freeSpeech: 'Carlos'

Undocumented Young Man Describes Difficulties In Obtaining

(CBS)  I cannot show you my face tonight because if I were identified I could be deported. After hearing my story, I hope that you will question whether this is what I deserve.

My parents and I came here from Guatemala on a 6 month tourist visa. I was 11 years old. Before we left, our family business went bankrupt. We had lost our home there, and my parents could not afford to pay for school. So with the money we got from selling all our furniture, my parents bought airplane tickets and we came to the U.S. because it was our last hope.

Within a year of my arrival, I was already in regular English classes and on the Honor Roll. My dad got a job in construction, my mom cleaned houses. Three nights a week, my parents, my 9 year old sister and I used to pick up the garbage at a factory. On weekends, we collected bottles to recycle. Almost from the beginning my parents paid taxes, and two years after we arrived here, they applied for legal residency. Believe it or not, our application is still pending. That means my parents and sister and I can still be deported even though we did everything we were supposed to do to try to become legal.

I ended up graduating 5th in my high school class and have since graduated college and I hope to become a lawyer. But because I am undocumented, I could never get a license to practice law and that puts me in a state of limbo. I've grown up here and I feel American - I just lack the piece of paper that validates it.


"Carlos" is a young man who arrived in the United States without speaking english over 10 years ago, and recently graduated college. He aspires to become a lawyer.

His future and the future of thousands of other students who have grown up in the U.S. depends on the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) now pending in Congress. For more information visit the website, www.dontjustdreamact.com.

[cbs_suckass]

CBS thinks the invasion is a game? WHEN WILL YOU BROADCAST HOW US AMERICANS FEEL ABOUT ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS? We have had it with your B***SH*T!
2000 Americans have been murdered by illegal aliens in california alone. CBS tries to scare the hell out of the country nightly with the latest warnings. Now they are betraying the very people who made CBS what they are today. YOU SUCK CBS & Katie better start showing OUR side of the ILLEGAL immigration debate....theAmerican side. America is NOT A MALL!

DEPORT Jose TODAY, and his criminal family! No mention that jose's father OES NOT HIRE AMERICANS only other ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS?

Wise up CBS & tell the truth!

[l3anyan]

Any politician that supports any bill or movement supporting illegal immigrants needs to be removed from office... regardless to which party they belong. Vote third party if you must but vote. Too little action on our end.

[dsl8600]

The Center for Immigration Studies was a statistical averaging group that moved to the Study of the Immigration Problem. They have testified before Congress on a number of occassions, and if you are interested in the tax status of this Carlos person, this is the address:
Giving Cover to Illegal Aliens
IRS Tax ID Numbers Subvert Immigration Law

http://www.cis.org/articles/2002/back1202.html

[gentlearts]

I am so heartened by everyone's comments. The media would have us believe that anyone who does not support illegals is in the minority.
Carlos should go back to Guatemala, where he could probably thrive given his educational advantages and improve the Guatemalan society, and wait to be admitted to the US legally like everyone else had to.

[lesb35]

I hear ya on the sick of Spanish being shoved down your throat. Some Mexican illegals moved into a house on our block and it's drug down the entire neighborhood. They park a dozen cars on the yard, play the fiesta music at full blast, have drunkan brawls. They act like they own the *** block and they're not even legal. Why aren't they being deported.

[peteingc]

I'm seriously confused, Virtually all,if not all of the comments that are written, and published are against the proposition that the illegals serve some useful purpose. While the character you've focused on has met some rather imposing challenges, what's to say that there are not others who have entered this country legally, and who have accomplished eevery bit as much as this illegal, and have faced even greater adversity. This guy is nothing more than an illegal looking for some justification to continue using this countries entitlements to achieve a life style, which he would like to embtace. They (the illegals) do nothing other than raise our taxes and reduce our overall net value. When is CBS going to have someone who represents the counterpoint point of view? When are the ILLEGALS going to learn that there are appropriate mechanisms for entering this country legally, and blameing, or trying to blame the beaurocracy, for delay in granting them appropriate citizenship, is nothing more than trying to blame every one else for your problems, which are really self generated. Build the wall then work on solving the 12 million or more problem!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hsmagst]

In response to nolalou.......They came on a tourist visa and overstayed it....they did not do things the legal way....they knew they would be looking for work when they came here.....and as for picking vegetable, I'd gladly pay a higher price for produce if it meant there was a great reduction in illegal immigration. The problem would not go away though if I did since the illegals would still get hired at *** wages even if I did pay more......no incentive for growers to pay legal residents more when an illegal will do it for less......growers need to be fined for hiring illegals.

CBS, you need to stop trying to guilt people out with politically correct sob story.

It's sad that Carlos family lost their business in Guatemala. But does that mean America should give amnesty to every single family in other country w/o money citizenship?

It's interesting too, CBS pick this Carlos as an example that EVERY illegals should be given amnesty because he went to law school and his family worked hard (since we can't verify Carlos true identity, who knows if his background story is true)? It'd be nice if every illegals crossing our border ended up A students and contribute.

The fact is, all kinds of illegals get thru, whether it's farmer pickers AND gang members like MS-13 (why won't CBS do a segment on the destruction MS-13 cause in North America?), and drug dealers poisoning our streets. CBS woud like you to believe this cartoony image of all illegals are these heart warming poor family with star students.

Carlos parents are the ones who brought him and his sister here, not America. Illegal entry is illegal, no matter what your background is. Worst, CBS is pendering to politically correct sob story to get ratings.

For CBS's next commentary, how about get a illegal gang members sit down in shadow, so he can talk can about how much drugs he sell or how many guns he used to gun down people, and why won't America let anymore of his MS13 homies to come over to kill more people? That would be a balance persepctive, CBS.

[itpro2]

This is baffling to me. There are people in this country legally who can't find jobs and feed their families. We control and monitor immigration in order to protect our economy and our people. CBS can forget about my support. The vast majority of Americans feel as I do. Illegal means illegal, stop taking are resources.

[cheyenne16-2009]

RE "another American idiot"....comment on special rules 245(i), posted by nolalou...

Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act will be available temporarily to people physically present in the United States on the date of enactment, December 21, 2000.

In order to be eligible for 245(i) adjustment under the LIFE Act, a person must be the beneficiary of an immigrant petition or application for labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001.

Section 245(i) is not amnesty for all persons unlawfully in the United States.

If you are living illegally in the United States, the mere filing of a visa petition or application for a labor certification has no effect on your current immigration status or unlawful presence in the United States.

The LIFE Act provides a very short window of opportunity, which ended April 30, 2001, for individuals to preserve their eligibility to file for adjustment of status under Section 245(i).

All petitions and applications must be properly filed and approvable when filed.

~You might want to do your homework next time.

[itpro2]

I can't believe that they would put a story like this on. Are they going to put on someone who has been displaced by an illegal alien? I know people in the construction industry who lost their $22 an hour job because they can hire illegals to work for $9.50. And, as far as their picking vegetables, only about 2% are picking veggies. Read the post by Cheyenne16.

I am an IT Professional and I have worked in areas that they are hiring people with H-1B visas over American citizens because they can hire them for about 1/2 the cost of an American.

I write to my congress (HR & Sen) at least once a week to encourage them to pass proper legislation to combat this growing problem with the invasion of this country, distruction of the dessert plants and the federal parks along the border, the bat caves that have been invaded by illegals and have chased away the endangered bats species. The list goes on and on.

Hospitals along the borders and in California are closing because about 80% are illegal immigrants who have no insurance and are having anchor babies. If something is not done, the problem will continue to grow.

[ti30stat]

Amen to the posting by Rob5257. I couldn't agree more. Did you ever wonder what Mexico would be like if all the illigal immegrants used the same organization skills, passion and effort in trying to stay in our country to reform their own country. If they are willing to put their life on the line to cross the dessert and illigally enter this country, organize protests and march from city to city to have their voices heard, why wouldnt they take all that passion and energy and reform their own country? If they don't like their government then put your life on the line and change it. If illigal immigrants are so hard working why dont they put all that labor into building business and industry in their own country and work with the United States instead of circumventing the system, break all the laws that our forefathers put their lives on the line for. Then use our constitution as a platform to whine about not getting what they want. I see them as a bunch of opportunist and all the heart wrenching stories in the media about people like Carlos are not going to convince me otherwise.

[rob5257]

It's amazing how illegals don't feel they have done anything wrong! Racism has nothing to do with it. You make a mockery out of our laws. To the person that asked "Who will pick your vegetables?"
It won't be the "anchor babies" because they are too busy going to college on our tax dollars and taking jobs from future generations of Americans. And if you want to talk racism, if Haiti was on the other side of the border, then we wouldn't even be having this discussion. The illegals have it made! Just sign me...use to live in
Atlanta, but now it's like Mexico.

[cheyenne16-2009]

Nolalou ~ guess who the "idiot" is, spreading untruths via the internet?
Looks like it's you.

This is the ugly truth about illegal immigration:

Source: 2006 (1st Qtr) INS/FBI Statistical Report on Undocumented Immigration.

62% of all illegals in the USA are working for cash, not paying taxes.

95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens;
83% of warrants for murder in Phoenix are for illegal aliens;
86% of warrants for murder in Albuquerque are for illegal aliens;
75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Albuquerque are illegal aliens;
24.9% of all inmates in CA detention centers,
40.1% of all inmates in AZ detention centers, and
48.2% of all inmates in NM detention centers
are Mexicans here illegally.

29% (630,000) convicted illegal alien felons fill our state and federal prisons at a cost of $1.6 billion annually;

Less than 2% of illegal aliens in the United States are picking crops , but 41% are on welfare.

There is a lot more, I can post it if you need to see it.

[nolalou]

another typical comment by another American Idiot (to borrow a phrase from Green Day!) 1000 brutal criminals? site your source for this made up number!
Snopes.com and the LA times state the "95% of all outstanding warrents for homocide target illegal aliens" is an urban myth, totaly made up and spread around the internet as 'fact'.

As to the issue that some illegal aliens overstayed their visas, these is still a way for those people to remain, while they apply for a change of status. See this quote from the US Immigration web site:

"If you entered the United States unlawfully, if you entered with permission but did not stay in lawful status, or if you worked without permission, you normally would have to leave the United States in order to apply for an immigrant visa. Special rules under section 245(i) may allow you to apply to adjust status without leaving the United States."

[b_sennot]

This is insane. For every one illegal "law student" there are 1000 brutal criminals that flow like sewage over the southern border. Fact: In LA (the second largest city in the United States) 95% of all outstanding warrents for homocide target illegal aliens. Violent Murderous gangs all over the country are made up almost entirely of illegal aliens. There is no justifiable pro-illegal alien argument. Every argument is either racist or stupid and no pro-illegal argument can stand the test of honest logic. Period. Build a wall and allow our military to shoot and kill all intruding crimaliens.

[standlee5]

And I'm still wondering who paid for law school.

[standlee5]

Did Carlos say that he was here picking vegetables?

[standlee5]

You didn't address the fact that they illegally overstayed their visa.

[nolalou]

I can't belive some of the racist comments to this story! Assuming all latino imigrants (leagal or otherwise) are gangbangers for example!

Also, to clarify a couple of points made here, he and his family are applying for permanent residence, not citizenship. He said that application is still pending. They are allowed by law to apply while in the USA, it is NOT required to do so before they arrive. In fact, accouding to the US government immigration services web site:

" Applicants for adjustment to permanent resident status are eligible to apply for a work permit while their cases are pending."

So they are legaly allowed to work, while waiting for the application to be processed!

So let's not sterotype illegal imegrants! If we did ship them all back, are you going to pick all our vegtables?