Why is wanting people to immigrate legally considered being Xenophobic?

[ro9ue]

If I, heaven forbid, were to say I would prefer someone to immigrate here legally than illegally... I am suddenly a xenophobic racist bigot. Why is that the narrative the media is choosing to roll with?

I have no qualms with anyone of any race or ethnicity coming to America. Just do so legally. Is that so wrong? Someone please educate me if I'm missing something.

[Johnkie]

Why is wanting people to treat women equally to men considered "feminazi"?

Same reasons..
A couple of people think it's an easy response instead of discussing it.
And a lot of people always seem to fall back to "I just want immigration to happen legally" when they ARE being xenophobic.

bleh bleh bleh

[ro9ue]

Why is wanting people to treat women equally to men considered "feminazi"?

Same reasons..

Yeah why when people have a logical viewpoint the other side tries to exaggerate their viewpoint and then use it as criticism? WHY? Someone tell me it drives me completely insane.

[Kraenen]

And a lot of people always seem to fall back to "I just want immigration to happen legally" when they ARE being xenophobic.

And there's nothing at all wrong with that as long as their policy follows suit. It really is happening too often that legal immigration is seen as racist. How can you argue against freedom and feelgoods about foreigners?

[Saucexorzski]

Why is wanting people to treat women equally to men considered "feminazi"?

Same reasons..
A couple of people think it's an easy response instead of discussing it.
And a lot of people always seem to fall back to "I just want immigration to happen legally" when they ARE being xenophobic.

You are a kangaroo court.

[rayvio]

because the extremist ends of the opinion spectrum are so vocal and obnoxious that people develop a tendency to ignore the opinions that fall in the sensible area between them and assume that anything conflicting with their view is in line with the opposite extreme

[fernotao]

If I, heaven forbid, were to say I would prefer someone to immigrate here legally than illegally... I am suddenly a xenophobic racist bigot. Why is that the narrative the media is choosing to roll with?

I have no qualms with anyone of any race or ethnicity coming to America. Just do so legally. Is that so wrong? Someone please educate me if I'm missing something.

Because immigrants want to dictate what our laws are instead of obeying and then they create a word out of thin air to make you sound like a racist

[ArmoredDragoon]

Why is wanting people to treat women equally to men considered "feminazi"?

I'm very anti-feminism but I haven't gotten that impression unless they ask for shit that isn't given to men either.

[Sunseeker]

Because "Illegal immigrants!" complaints typically focus on brown people from south of the border and people who aren't christians and how they're going to "change america" and that something-something legal immigration would be the magic fix to all that, when what they really mean is that if we keep all those brown people and non-christians out America will be perfect forever.

Everyone wants people to immigrate legally. Some people want those "laws" to be biased against groups they don't like.

[Endus]

If I, heaven forbid, were to say I would prefer someone to immigrate here legally than illegally... I am suddenly a xenophobic racist bigot. Why is that the narrative the media is choosing to roll with?

I have no qualms with anyone of any race or ethnicity coming to America. Just do so legally. Is that so wrong? Someone please educate me if I'm missing something.

A big part of the issue is a twofold problem in the USA;

First, the immigration process is made unnecessarily awkward and difficult. This creates a desire to evade that process, if possible.

Second, the US economy is structured to require illegal immigrant labor, in some sectors. That demand drives the supply of immigrants crossing the border illegally to fill those positions. It isn't a demand for legal labor, because they can get away with lower wages and so forth.

And as a secondary combination of both; enforcement is targeted at the illegal immigrants themselves, rather than on those industries and individual actors who provide that demand, in the first place. So nothing is done to tamp down the demand for illegal labor, while the enforcement merely involves moving them back across the border. Remember; being an illegal immigrant isn't a crime. It just means you don't have a right to be there, and can be removed.

This is why this is overwhelmingly a US problem; their system is set up to allow it. The Canadian system is a lot more strict in terms of seeing where the money is going, so it's a lot more difficult to pay people under the table (especially large numbers of them); we have a lot of migrant labor brought up during harvest seasons, for instance, but it's almost entirely legal immigrant labor, here temporarily.

In the USA, you're complaining about a "problem" you've tacitly encouraged and require, and you frequently target the wrong people. For instance, if you've got an illegal immigrant who's gainfully employed and would take legal status if they could get it, there's little reason to deport them rather than give them that status, other than that they're already here illegally. They aren't a drain on the system (often what's complained about).

Plus, it's always about Mexicans sneaking across the border, and not British citizens who overstay their visas or something. There's a clear racial component to the rhetoric, in the USA.

[Garnier Fructis]

Probably because any attempt at real immigration reform is considered RINO and shot down. Look at Trump's immigration reform plan on his website (yes, we're going to talk about Trump because immigration is what catapulted him to winning status right now). The whole thing amounts to 'get out and stay out,' and the whole running theme seems to be that every immigrant here causes some American to suffer, whether it be jobs, children, welfare, etc. His platform literally is 'dey turk err jerbs!'

So you can blame the actual xenophobes that hijacked an entire political party for why people who don't want illegals here are viewed as xenophobic.

[ArmoredDragoon]

You don't have to like illegal immigration, though you should at least recognize that it's actually kind of hard for most people to legally immigrate because we basically don't want people here who don't have unquestionable value or need and at least recognize that they're people who probably have more in common with us than people think.

The United States is far from being alone in this regard. Hell, look at Japan for example, they don't want you immigrating there even if you do provide value to their economy. Mexico themselves don't even grant any rights to immigrants. Hell, if an immigrant has a job that a citizen wants, the employer literally has to fire the immigrant and replace him with the citizen. Immigrants aren't even allowed to protest or otherwise assemble in Mexico either.

[Garnier Fructis]

The United States is far from being alone in this regard. Hell, look at Japan for example, they don't want you immigrating there even if you do provide value to their economy. Mexico themselves don't even grant any rights to immigrants. Hell, if an immigrant has a job that a citizen wants, the employer literally has to fire the immigrant and replace him with the citizen. Immigrants aren't even allowed to protest or otherwise assemble in Mexico either.

It's not just Japan, many asian countries are xenophobic as fuck. Don't see how any of this is relevant though.

[Kraenen]

Everyone wants people to immigrate legally. Some people want those "laws" to be biased against groups they don't like.

And those who are for the citizenship of 11+ million illegals in the states?

I really don't see the problem with changing immigration policy to bias against people you don't like. It's your country, your communities, you can choose who to let in. Ultimately natives are the best deciders of who fits best anyway since they will be living with them.

[ArmoredDragoon]

It's not just Japan, many asian countries are xenophobic as fuck. Don't see how any of this is relevant though.

It's relevant because people assume that just because you want immigration controls, you MUST clearly be a racist.

[Kraenen]

You don't have to like illegal immigration, though you should at least recognize that it's actually kind of hard for most people to legally immigrate because we basically don't want people here who don't have unquestionable value or need and at least recognize that they're people who probably have more in common with us than people think.

Which makes it an even more sour situation when illegals get a path to citizenship.

- - - Updated - - -

It are the "We shouldn't allow Muslims in our country because they are all criminals!"-posts.
Or the ones first bashing women, then black people and then Muslims in three other threads.
And half an hour later those same people claim they only want to fight illegal immigration.

If a person is the first one to rant in any "xenos" thread and has a dozen infractions because he keeps freaking out and insulting groups of people than I have to laugh when I see that same person claiming it's just about illegal immigration.

So your interest on this subject is laughing at people who say things you put in their mouth?

[Garnier Fructis]

It's relevant because people assume that just because you want immigration controls, you MUST clearly be a racist.

Nobody said that Japan and Mexico weren't xenophobic, so your reply is still just awkward.

[Seranthor]

First, the immigration process is made unnecessarily awkward and difficult. This creates a desire to evade that process, if possible.

So I'm curious, how difficult would it be for an unskilled, non-English or French speaker to immigrate legally to Canada? We should contrast the policy for both the US and of Canada for the same hypothetical individual.

[ArmoredDragoon]

I want immigration control. And I'm one of the most leftwing people on this forum!
But we cannot really discuss those things as long as the far right keeps ruining the discussion.

Well to be honest, to you the far right can ruin the discussion just by being present. You aren't as tolerant as you think you are.

[Kraenen]

The only thing I put in people's mouth is none of your business.

I really wish it were so.