Music Banter - View Single Post - Ariz. governor signs immigration enforcement bill

Freebase Dali · 04-30-2010, 01:36 PM

I don't know how far off topic I'll be with this, but I just wanted to put it out there and get other people's insight into it...

About 9 years ago I used to work as a welder in a large assembly factory where I was employed for about a year and a half. In that time, I met and talked to a lot of Mexicans (who comprised about 3 quarters of my department alone) and of those people, over half of them were illegal.
In conversations with them, particularly the men, I learned that most of them did not want to become a citizen at all. Their sole mission was to make as much money as possible to send back to Mexico to support their families, and not have to pay a lot of taxes on it. They would work it so that the very least amount of income tax was taken out, there was no state tax--this being Florida--and by the time tax season came around, they obviously didn't file. They wouldn't be in the system anyway.
So avoiding paying back taxes they would otherwise owe was an advantage to them.
Also, the exchange rate was in their favor for sending the money back to Mexico.

I'm not condoning nor condemning any of this, but from talking to these people I know why many of them were doing it. The interest wasn't to become an American citizen. It was simply to get a job in America because it pays a lot better than in Mexico. Some of the guys had been working there long enough and their families were even considered "rich" in Mexico because of the money they made for them.

I just wonder how some of you view that scenario.
Personally, if I were in their shoes I'd be doing the same thing. But being in my own, I have more of an objection for economic reasons. I still don't really know how I feel about it in every regard.

04-30-2010, 01:36 PM	#86 (permalink)
Freebase Dali Partying on the inside Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,584	I don't know how far off topic I'll be with this, but I just wanted to put it out there and get other people's insight into it... About 9 years ago I used to work as a welder in a large assembly factory where I was employed for about a year and a half. In that time, I met and talked to a lot of Mexicans (who comprised about 3 quarters of my department alone) and of those people, over half of them were illegal. In conversations with them, particularly the men, I learned that most of them did not want to become a citizen at all. Their sole mission was to make as much money as possible to send back to Mexico to support their families, and not have to pay a lot of taxes on it. They would work it so that the very least amount of income tax was taken out, there was no state tax--this being Florida--and by the time tax season came around, they obviously didn't file. They wouldn't be in the system anyway. So avoiding paying back taxes they would otherwise owe was an advantage to them. Also, the exchange rate was in their favor for sending the money back to Mexico. I'm not condoning nor condemning any of this, but from talking to these people I know why many of them were doing it. The interest wasn't to become an American citizen. It was simply to get a job in America because it pays a lot better than in Mexico. Some of the guys had been working there long enough and their families were even considered "rich" in Mexico because of the money they made for them. I just wonder how some of you view that scenario. Personally, if I were in their shoes I'd be doing the same thing. But being in my own, I have more of an objection for economic reasons. I still don't really know how I feel about it in every regard.