People rather focued on things that are less important than the fact that many Iraqi people and U.S. soliders are dying everyday.I'm not saying illegal immigrants isn't a important subject but it should be someting to be debated about once we get the Iraq disaster under some control.I guess it also has to do with the media easily distracting people from the real issues.

 "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."-Helen Keller

The Iraq War has been in the headlines for years now and people tend to pay less attention to things they see every day, I find.

Also, the Iraq war is more of a partisan issue since most Republicans running for office, and certainly the ones still in office, are in favour of the war and Democrats are against it while the immigration issue tends not to be a partisan one.

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"The world will not greet you with open arms, but with a clenched fist."

And a wall to keep out the Canadians too ( you can give special visas to the L word crew!) and if you then add a roof you will also be safe from hurricanes and the likes!

"call me old fashioned but I prefer feminism that leaves a little something to the imagination!"

Think of the news media selling their "product". Which is cheaper to cover and will connect with more people? Iraq or immigration. How many people are directly affected by each and how long can you milk the story? Americans don't see propaganda as coming form other sources than the government. But in a Capitalist society, where profit is made from even the most basic things, information services has marketing strategies, too. CNN markets to one demographic, Fox to another, etc. Immigration will continue to get more coverage just as gay rights do, because it is an ongoing moneymaker that stirs alot of emotions in more people from different angles. Sad when you see how America has evolved.

"a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants." Chuckles the Clown

Immigration Reform is a diversionary tactic the current administration pretends to care about.  Their useless rhetoric is used to divert the American public’s attention away from the real crises.  Iraq.  It is the identical lackluster argument as Social Security Reform.  No progress, no solutions. And the journalist's get sucked in.  It just takes up space on the front pages of the newspapers and bumps the stats for the current death count from the war, to page three. 

Of course that's just my opinion......

People talk and react to the things they read and hear about most in the news.

Do you not see news, dreadful news (IED attacks and horrific car bombs against civilians) every day? I know I do.

Illegal immigration is a “homeland” subject; therefore it takes front stage with most people because it affects them on a personal level. In their backyard.  And they read about it every day in the papers to help add fuel to the fire.

So it is really an "over here verses over there" thing, in your opinion? Man, that's depressing if true. And I/m beginning to believe it is.

...and that means I'm damn near in love. ;)

...and we need to deport illegal immigrants found guilty of a crime immediately and not throw them in jail while waiting on their deportation hearings and appeals. 

If you deport them immediatley, they pay no penalty and come back across. The idea of jailing them for a bit is to exact a penalty. You can't earn money while you're in jail.

Just a note (probably a really long one, more like an essay sans coherent structure and style)from the other side of the wall, no intention of starting a big argument and going off topic, although comments are appreciated of course :).

Disclosure: 1. I believe all crimes should be punished(fairly), including illegal entry into any country. 2. I do not believe immigration should be considered a more important or pressing issue at this time than the Iraq war. 3. I am Mexican-American and damn proud of it.

Idea A:Deportation is never immediate; on both sides of the border immigrants are held under terrible conditions and separated from their families and lives for insane amounts of time . Migrating is a sacrifice you make with the intention of giving those you love a better life, if you don't believe this find out about the first immigrants, and I mean the cold historical truth, not the happy little pilgrims version, your own ancestors. Migrating will cost you your livelihood, your culture, your family, and very often your life. People do not jump across the border like someone jumps over a fence. Forget the wall, there are miles and miles of hostile desert , trigger happy immigration agents, narcs, snakes, you name it .

Idea 2:Immigration worldwide, as it is most definitely not exclusive to the US, is a phenomenon that must be dealt with 1. By the country from which migrants are parting 2. In accordance with the country where they are going. International cooperation is necessary, this is not a random or ill-intentioned social phenomenon, we are all to blame, that "bunch of Mexicans" is not out to steal your jobs and join gangs... Globalized capitalism functions only if a handful of nations enjoy the benefits and the rest, suffer the consequences. A wall will not change anything. Employment opportunities, better living conditions, etc. in the countries of origin are the only possible solutions. Those must be achieved by local governments but with the support of international agencies, and ethical business. Those same corporations hiring beaners in the US for less then minimum wage, are bringing it back home, hiring the same beaners for even less in mexico.But the men in the background the ones making the money are not Mex., they are born and bred white Americans. So are the billions of American and European drug abusers, that keep Mexico under the thumb of the drug cartels. If a tunnel is made under the wall, the digging will be done by Mexicans, the dangerous illegal crossing will be done by Mexicans, the drugs will be consumed by Americans and the profits will go to, guess who?

The funny thing is, all this crime we Mexicans cause in the US, the gratuitous violence and gangs, it's not a symptom of Mexican ideosinchrasy,it is not part of Mexican reality, rather it is a problem common to all minorities in the US, so don't you think it might be time to stop thinking of us as others, consider us your own and then we could all take the time to wonder what the hell went wrong?

It's just a thought, probably bit off-topic but I am so terribly aware of my immigrant reality, without having wetback stapled to my forehead, I am Mexican-American, now an immigrant in Spain (although in that case the term is ex-patriate,right?). And although I tend to be a whole lot more conservative then I wish to admit when it comes to immigration issues, I do think we have to stop thinking in this abstract and tainted by propaganda way that makes us believe a wall, and sending the "bunch of Mexicans" back where they belong, is going to solve everything. Reality is much more complicated, and as my mom taught me, preparing me for the dissapiontment that life is, "follow the money".

Question 1: How does fighting illegal immigration from MEXICO, constitute fighting a "War on Terror"?

As Porfirio Diaz once said, "Mexico: so far from God, and so close to the United States."

Ps, oops.

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