few years ago, a mexican restaurant opened on mainstreet the same week that a reconstituted Mungo Jerry's opened. I was eating when a local cop came in, asked the owner to show him I.D.. He wanted to see the I.D.'s of all who worked there. Wanted to know hours, etc..
I asked the guy (anglo) who was reopening Mungo's if he'd been 'carded' similarly.
And of course the answer was no.

Killing is wrong and these teens should be sent to prison!
But all ILLEGAL ALIENS need to be deported now and laws changed to make children of ILLEGALS illegal too. Just read an article on the new baby boom which includes the 15 million children born to ILLEGALS in the US in the last 3 years. Now because of a bad interpretation of the constitution by the Supreme court all these children are American citizens!! This means we have to pay welfare, medical and school these children during an already poor economy in part caused by the taking of good paying jobs like those at food and meat production factories by Illegals from American. These jobs used to pay $20 and hour with benefits but now $10 with no benefits to the Illegals who stole the jobs from American workers!! DEPORT ILLEGALS NOW ...CHANGE THE LAWS SO THEIR CHILDREN ARE ILLEGAL TOO!!

I understand why these criminal supporters don't want to report on things that go against their beliefs, but why not call a spade a spade?
If someone enters the country illegally and steals a citizen's identity, why is it bad to say it?
Why can't we call them "identity theives?"
or "tax cheats"
or "false documented job stealers"

I guess the truth would hurt.

What I don't understand is why these illegals would want to be here. Most of their home countries have socialist medicine... Oops, I meant "one payer systems."

Instead of "comprehensive immigration reform," why not "amnesty for criminals that sneak into the US" or "communist/ socialist voter registration drive."

Of course, these are all rhetorical questions.

Nothing to see here people, move along.

I am an American citizen of Mexican descent. Yesterday, I gathered a group of kids that would otherwise be doing nothing and had them playing football in the middle of the street. The parks are dangerous places that attract drive-byes so we stayed on our own block. Suddenly, a lady of immigrant status came out of her home shouting obscenities and telling us she wanted us to stop playing football or she was gonna call the police. The neighborhood we live in is dangerous and feet from where we were playing they (gang member) had shot a fifteen year old kid, three times in the head, right in front of his 12 year old brother, so everyone is still in shock over it. I calmly told the lady, she should be ashamed of coming into another person's country and telling them anything about what they should or should not be doing. I told her if she didn't like American Football, which we have inherited as a favorite pass time, then maybe she belongs in Mexico, screaming over a soccer game! In plain English, we told her to get lost! And for those Americans not willing to Speak their parents tongue, don't be ashamed. This is YOUR country..."Maybe our cousins should stop urinating in public and drinking and driving"!

GOD, YOU PEOPLE ARE A BUNCH OF RACIST. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!