what is our position on the Caravan

[Steve J]

As many as 37 million people in Latin America would like to relocate to the U.S. permanently, making it the region where a move to the U.S. is most popular. Approximately one-third of all Dominicans and Hondurans want to become Americans.

 

So people polled who wanted to move to the US, are moving to the us because they see that they can. It’s not rocket science. And if America wants to allow anyone in, or anyone coming from poverty and violence who shows up, then the American people have the right to vote on it and make it into law. While I would disagree with it and believe it would make our country poorer, more autocratic, and less of a world force that is for the US people to decide and I would welcome all in as fellow Americans as I do all legal immigrants. (Legal or illegal, I respect all as Children of God) But it’s disengenous to argue that a significant number of all these migrants since 2014 are Asylee’s based on the historical definition of it.

 

so instead of having a faux debate of honoring asylum law, lets cut to the real debate about mass migration from 3rd to 1st world that is taking place and will accelerate (especially in europe)

Edited October 26, 2018 by Steve J

[changed]

The Jews left Egypt - the great exodus...

Nephi and family left, boat trip to the new world or so the story goes...

Jesus had to escape persecution - when that pharaoh guy was killing all the kids, remember?  Their solution was not to stay, it was to leave... 

You do not stay in "Sodom and Gomorrah" - you leave - you migrate and find a new place to live.

the early Mormon pioneers left - traveled across the plains to escape persecution...

Apparently God believes traveling, moving, taking a journey - physical journeys go hand in hand with spiritual journeys... I would hope that by the end of our lives we all go on a journey - live in new places, meet new people, explore the world.  

Edited October 26, 2018 by changed

[smac97]

8 minutes ago, Steve J said:

Are all real 4,000 fleeing for their lives? Or are they fleeing from poverty and violence? Violence, while terrible, is comparable to the US cities of Baltimore and Chicago. Most when starting on this journey stated that they were coming to the US for jobs and a better life for their kids. While I totally empathize with their actions, this does not qualify for asylum and is no different in many cases than another 30-50 million Mexicans who live in a violent country without the economic opportunities as America.. same for Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, Sirra leone, Vietnam, Phillipines, Palestine,  Morocco 

I have mixed feelings about the "caravan."  I understand the purported humanitarian concerns.  But I also have some reservations about the lawlessness of it, and of possible ulterior (and/or partisan political) motives.

See, e.g., here:

Quote

You may have heard about the caravan of immigrants from Central America making its way through Mexico in the hopes of illegally crossing the border into the United States. The group of perhaps 4,000 to 7,000 people has made its intentions clear: entering the U.S., even if it means violating American immigration laws.

But you may not have heard of one of the key organizers behind the caravan: Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or “People Without Borders.” And Pueblo Sin Fronteras wants to keep it that way.

...

While no single group has claimed control of the migrant caravan, at least two activists from Pueblo Sin Fronteras—Denis Omar Contreras and Rodrigo Abeja—are embedded in the caravan, according to the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Mexican newspaper La Jornada. Contreras (sometimes spelled Contera or Contrera) reportedly helped lead the caravan to illegally enter Mexico, where he told migrants “Welcome to Tapachula!” (referencing a town near the Guatemala border). Abeja, too, was identified as one of the leaders of the April 2018 caravans, which were also supported by Pueblo Sin Fronteras.

On October 18, Irineo Mujica—director of Pueblo Sin Fronteras in Mexico and an American citizen—was arrested by Mexican officials for allegedly attacking immigration officials at a pro-illegal immigration protest near the Guatemala-Mexico border.

...

But who is Pueblo Sin Fronteras, anyway?

The group appears to be a remnant of the now-defunct 501(c)(4) La Familia Latina Unida (“The United Latin Family”), a Chicago, Illinois-based illegal immigration advocacy group formed in 2001 by illegal immigrant and activist Elvira Arellano. The two groups are regularly listed side-by-side with each other and have overlapping staff. The groups claim to have organized approximately 1,000 economic migrants from Central America to cross the U.S. and Mexican borders illegally since 2010 (prior to most of the caravans). They also share the same Chicago address (2176 W. Division St., Chicago, Illinois, 60622), which is also the same address as the Adalberto Methodist Church in which Arellano once hid from U.S. immigration authorities prior to founding La Familia Latina Unida.

...

Pueblo Sin Fronteras’s efforts continue with the aid of a third organization: the Centro Sin Fronteras (“Center Without Borders”), a 501(c)(3) illegal immigration organizing group headquartered in the Lincoln United Methodist Church in Chicago.

The Center is headed by Emma Lozano and her husband, Walter “Slim” Coleman, who founded the group in 1987 following the murder of Lozano’s brother, left-wing community organizer Rudy Lozano. It has called for a “moratorium on all raids” by immigration authorities, comprehensive immigration reform “that provides legalization for the 12 million” illegal immigrants in the country, and a “renegotiation of NAFTA and other trade and financial agreements” to better suit the interests of Mexico.

And here:

Quote

Meet Bartolo Fuentes, the Honduran ex-lawmaker who helped launch the 7,000-strong caravan marching toward the United States — on a promise he says he never made.

In September, Fuentes began ­coordinating with groups dispersed throughout Honduras seeking to make the trek north.

The initial number of people involved was about 200.

“No one expected this human avalanche,” Fuentes told the Daily Beast in an interview published Tuesday.

What changed everything was a TV report on HCH — a Honduran news channel.

A woman reportedly part of the caravan told TV anchors of Fuentes’ efforts, and she mentioned “assistance.” The anchors then supposedly said Fuentes would pay migrants’ food and transportation costs — which he denied in an interview.

Still, thousands took a chance, since a human-smuggling “coyote” charges upwards of $7,000 to take someone across the US border.

“After that news program, I started to get hundreds of calls, then it took on a life of its own,” Fuentes said.

“In Honduras, the government wants to minimize why people are leaving — they know they are going to leave and they want to say they are doing so because of lies and the opposition, not the conditions that they created,” he said.

“This is in line with what the United States is saying — that there are false promises being made. And this pro-government news program played into that messaging, trying to say that there is financing when really people just need to get out.”

And here:

Quote

Why is ‘caravan’ group seeking ‘asylum’ overwhelmingly men?

APRIL 3, 2018

BY KYLE OLSON

 

Apparently it’s mostly men who are fleeing Central America for the United States.

Do women and babies have more courage to stay behind, or is this just a setup?

Photos and videos of the so-called “caravan” being shepherded by the US group “People Without Borders” from Central American countries, through Mexico and to the United States shows participants are overwhelmingly men.

...

The caravan has shades of the invasion of Europe when most “refugees” were male.

Pew Global reports:

Quote

 

The percentage of unaccompanied minors among all asylum seekers to Europe rose in 2015 , reaching roughly 7% of all asylum applicants. Between 2008 and 2015, about 70% to 80% of these unaccompanied minors annually were boys ages 14 to 17. About 10% annually were girls in the same age cohort. Since data on unaccompanied minors have been tracked by Eurostat starting in 2008, about 10% of unaccompanied minors annually have been ages 13 and under in any given year.

Since 2008, 39% of all unaccompanied minor asylum seekers have come from Afghanistan. In all, about 77,000 unaccompanied minors, mostly teenage boys, have made the trek from Afghanistan to Europe. A further 19,000 unaccompanied minors from Syria have applied for asylum between 2008 and 2015. And an additional 13,000 unaccompanied minors from Somalia as well as 12,000 from Eritrea have sought asylum in Europe since 2008.

 

Why is primarily men who are seeking asylum in the United States?

And is that the real objective, or is it to obtain illegal jobs or commit other crimes?

And here:

Quote

President Donald Trump has the "unique constitutional authority" to decide who comes into the United States and to use the same laws he used for a travel ban to block a migrant caravan from crossing the Mexican border, former Trump deputy assistant and analyst Sebastian Gorka said Friday.

...

Gorka also dismissed critics who say the caravan does not pose a threat to the United States.

"People like Chris Farrell of Judicial Watch and Sara Carter have gone down and interviewed the caravan, and found people from south Asia, from Bangladesh," said Gorka. "The president of Guatemala has said he just deported a hundred ISIS members."

He also claimed that "80 percent of the caravan are military-aged male," making the caravan a "potential national security threat."

Gorka also disagreed with the thought that the caravan walkers should be allowed in because of the economic conditions in their own countries.

"There is 7 billion people in the world," he said. "A lot of them are poor. Where do we stop? Do we open the borders and let everybody in? Then America ceases to exist."

As I said, I'm struggling with this.

Thanks,

-Smac

[changed]

11 minutes ago, Steve J said:

As many as 37 million people in Latin America would like to relocate to the U.S. permanently,

and yet, very few of them are actually trying to make the trip.

7.7 billion people would like to be rich

7.7 billion people would like to exercise and be Olympic athletes

7.7 billion people would like to be experts - would like to have PhD's, would like to be amazing cooks, amazing musicians...

All of us want many things, and yet how many people actually achieve what they want?

Those who actually cross the border?  they are the cream of the crop - they are the ones who don't just sit around dreaming, they are the ones who actually go out, and try to find what they want.  

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-17/us-birth-rate-hits-all-time-low-whats-behind-decline

"Birth rates in America hit all time low" ... what kind of people would you like in this country?  I think migrants are a wonderful, and needed, addition.

 

I think those who are scared of immigrants are just scared of the competition - they do not want someone taking their jobs.  If you do not want someone taking your job, be good at what you do - work harder, study, everyone else has just as much right as you do to your job.

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by changed

[The Nehor]

22 minutes ago, Steve J said:

Yes it sucked. No one argues that. (Side point they are not all walking the whole way... many are getting rides, still I readily acknowledge its not a fun journey) but is this surprising??? They are walking to go from making dollars a day to making hundred of dollars a week with first world living standards. If there was a caravan to walk through Mexico for three months to make 500,000 dollars at job and get 100x better standard of living... I’m doing that as well...

And what kind of reception would you want?

20 minutes ago, provoman said:

well thanks for the response, it does nothing to address Kevin's unfounded claim, but whatever.

Then I recommend reading up on the current economic and political situation in Honduras.

[The Nehor]

18 minutes ago, let’s roll said:

I agree it’s not an either/or answer.  Immigration and asylum play a role, I’ve represented folks (pro bono) in successful petitions for political asylum. 

But my point was we’re treating it as an either/or proposition.  You don’t see any discussion in the US of improving conditions in their home countries, only vitriol on both sides on immigration.

We can do more.  The Berlin Wall came down, Germany was unified, governments in Eastern Europe left the Communist bloc.  It can be done with the proper focus and resolve of all parties.  . 

I’m advocating for that type of focus and resolve as we, in parallel,  carry out rational immigration and asylum policies.

I do not think that was a US effort primarily. It was largely internal though the US and other nations helped as they could.

Though the prayers of the Saints for the freeing of Eastern Europe as requested by the prophet certainly helped as did John the Revelator.

[The Nehor]

14 minutes ago, smac97 said:

I have mixed feelings about the "caravan."  I understand the purported humanitarian concerns.  But I also have some reservations about the lawlessness of it, and of possible ulterior (and/or partisan political) motives.

See, e.g., here:

And here:

And here:

And here:

As I said, I'm struggling with this.

Thanks,

-Smac

Partisan political motive? What? This is a perfectly wrapped political present to Trump and the timing is perfect for the election and I still bet you are suggesting it is the Left behind it because you are you. The Democrats only got that stupid Florida bomber they caught today with a brain the size of a walnut. Talk about unfair.

Are you suggesting that there are democratic operatives in Honduras orchestrating this? That is insane. People like you are going to see the Second Coming cynically as a partisan propaganda stunt.

Also, your sources contain numerous errors. Find better news outlets.

[Avatar4321]

Obey the law.

Be kind

[smac97]

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Partisan political motive? What?

I'm not sure I understand your question.

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

This is a perfectly wrapped political present to Trump and the timing is perfect for the election

Again, see here:

  Quote

Meet Bartolo Fuentes, the Honduran ex-lawmaker who helped launch the 7,000-strong caravan marching toward the United States — on a promise he says he never made.

In September, Fuentes began ­coordinating with groups dispersed throughout Honduras seeking to make the trek north.

The initial number of people involved was about 200.

“No one expected this human avalanche,” Fuentes told the Daily Beast in an interview published Tuesday.

What changed everything was a TV report on HCH — a Honduran news channel.

A woman reportedly part of the caravan told TV anchors of Fuentes’ efforts, and she mentioned “assistance.” The anchors then supposedly said Fuentes would pay migrants’ food and transportation costs — which he denied in an interview.

Still, thousands took a chance, since a human-smuggling “coyote” charges upwards of $7,000 to take someone across the US border.

“After that news program, I started to get hundreds of calls, then it took on a life of its own,” Fuentes said.

It looks like Mr. Fuentes started something that got out of hand.  It happens.

As for partisan politics being a huge influence on immigration issues, res ipsa loquitur, dude.

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

and I still bet you are suggesting it is the Left behind it because you are you. 

Not sure what this means.  No need to personalize this thread.

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Are you suggesting that there are democratic operatives in Honduras orchestrating this?

Please re-read the links I provided.  They represent some of the factual issues I am trying to assess.

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

That is insane. People like you are going to see the Second Coming cynically as a partisan propaganda stunt.

I have said nothing about "the Second Coming."  Again, no need to personalize this thread.

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Also, your sources contain numerous errors. Find better news outlets.

Please feel free to point out the errors.  I'm willing to listen.

Thanks,

-Smac

[Maidservant]

7 hours ago, freedad said:

I think the Lord wants all of His children to have the chance to be free and prosper.  However, I also believe that He does not believe that other of His children should be forced to pay or subsidize the immigrants. (i.e. taxes to support social services).  Taking the private property of some by force through taxes to give to others is not the Lord's way..  He would want us to act voluntarily in helping others.

OR . . . we could pay the real price of fruit (et cetera) that would take into account the real cost of producing that fruit (et cetera), including paying a living wage to workers.  If you don't pay the real price of fruit (Americans want their God-given right to 'bargains'), you are stealing from those who participate in working to produce fruit (et cetera) for you.  Who is stealing from who?

7 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Don’t individual nations have the right to secure their borders and require an orderly immigration process? 

I question the right to even have a nation and to draw a border and to say that land is 'ours'.  I don't think any of that process is moral or based on a 'right' from the very smallest seed of historical development.  A human being ought to be free to go any place on the planet they can get to, to explore its beauties and live from its bounties, as long as they aren't harming someone's personal home and livelihood or destroying the planet's resources.  Of course in saying this, I might want to disclose that I'm not even a fan of the agricultural revolution, so I just think we got it wrong a long time ago, and every 'right thing' we do is within necessarily fundamentally 'wrong first thing/s'.

 

6 hours ago, The Nehor said:

Most of the caravan is from Honduras with some Guatemalans and probably a couple of other nationalities mixed in. Honduras is a cesspool right now of violence and poverty. I would probably be running too.  

In the next couple of years, the Brazilians will be heading this way.

5 hours ago, The Nehor said:

 make an end of all nations

👍

5 hours ago, CV75 said:

indicates a humanitarian crisis that political mechanisms are not inclined to address. . . .imagine a caravan of humanitarians

👍

 

 

And just for fun:

U.S. Latin America interventions

Edited October 26, 2018 by Maidservant

[The Nehor]

4 minutes ago, Avatar4321 said:

Obey the law.

Be kind

In which order?

[The Nehor]

4 minutes ago, smac97 said:

I'm not sure I understand your question.

Again, see here:

  Quote

Meet Bartolo Fuentes, the Honduran ex-lawmaker who helped launch the 7,000-strong caravan marching toward the United States — on a promise he says he never made.

In September, Fuentes began ­coordinating with groups dispersed throughout Honduras seeking to make the trek north.

The initial number of people involved was about 200.

“No one expected this human avalanche,” Fuentes told the Daily Beast in an interview published Tuesday.

What changed everything was a TV report on HCH — a Honduran news channel.

A woman reportedly part of the caravan told TV anchors of Fuentes’ efforts, and she mentioned “assistance.” The anchors then supposedly said Fuentes would pay migrants’ food and transportation costs — which he denied in an interview.

Still, thousands took a chance, since a human-smuggling “coyote” charges upwards of $7,000 to take someone across the US border.

“After that news program, I started to get hundreds of calls, then it took on a life of its own,” Fuentes said.

It looks like Mr. Fuentes started something that got out of hand.  It happens.

As for partisan politics being a huge influence on immigration issues, res ipsa loquitur, dude.

Not sure what this means.  No need to personalize this thread.

Please re-read the links I provided.  They represent some of the factual issues I am trying to assess.

I have said nothing about "the Second Coming."  Again, no need to personalize this thread.

Please feel free to point out the errors.  I'm willing to listen.

Thanks,

-Smac

Nah, I made my point by just disagreeing. I feel no obligation to disprove every unsupported assertion and exaggeration your pseudo-news sites are putting out today. Getting sucked into article link wars with you is the most tedious kind of “discussion” I have on this website and it is Friday and I am trying to enjoy it.

[Steve J]

31 minutes ago, changed said:

and yet, very few of them are actually trying to make the trip.

7.7 billion people would like to be rich

7.7 billion people would like to exercise and be Olympic athletes

7.7 billion people would like to be experts - would like to have PhD's, would like to be amazing cooks, amazing musicians...

All of us want many things, and yet how many people actually achieve what they want?

Those who actually cross the border?  they are the cream of the crop - they are the ones who don't just sit around dreaming, they are the ones who actually go out, and try to find what they want.  

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-17/us-birth-rate-hits-all-time-low-whats-behind-decline

"Birth rates in America hit all time low" ... what kind of people would you like in this country?  I think migrants are a wonderful, and needed, addition.

 

I think those who are scared of immigrants are just scared of the competition - they do not want someone taking their jobs.  If you do not want someone taking your job, be good at what you do - work harder, study, everyone else has just as much right as you do to your job.

 

I think that is a naive view. I’m not going to argue that all immigration fear is rational(eg Kevin example of Minnesota summer home invasion) But last month I talked to an African American woman who moved to El Paso bc her husband got stationed to its military base. She stated that she was unable to get a job in the service industry because you needed to be bilingual. If you only could speak 1 language, Spanish was preferred. I have seen how Hispanics have monopolized and driven down salaries in the construction field in the DMV due to their overwhelming numbers and the need to speak spanish. Most people get jobs and trained in that industry through friends and family. Now most native born non-Hispanic have no entry into the field? And why would you wan to work at a repitive job where you have no co-workers you can socialize with?

Again, while I understand that many immigrants come here and bust their asses off doing tough work in many times the heat... let’s not pretend that this field got dominated by them simply bc they “work” harder or better

[smac97]

Just now, The Nehor said:

Nah, I made my point by just disagreeing.

As you like.

Just now, The Nehor said:

I feel no obligation to disprove every unsupported assertion and exaggeration your pseudo-news sites are putting out today. 

Again, as you like.  But you'll understand if I am not persuaded by your unsupported assertions.

Just now, The Nehor said:

Getting sucked into article link wars with you is the most tedious kind of “discussion” I have on this website and it is Friday and I am trying to enjoy it.

Okey doke.

Thanks,

-Smac

[Duncan]

Canada will take whoever!

 

[Avatar4321]

14 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

In which order?

I see no reason why we can’t do both at the same time 

[The Nehor]

2 minutes ago, Steve J said:

I think that is a naive view. I’m not going to argue that all immigration fear is rational(eg Kevin example of Minnesota summer home invasion) But last month I talked to an African American woman who moved to El Paso bc her husband got stationed to its military base. She stated that she was unable to get a job in the service industry because you needed to be bilingual. If you only could speak 1 language, Spanish was preferred. I have seen how Hispanics have monopolized and driven down salaries in the construction field in the DMV due to their overwhelming numbers and the need to speak spanish. Most people get jobs and trained in that industry through friends and family. Now most native born non-Hispanic have no entry into the field? And why would you wan to work at a repitive job where you have no co-workers you can socialize with?

Again, while I understand that many immigrants come here and bust their asses off doing tough work in many times the heat... let’s not pretend that this field got dominated by them simply bc they “work” harder or better

I do not think anyone is trying to make a superior work ethic argument here.

As to her, that is rough. Partially for the job thing but mostly just having to live in El Paso.

[The Nehor]

1 minute ago, Avatar4321 said:

I see no reason why we can’t do both at the same time 

Sometimes kindness is unlawful and sometime the law is cruel.

[Steve J]

And this is not taking into accounts the non-related issues such as bitterness when an illegal alien kid has special government internships which lead directly into coveted positions that your native born kid doesn’t qualify for because he isn’t a minority... 

so while this got sidetracked from the migrant caravan.... identity politics and power get wrapped up in the immigration debate unfortunately... and both sides are too blame for that bc they have pitted us against each other based on race

[Steve J]

3 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

I do not think anyone is trying to make a superior work ethic argument here.

As to her, that is rough. Partially for the job thing but mostly just having to live in El Paso.

In DMV, you better be bilingual if you want to mange anything with manual labor

[CV75]

14 minutes ago, Maidservant said:

I question the right to even have a nation and to draw a border and to say that land is 'ours'.  I don't think any of that process is moral or based on a 'right' from the very smallest seed of historical development.  A human being ought to be free to go any place on the planet they can get to, to explore its beauties and live from its bounties, as long as they aren't harming someone's personal home and livelihood or destroying the planet's resources.  Of course in saying this, I might want to disclose that I'm not even a fan of the agricultural revolution, so I just think we got it wrong a long time ago, and every 'right thing' we do is within necessarily fundamentally 'wrong first thing/s'.

I think this gets to the idea of stewardship. The Book of Mormon prophecies about the Gentiles, Lehi's descendants and scattered Israel in general have much to do with stewardship (i.e. keep the commandments and prosper in the land) wherein the truly "holy nation" or 'holy people" (Old Testament terms and mentioned in 1 Peter 2:9) are united by the principles of Zion. In the meantime we do our best within the powers that be, "in wisdom and in order."

[Steve J]

11 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

I do not think anyone is trying to make a superior work ethic argument here.

As to her, that is rough. Partially for the job thing but mostly just having to live in El Paso.

What argument are making? Bc you were making the argument that people were irrationally fearing that they would take their jobs... 

[rodheadlee]

4 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

By “our,” I assume you mean the Church of Jesus Christ. What position would you expect the Church to take on it, bearing in mind that it is rare for the Church to take positions on political matters and there must be a compelling need when it does so. Furthermore, it is common for good members of the Church to disagree politically. That is pretty much expected within reason. 

 I would expect the church to take a position of compassion. Perhaps the Caravan should be met by members of the church and the people fed and clothed. 

 I would expect our country to have a position of compassion and to set up a refugee camp and start separating the gangs, ISIS and criminals from the true refugees who should be let into the country.

 it's ironic that I will be fleeing South to Mexico because I cannot afford to live in California. California has pretty much shut down all anchorages south of Half Moon Bay with a few exceptions here and there.  if the president closes our Southern border Mexico will do the same to us and we will have nowhere to go.

[HappyJackWagon]

39 minutes ago, Steve J said:

I think that is a naive view. I’m not going to argue that all immigration fear is rational(eg Kevin example of Minnesota summer home invasion) But last month I talked to an African American woman who moved to El Paso bc her husband got stationed to its military base. She stated that she was unable to get a job in the service industry because you needed to be bilingual. If you only could speak 1 language, Spanish was preferred. I have seen how Hispanics have monopolized and driven down salaries in the construction field in the DMV due to their overwhelming numbers and the need to speak spanish. Most people get jobs and trained in that industry through friends and family. Now most native born non-Hispanic have no entry into the field? And why would you wan to work at a repitive job where you have no co-workers you can socialize with?

Again, while I understand that many immigrants come here and bust their asses off doing tough work in many times the heat... let’s not pretend that this field got dominated by them simply bc they “work” harder or better

Similar fear-based arguments were made to fuel post-reconstructionist racism in the south. I'm not saying that's what you're doing, just that the argument is similar.

Edited October 26, 2018 by HappyJackWagon

[changed]

32 minutes ago, Steve J said:

I think that is a naive view. I’m not going to argue that all immigration fear is rational(eg Kevin example of Minnesota summer home invasion) But last month I talked to an African American woman who moved to El Paso bc her husband got stationed to its military base. She stated that she was unable to get a job in the service industry because you needed to be bilingual. If you only could speak 1 language, Spanish was preferred. I have seen how Hispanics have monopolized and driven down salaries in the construction field in the DMV due to their overwhelming numbers and the need to speak spanish. Most people get jobs and trained in that industry through friends and family. Now most native born non-Hispanic have no entry into the field? And why would you wan to work at a repitive job where you have no co-workers you can socialize with?

Again, while I understand that many immigrants come here and bust their asses off doing tough work in many times the heat... let’s not pretend that this field got dominated by them simply bc they “work” harder or better

 

It is possible to do racial analysis in any job market and complain about how many _________ (fill in the blank) are dominating xyz field.  Two of my relatives - who are not Hispanic - run their own home-improvement companies out of their homes.  One has their own painting business (hires out to paint peoples homes), and one is an all-around handyman type business (additions, and other smaller-construction type work).  No one is stopping anyone else from working.  Anyone out there can start up their own business and compete in the marketplace like anyone else.  Efficiency - cost efficient, labor efficient - this is what capitalism is built on.  As a consumer, we all appreciate cheaper prices, and more efficient ways of doing work.  Let's not complain when someone finds a cheaper way to create something - efficiency is a good thing.

No one is stopping anyone else from working. 

If I compose a musical song, does that take away someone else's ability to compose a song?

If I open up a restaurant, does that take away someone else's ability to open up a restaurant? 

There are an infinite number of services to provide - infinite.  There are an infinite number of gadgets to make, an infinite number of ways to make yourself needed and useful.  

Abundance vs. scarcity minded my friend - if someone else finds a better/cheaper/faster/more efficient way of doing things, join the party - learn from them.  

Everything out there can always be just a little bit better - concentrate on learning from others, and making things better.  Consider learning another language (you expect others to learn another language....)... it is a world economy, isolationism is not competitive and does not produce the best goods and services for anyone... 

Edited October 26, 2018 by changed