www.newsweek.com/majority-hispanics-favor-mass-deportation-1913510
Majority of Hispanics now favor mass deportation
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Wanna know who hates illegal immigrants the most? Legal immigrants.
Yeah that’s false.
As an immigration lawyer, I’m going to assume I have more contact with legal immigrants than you. Feel free to correct me.
This has definitely not been my experience. People who have been through our immigration system understand that it’s a slow, grinding, bureaucratic beast and that often eligibility and discretionary decisions can feel arbitrary, unfairly punitive, and cruel.
They aren’t petty enough to wish hardship on other immigrants because of their own experience. I’ve known them to be more sympathetic and understanding of other immigrants’ experiences, even those who are currently out of status or entered without inspection. Many of them were in that same position at some point in their lives.
ETA: u/iconophilia good question, sorry but i would reply to you directly except that the user above blocked me, so I can’t respond. Happy to clarify for you:
That’s not as clear a line as you want it to be. Is someone who gets legal status through 42B cancellation of removal a legal immigrant? They have a green card and will eventually be eligible to apply for citizenship. Yet by definition they were unlawfully present in the US and found deportable by an immigration judge. It’s legal immigration in the sense that the law gave them a path to a green card, yet they came here illegally or overstayed a visa before they were eligible to apply for that form of relief.
Again, people who have been through the immigration system understand this and are much more sympathetic than people who think legally immigrating is as simple as signing up and “waiting in line.” Because there’s no such thing.
For u/complaintsdept123, you might note I was responding to a comment that claimed legal immigrants are the most opposed to illegal immigration. I haven’t found that to be true, your particular axe to grind notwithstanding
u/abqguardian i would love to reply directly but I’m blocked by the commenter above—I hate to always show up in this sub correcting you, but what you listed are reasons you project onto immigrants that you believe might make them resentful, not actual conversations with anyone. Which, as I understand from our other conversations, you’re not really in a position to have meaningful working contact with applicants (and certainly not candid conversations) as what, a GS-5 ISO or something? I’m speaking from experience having in-depth conversations while driving clients to appointments, sitting in waiting rooms and courtrooms, or for those who wanted to stay in contact after their cases concluded, in personal conversations as friends. I appreciate your perspective but let’s be honest about its limitations.
You’re describing legal immigration not illegal.
Their claim is about how legal immigrants feel about illegal immigration.
I’ve known them to be more sympathetic and understanding of other immigrants’ experiences, even those who are currently out of status or entered without inspection
That doesn’t mean they want them to be able to cut in line instead of going through the process.
cut in line
going through the process
Maybe you could explain what those terms are supposed to mean? For the vast majority of people here illegally, there is no path to legal status
Immigrating legally instead of trying to claim asylum when they have no case. A majority of the cases aren’t even approved for asylum. So they are clogging up the courts when they don’t even qualify.
It contradicts the idea that they hate illegal immigrants.
A majority of Americans support protection for those who are already here.
I never made the claim that they hate them. Also, we aren’t talking about “a majority of Americans” we are taking about legal immigrants and their feelings toward illegal immigrants. This is an important distinction because those people have already gone through the process the legal way.
It’s like if you waited in line at the emergency room and then someone was able to cut in line ahead of you even though they didn’t have an emergency that required them to be seen right away, you’d be kind of mad wouldn’t you? I would. Now, if they actually did have an emergency, I would understand. But that isn’t what is happening with the current asylum claims. Only something like 20% of cases are actually approved for asylum.
I never made the claim that they hate them
I'm aware, but someone else did. I explained the point of the counter claim.
Also, we aren’t talking about “a majority of Americans” we are taking about legal immigrants and their feelings toward illegal immigrants.
The link shows that support is much higher among Asians than white Americans, and the former group has a larger share of legal immigrants.
You could be white and be an immigrant too but there is no way to parse that information from this poll. What if they polled mostly people who are native born but Asian and white? You cannot just make those assumptions.
Asians are far more likely to be immigrants.
How do you know how many of the ones polled were immigrants? You don’t.
I know how probability works. Your argument relies on missing that.