What is your opinion on whether illegal immigrants who have jobs should be given legal status or not?
(I need to record other's opinions)
They should be given legal status. Who is going to do scut work like picking crops, lawn care, and nannying, etc. if we don't have any hard working immigrants?
depends
Is that immigrant in jail?
Did that immigrant arrive as a three year old child through no fault of his/her own?
Did that illegal immigrant develop software or hardware for your computer?
Is that illegal immigrant who arrived here at age six now a brain surgeon with three children and a wife who are all US citizens?
Do we have more important things to worry about like a potential nuclear war or catastrophic climate change?
I don't think it matters what Ms. Sue, Damon, or I think. What matters is what YOU think and how you can support your ideas. Damon and Ms. Sue have given you some ideas about what might be considered. Others believe that anyone who entered the country without permission at any age, for any reason, is automatically a criminal for breaking our immigration laws and, therefore, should be deported immediately with no other consideration. What do YOU think?
But I'm required to record the answers I get from others and summarize them...
In that case (you didn't say your are to summarize other people's opinions, just that you are to record them), I'll tell you that my opinion mirrors those of Ms. Sue and Damon. Illegal immigrants fall into several categories. Some snuck past border patrol to look for work, some to join family already in the country, some entered legally on a student or tourist visa, but stayed after the visa expired. It depends on the individual situation, but if the immigrant has a family made up of legal residents or citizens, is a peaceful member of the community, gainfully employed, paying taxes, then they should be allowed to stay, especially if they entered as a child with nothing to say in the matter. If the immigrant is homeless, not employed anywhere, is committing crimes unrelated to immigration status, etc., then they should be prosecuted under existing law covering those crimes, and perhaps be deported.
I want to amend my post. It sounds like I think all immigrants work at scut jobs. That is not true. In just the last week a medical doctor who's an immigrant with a permanent
green card was arrested. Many of our immigrants are highly educated.