Mom Confessions

"Many people assume that their family immigrated to the United States legally, or did it “the right way.” In most cases, this statement does not reflect the fact that the U.S. immigration system was very different in the past and that their families might not have been allowed to enter had today’s laws been in effect. When many families arrived in the United States, there were no numerical limitations on immigration, no requirements to have an existing family or employment relationship with someone in the country, and no requirement to obtain a visa prior to arriving. The definition of who is “legal”—and who is not—changes with the evolution of immigration laws. In some cases, claiming that a family came “legally” is simply inaccurate—unauthorized immigration has been a reality for generations.'

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil. ... ew-reality

It's an interesting article. And for those claiming that their family "did it the right way", are you so sure?

My parents absolutely came legally under the laws in place in 1968, and became citizens as soon as they were legally allowed to.

Yes they did.

I found my grandparents from Syria went through Ellis Island. My moms side had been here before the Europeans showed up.

this is irrelevant. what are the laws TODAY? what are the circumstances? the population is much bigger, people entering the country in much high numbers, gov. is bigger, tax payer funded welfare is huge, deficit is huge. its silly to compare the past when our country itself was still being formed to now. I mean people used to just duel to solve their differences, now you would take them to court. and were there 100k per month people illegally crossing the border into a country of 327 million in addition to the over 1 million we accept legally per year?

there is no country you can just waltz into legally.

a question I have for those who share your stance that we should just tolerate people crossing the border illegally is- how many is enough?

if its a moral issue then surely the entire world's population is welcome?? because your moral conviction that entry into the USA being denied to those seeking a better life is cruel/inhumane should be a consistent standard.

so is there a limit? and if so, how do you morally justify that?

And many people how make the "legal" immigration claim have absolutely no verification of this. Just their family story passed down, but they are sure they someone have a special entitled status.

Way back in our father's, grandfather's or earlier times, their might not have been regular way to come into the United States or Canada. Many came in with no money and just worked hard enough to bring the rest of their family over. Today we are all Americans and Canadians.

Today, things are more complicated.

My family goes all the way back to the early 1800s on my dad's side and my mom's side.

One 2x-great grandfather snuck over the Canadian border in the 1800s. Though, most ancestors emigrated with family through legal ports of entry.

My great-grandmother's family had to sneak over illegally in the 1800s. They were Canadian and wanted to move to Michigan, but her husband had tuberculosis so he wouldn't have been allowed in