Williamette Week "He's an Illegial Eh-lien"

"He's an illegal Canadian. A Canuck. An iceback. A frostback. A canalien".

Interesting article!

Interesting indeed.

I laughed at that too. Canalien is my fave. The hoser tag was funny too.

A very well written story. Thanks for sharing that with us, Mandi. I think this pic is apropos now:

I WANT that t-shirt!

I'm totally calling myself a Canalien now.

You can actually buy them! Click here. DeadPool found them.

And I agree about the Canalien. I thought exactly the same thing! I'm going to put it in my siggy.

That makes me think of cannelloni.

That guy is the most selfish butthole in the world, I can't believe anyone would find his story funny? People from other countries are persecuted beyond belief and most don't manage to escape, but the few that do go through years of immigration crap while this moron breaks the law. I wish they'd find him, jail him for the length of time he's been in the States illegally then charge him for the time he just spent in jail, and liquidate the company's assets that employs him into a public trust that helps refugees get off to a better start.

This kind of stuff TOTALLY pushes me to the worst kind of anger, and I have NO idea how anyone could joke about this.

Whooooaaaaa. Don't hold back Bowflex. Tell us how you really feel.

Haha Sorry I just can't believe these kinds of people. I just saw a special on tv about young people moving to the United States, and literally an 18 year old guy from Burma fled to Thailand when his village was attacked by the government, and was stuck in a camp for 10 years. After reading about a UN-supported organization that helped relocate refugees to other countries, his family got to move to the United States. During his entire 10 years in Thailand he wasn't allowed to stray more than 300 meters from the camp, EVER, and they had no running water anything. They got to come to the States, began working right away, and supported themselves AND paid taxes.

Then you have some craphead from a developed nation that feels like breaking the rules, then laughs about it constantly. I'd love if Canada would revoke his citizenship, the US deport him to a third world nation, and then see how he likes it.

I think that's a little harsh but that's just my opinion.

Well I think some of the comments of the author are funny. This article didn't make me angry in the least. I don't feel responsible for this guy, i'm sure it works both ways, illegal Americans in Canada and Canadians in the U.S.. It is the way it is, probably happens in most border countries.

If you didn't move from a developed country but instead from a war torn country, you'd be much more outraged most likely. My wife's family moved from Yugoslavia while the US was bombing it and had to endure pure hell to attempt to stay in this country as refugees until finally, 15 years later, the government denied their request and they went to Canada.

This crap of some hippie getting his jollies by breaking laws is so dumb to me. I'm a really light-hearted and sympathetic guy, but someone abusing the rules and then blatantly admitting that he knows others are worse off than him is pathetic.

Oh I'm sure it does, and any American that is living illegally in Canada deserves the exact same treatment. While I admit that I am TOTALLY against illegal immigration and am quite biased with stories involving it, the guy could not be any more selfish. For those who risk everything to give their children a better life than they had, and do it legally, it's horrible to see him state that "he doesn't have much to lose."

Going over the border from the States to Canada with my wife's family was seriously the worst moment in my life. To see two parents so dedicated to their children that they are willing to uproot everything they've known to give them a better life is amazing, but to see the worry in their eyes as they're forced to live in a motel for a month while trying to find a way to support them is awful. This guy deserves to be forced to realize that his actions are garbage.

I'm also not trying to offend anyone, I just get worked up on this stuff from my past experiences

That's okay, Bowflex. I knew where it was coming from. Click to view attachment

lol at and

I can understand your frustration... I've seen it too - When I lived in Malta I used to often drive by the refugee camp where the boatloads of Africans were held and they were all fleeing deplorable conditions - they'd traveled weeks through desert and sea and all they wanted was to start a new life in the UK or the US. When I lived in Cyprus, the place was FULL of illegal Sri Lankan immigrants working as housekeepers. It's all very sad...

What he's doing is nothing compared to the thousands who illegally go to Canada to scam on healthcare and welfare benefits. There are third world illegals in almost every country! I just don't think it means we need to slam the hammer on people like this hippie.

The United States definitely has the problem of folks scamming over the system by getting surgeries and then not paying, etc, but keep in mind he is not paying taxes at all. He may be paying for services and such, but in the end he broke the law just by staying, did it again by not paying taxes, and then brags about it. I really wish that people who are so selfish could somehow be forced into seeing that the world is so much bigger than the life they know. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not incredibly thankful that my wife is now in the same bed next to me, nice and safe, and that her family is now on their way to citizenship in Canada. I just feel he's slapping everyone in the face that struggles to do it the right way, then smiles and brags right after.

I totally get where you're coming from

OH man, that's pretty sickening.
My husband (Peruvian) was illegal for 4.5 years due to circumstances beyond his control (father's death, by the time he thought everything was in order lawyers were telling him in order to bring a lawsuit (negligence on his father's workplace, his dad died on the job, wrongful death lawsuit) they couldn't return to Peru since there was already a 3 year ban on them. (Though had they told him how long lawsuits take to go through, he probably would have gone back because the three year ban would have passed by the time they got a settlement or their day in court, but he was advised to stay and break the law.) He paid taxes, always paid his medical bills (got medical insurance with his ITIN), and no one paid for anything for him, before I get attacked for that.

Anyway, point is, he would be disgusted at this guy making a joke out of it, and leaving a country and a place where he had everything just to shun the US immigration system. I would pander a guess that most illegals who purposely come here and stay are either fleeing deplorable conditions or dead end lives that lead nowhere, and being illegal here is better than being legal in their home country. I feel for those people, but from all accounts I've heard, Canada is BETTER than the US in a lot of ways. So why would you come here and live here illegally...to make a point? I just don't get it.

dfjdalfjjalds I understand why bowflex is upset. Let's just say that.

Illegals, from anywhere, just burn me. Here we are suffering through the 'legal' way and the illegals get here (and to Canada too where they have a serious problem with people who arrive claiming refugee status and are subsequently denied, but they never leave) work, have their families with them, take advantage of government services, pay no taxes, etc.

I recently had to change my insurance policy from MN coverage to AZ and I watched my premiums go up over $300 a year simply because, as my agent said, "there are lots of illegals driving around with no insurance, they get into accidents, and disappear." Not to mention the vehicle theft rate is crazy high here with a percentage of those stolen vehicles ending up in Mexico and resold.

Illegal immigration hurts everyone.

Making assumptions about people's situations also hurts everyone.

Yes it is people like him who are making it harder and more frustrating to become legal in the US. Another side though is, unlike other illegals, he's not really benefiting from the US in anyways at all. He's not recieving special care, education etc or bonuses at all. Sure he doesn't pay taxes to the government, but in a way all his money is being spent in America to Americans and not the government. So in a way that's kind of supporting the people rather then the gov't.

I'm sure his time is limited, he's already been redbooked by the border, so last time he was lucky they didn't check up on him more, but it'll be a matter of time before he's discovered. Now with this article maybe they won't deport him right away and instead hold him in one of those illegal immigration holding cells for a few months. Plus getting a lifetime bar from every comming back to the US.

Yeah it's not right, but at least he's not out running drug rings in the streets or robbing people for a living. He's just making pretty much nothing and spending it all back into the US economy without any burden on anyone really. It's really more the employers fault for hiring him under those conditions to make it easy for people to come over like that...

I guess you need to clarify what assumptions are being made with my statement? I R confused....

What I thought was interesting in the article is that no one's screaming about him because he's not Hispanic. And that they're seeing that while he's illegal, he hasn't been a drain on public resources. I think the guy's an ####### for flaunting his flouting of the law, but I can't see this article being written in the same tone if he were from Mexico.

I totally agree.

You assume all illegal aliens don't pay taxes. A lot do. I don't endorse using other people's social security numbers, but if they are doing it that way or through an ITIN, many illegal immigrants DO pay taxes. Many forgo health care that they need desperately, not all are crowding into the local ER at the earliest sign of a problem. You assume that they haven't been separated from their families. Most of the illegal immigrants I've known have been separated from their families with no end in sight. Yes, it's decision, but it doesn't mean it's easy. I don't support illegal immigration but the system as a whole is broken. If they didn't have a reason to come (employment), most wouldn't.

So while illegal immigration does hurt, I wouldn't say it hurts everyone all of the time. Illegal immigration isn't the source of all that is wrong with the world. The politicians who have their hands in corporate America's pocket...I have an easier time blaming them.

1) I still stand by MOST illegals do not pay income taxes. Most work for cash and certainly do not file an income tax return reporting all their income to the U.S. government. The vast majority would, however, pay tax in the form of sales tax (except in the case of the article because OR is a sales tax free state). Sales tax is a no where near the revenue generator for states like income tax is. Not to mention there is no comparable federal sales tax.

2) I didn't mention anything about healthcare.

3) The illegals I have met in both the U.S. and in Canada were via my husband who works in the construction industry. The vast majority of them were from Central and South America and they chose to leave their families behind to work 'temporarily' in the U.S. and Canada and they lived below the poverty level while working and they did send their money 'home' where they saved up to buy property (e.g. land) so when they returned, either voluntarily or forcibly, they would have something to go 'home' to. There is really little benefit to the host country in these cases.

3) I still stand by my statement that illegal immigration is harmful. In my case, it is a direct cause of my insurance premiums being increased. Others feel the harm in indirect ways. Increases in taxes to support school systems, health care, public libraries, etc. These are paid by the property owners and income tax paying employed individuals who foot the bill for those that use these services and don't pay a dime for it. While I agree the system is broken, it is a two fold problem. It has to be 'fixed' so that people pursuing legal immigration do not have to wait years (as in the case of skilled worker type applications) and the illegal problem would be minimized through attrition.

4) If you don't like Corporate America, all I can say this is a market driven economy and always has been. This structure goes back to the inception of this country and more obviously, since the industrial age and it is nothing new. Corporate American can do things cheaper and faster than any public government entity. Capitalism is the name of the game here, end of story.

The screamers will be here shortly.

No, it isn't written the way it would be written if the article were about a Mexican illegal immigrant - then again maybe it would be, can't really speak for the author.

The whole illegal scenario in the U.S. is so clouded by bias, ignorance and racism that I think a lot of people have a hard time having an intelligent dialogue about it. That is wrong. Not saying all do.

Yup. That's the real point of the article I think. Here's a few of the quotes I found interesting:

"But whether lawmakers are talking about opposing work sites for Portland day laborers, requiring Social Security cards for Oregon drivers or building fences to curb the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States from Mexico, Morgan’s presence in this country is both a confirmation of the failures of U.S. current immigration policies and a testament to the absurdity of attempts to change them. The immigration debate in this country is, in fact, no longer a debate. It’s a three-ring circus with a very crowded clown car. "

...and this....

"According to the Pew Hispanic Center, nearly half of all undocumented immigrants entered the United States lawfully but have overstayed their business or tourist visas, which calls into question the wisdom of the plan to build a higher and longer wall along this country’s southern border."

...this...

"Meanwhile, the fury grows over what some people call a problem and others see as an opportunity. Portlanders will continue to fight about the appropriateness of building a site for day laborers, many of whom are here illegally. Oregonians will push their battle over identification cards to the next front: the fight over the implementation in Salem of the federal REAL ID Act, which imposes stricter nationwide standards on driver’s licensing programs. And Americans, including several presidential candidates, will carry on in their efforts to builder bigger, tougher, more expensive walls along the southern border. "

...and whether or not you agree with Morgan in particular being here, lastly there is this....

"But his friend Eric Roser says Morgan's dreams could be satisfied in Canada.œIt really comes down to the fact that he wants to be here", Roser says.œDoes it mean he has any less right to be there than, say, a refugee? Yes. But does it mean he shouldn't be here? I don't think so. I think there's room enough for him."

Delicia -

What 'skilled worker applications' are you referring too? There are currently no visa types for Joe Carpenter or Ben Bricklayer to come to the US. The only skilled workers I am aware of who can get visas are the "highly skilled" such as IT experts, engineers, etc. Migrant workers have a visa class. But the skilled tradesman does not.

I agree, you should run for any public office,guaranteed landslide. It is a shame the judges let people like the marriage scammer of so easy.

EB-3 Skilled or professional workers

Foreign national professionals with bachelor's degrees (not qualifying for a higher preference category)
Foreign national skilled workers (minimum two years training and experience)
Foreign national unskilled workers

Additionally, there is the diversity lottery for those in qualifying countries.

Time to switch things around!! Anyone up for a Timmys??

Yes! A good caffeine hit to get the adrenaline going. lol

Hot chocolate would be really good right about now.

Mint choco for me!!!

I'll take mine with an orange shot!

My fave is a cafe mocha! Yum - made a run past Timmie's for one today whilst I was out making the payroll deposit.

Delicia -

The various categories under the EB-3 Employment based immigrant visa are:

EB-3(A): This category is for professional worker with a U.S. bachelor's or foreign equivalent degree and with a job offer from a U.S. company .

EB-3(: This category is for skilled workers for positions that require at least two years of training or experience and with a job offer from a U.S. company .

EB-3©: This category is for unskilled workers for positions that require less than two years training or experience and with a job offer from a U.S. company .

So if a carpenter or a bricklayer has a job offer, he can get a visa. But if he just wants to come to America to ply his skills in hope of making a better life for himself (as immigrants did ala Ellis Island) that option doesn't exist.

What'd I miss?