Mexican-American Women Strongly Supporting New Arizona Law.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/30/arizona.hispanics.immigration/index.html?hpt=C1

Phoenix, Arizona (CNN) -- Sue Schwartz says she's been called a racist so many times she doesn't mind the label anymore. If wanting immigrants to enter the country legally, like her great-grandparents from Mexico, and obey the laws of the land makes her racist, then so be it, she says firmly.

"I'm getting to the point I wear it with pride," says Schwartz, a lifelong Arizonan who has warily watched the growth of the illegal immigrant population in the state over the course of her life.

About 500,000 unauthorized immigrants were believed to live in Arizona in 2008, and 11.9 million nationwide, up from 3.5 million nationwide in 1990, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report published in 2009.

This year, the tide is finally turning in her favor, she says, with the passage of SB 1070, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.

The new law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally.

"I hope it makes a lot of them leave on their own, self-deportation. Hopefully that'll open up more jobs. There's a lot of people here who will do menial jobs -- maybe not pick lettuce, but these people aren't just picking lettuce any more," says Schwartz.

The new law also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

Schwartz, a retired USPS worker, says undocumented workers are taking jobs from citizens like her teenage granddaughter, who hasn't been able to find a job since she began looking after she turned 15.

"She can't even work at the Hometown Buffet if she doesn't speak Spanish. How fair is that?" she said.

But Schwartz and some other Americans with Hispanic backgrounds who spoke with CNN say the problem with illegal immigrants isn't just the jobs they take. It's how they're overrunning towns like Phoenix, turning them into "mini-Mexicos" with their trash-filled streets and loud music, according to Schwartz.

Of equal concern to her friend, Martha Payan, is how she claims illegal immigrants "fleece" government coffers by collecting welfare on multiple children, or vanish without a trace after an arrest or a hospital visit.

The two women, who became acquainted through various demonstrations in the metro Phoenix area, met Thursday to discuss their views outside the Maricopa County Municipal building, as more backlash against the controversial immigration law continued to flood the city.

Latin pop star Shakira arrived in town Thursday to discuss SB 1070 with Mayor Phil Gordon, who has vowed to fight the law. This comes a day after Mexico urged its citizens not to travel to Arizona.

Sporting a white baseball cap that that reads, "100% American Citizen," Schwartz says she believes that SB 1070 came about because law enforcement in Phoenix was fed up over not being able to ask suspects about their immigration status.

"Any time an American does something wrong or breaks the law they're going to pay the consequences. Whenever an illegal does something wrong they get a new ID and become a new person," she says. "I want the laws same for everybody here, not bent for them."

The 59-year-old mother of four adult children says her Mexican parents and grandparents taught her a respect for the law at an early age. Her grandmother, who lived in Juarez, Mexico, after being kicked out of the United States for smuggling drugs, encouraged her to get a good education and speak English, her second language, outside of the home.

"If I entered another country illegally I'd go to jail, yet they're demanding better treatment than their government would give us," she says.

Anna Gaines, a Mexican-born U.S. citizen, says she took up the fight against illegal immigration after becoming disillusioned by the attitudes of immigrant families that she witnessed as a teacher in the Paradise Valley School District in Paradise, Arizona.

"Many of these families were having one child after another just to earn a paycheck from the U.S. government and they didn't care about their children's education," says Gaines, the controversial founder of American Citizens United, a grass-roots organization known for its extreme views on immigration enforcement. "They didn't want to contribute, just take."

Gaines, who came to the United States as a nurse on a work visa during the Vietnam War and met her current husband, says she thinks immigrants have changed over the years.

"There used to be a level of dignity and self-respect. They were hard-working people who wanted to contribute to American society because it was better than where they came from," says Gaines, a petite woman in her 70s. "But our government has been giving them handouts for so long that now they expect them."

Gaines says SB 1070 mirrors federal law on fortifying the borders, allowing local officials to enforce immigration law in a manner that the federal government should have been doing all along.

"We as Americans have the right to defend this country's laws. There's nothing racist about protecting the country," she says.

Payan, originally from Puerto Rico, hopes the law will deter future illegal immigration.

"I hope it stops trespassers and lets people know the law is the law and you cross that border illegally, it's a crime," she says.

Payan has also been called "traidora," or traitor, by neighbors in her primarily Hispanic neighborhood who know how she feels about illegal immigrants.

"They know how I feel. I don't hide my feeling," she says. "I've already had by apartment broken into and had my car hit by an illegal. What more do I have to lose?"

[Peikko 1,575]

This is the "I can't be a racist I have coloured friends" argument. Classic.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

This is the "I can't be a racist I have coloured friends" argument. Classic.

Actually this is the, "I'm Mexican so I can be racist against Mexicans" argument.

There's a difference

[pedroh 21]

so not adapting to the new demographics of the country, and acquiring certain skills to have a competitive advantage in a market where more than english is required, is stealing a job? in that case, I've stolen jobs from a lot of americans lately...

I know, fair or unfairly, the demographics of this country have changed, but, whining about jobs that will have preference for bilingual employees, will really not do much, the market rules that. if theres a certain market that doesn't require language skills, then hey, exploit that, if not, adapt, study, and advance

Edited April 30, 2010 by pedroh

[Obama 2012 1,714]

so not adapting to the new demographics of the country, and acquiring certain skills to have a competitive advantage in a market where more than english is required, is stealing a job? in that case, I've stolen jobs from a lot of americans lately...

Your post starts off erroneous.

It's the Hispanics that should be adjusting/adopting the American way of life, not vise versa.

[pedroh 21]

Your post starts off erroneous.

It's the Hispanics that should be adjusting/adopting the American way of life, not vise versa.

again, in that case, guess what, I just stole a job from an American girl when I got hired, I saw it right there. They needed a bigger pool of bilingual people than, as I call, monolingual.. do you think the companies are that stupid to say, oh, shoo shoo, you don't speak english, we don't want your money??

go tell the market that we shouldn't cater to spanish-only people, lolo, and how they don't want their spanish speaking dollars...

I'm not saying it's right that the population has shifted to such an extent where there's non-english speaking people becoming a stronger minority in this country, but, whining about not getting a job because you don't have a certain skill is not the right thing to do. Srsly, getting mad at someone because they have a skill that you don't?

Edited April 30, 2010 by pedroh

[Obama 2012 1,714]

again, in that case, guess what, I just stole a job from an American girl when I got hired, I saw it right there. They needed a bigger pool of bilingual people than, as I call, monolingual.. do you think the companies are that stupid to say, oh, shoo shoo, you don't speak english, we don't want your money??

go tell the market that we shouldn't cater to spanish-only people, lolo, and how they don't want their spanish speaking dollars...

If the illegals and those refusing to assimilate weren't here to begin with we wouldn't have this problem.

The problem is a government not doing its job.

The idea of expecting a nation to adjust to you is completely absurd.

[pedroh 21]

If the illegals and those refusing to assimilate weren't here to begin with we wouldn't have this problem.

The problem is a government not doing its job.

The idea of expecting a nation to adjust to you is completely absurd.

if the market seems it appropriate, they won't cater to bilingual people.. let the market's invisible hand decide

[Obama 2012 1,714]

if the market seems it appropriate, they won't cater to bilingual people.. let the market's invisible hand decide

The 'market' is in error as I said. If the government were doing its job, the 'market' wouldn't be there. It's a false market...

[pedroh 21]

The 'market' is in error as I said. If the government were doing its job, the 'market' wouldn't be there. It's a false market...

state-controlled market? what would be the 'fix'? "dear customers, we no longer have bilingual customer service in this location, please, go learn english first, then you can buy our stuff"?

Edited April 30, 2010 by pedroh

[Obama 2012 1,714]

state-controlled market? what would be the 'fix'? "dear customers, we no longer have bilingual customer service in this location, please, go learn english first, then you can buy our stuff"?

I'm saying the market is false because the people who create that market should not be here in the first place.

[Peikko 1,575]

I'm saying the market is false because the people who create that market should not be here in the first place.

The latin American portion of society would be teency weency if it was confined to the legal ones - of course by legal that's Paul the fascist version of legal, the ones who were born to anyone not 100% pure legal American are not really legal at all and nor are any of their descendents. Eh Paul

The BBC interviewed the leader of the BNP today. Fascinating. His definition of English was anyone who settled in England prior to 1600 and their descendants. Anyone who settled after around that date should not be able to call themselves English. If one followed that logic in the US, almost everyone would be a foreigner and not American at all

Edited April 30, 2010 by Madame Cleo

[Obama 2012 1,714]

The latin American portion of society would be teency weency if it was confined to the legal ones - of course by legal that's Paul the fascist version of legal, the ones who were born to anyone not 100% pure legal American are not really legal at all. Eh Paul

A nation protecting its borders is fascist?..... Okay

[Peikko 1,575]

A nation protecting its borders is fascist?..... Okay

No Paul, as I said, you can play the dumb act all day I really don't care - anyone who follows the things you post will not be fooled. You'd like Nick Griffin, a kindred spirit

[Obama 2012 1,714]

No Paul, as I said, you can play the dumb act all day I really don't care - anyone who follows the things you post will not be fooled. You'd like Nick Griffin, a kindred spirit

LOL, I don't know what kind of idea you have about me in your own deluded head, but all I've said is this nation needs to protect its borders, needs to get the illegals out, warn them, if they violate the law again execute them, shoot trespassers on site at the border if they try to cross, etc... I haven't changed from that.

You've got some wild idea in your head that I've said something different or you're mis-reading what I'm saying.