# Undocumented immigrants crossing border - what \*should\* be the response? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 8, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213 "2018-11-08T21:09:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/81 "2018-11-13T09:36:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But the average person wouldn’t qualify under any of these special programs (I wouldn’t if I was applying). Ok. So there are only 150 thousand Mexicans, most of them average Mexicans on family reunification programs, who can and do legally immigrate to the USA each year. I’m glad that’s been clarified, because your initial assertion, that “there is no legal way for you to do so”. was wildly misleading, and I would have been seriously embarrassed if I’d repeated that. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/82 "2018-11-13T10:03:17Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Ok. So there are only 150 thousand Mexicans, most of them average Mexicans on family reunification programs, who can and do legally immigrate to the USA each year. I’m glad that’s been clarified, because your initial assertion, that “there is no legal way for you to do so”. was wildly misleading, and I would have been seriously embarrassed if I’d repeated that. What I said is accurate. I said the average Mexican can’t immigrate to the United States legally and that’s a fact. The existence of the family reunification program (which I acknowledged) doesn’t change that. The average Mexican is not related to an American citizen so the program doesn’t apply to them. There’s a lot of wildly misleading posts in this thread that people should be seriously embarrassed over. But nothing I posted. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/83 "2018-11-13T15:44:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I didn’t say conservative immigration policy is sexist or homophobic. I just said it was racist. Which it is. > > Part of the right’s tactics is to attempt to shut down debate of issues whenever they’re doing something that’s racist by saying that other people are accusing them of being racist. When they can’t win a point on the merits—PRESTO—“Racist!” They can’t do that unless someone accuses them of being racist. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/84 "2018-11-13T15:47:42Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Wait…what? You are saying there is no legal immigration from Mexico to the US except your two special circumstances??? Um…since when? From what I recall something like 150k Mexicans legally immigrate to the US on average each year. Do you have a cite for no way except marriage or investment to legally immigrate from Mexico to the US?? I’ll be shocked since, again from memory, Mexico is actually the largest single country we GET legal immigrants from annually. Granted, I haven’t looked into this recently, so maybe under Trump it’s changed, but as of 2016 they were still the top country. Mostly through family reunification. If you aren’t related to a US citizen, your chances of immigration are slim. The lottery does not favor places like Mexico which already gets a ton of VISAs from family reunification. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/85 "2018-11-13T15:48:15Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > They can’t do that unless someone accuses them of being racist. That not true. They just have to say that “some people are calling it racist”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/86 "2018-11-13T17:02:27Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > They can’t do that unless someone accuses them of being racist. If enough people accuse you of racism, you should consider the possibility that they’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/87 "2018-11-15T00:17:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What I said is accurate. I said the average Mexican can’t immigrate to the United States legally and that’s a fact. The existence of the family reunification program (which I acknowledged) doesn’t change that. The average Mexican is not related to an American citizen so the program doesn’t apply to them. > . And also wildly misleading. I never challenged the _accuracy_ of your wildly misleading assertion. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s a lot of wildly misleading posts in this thread that people should be seriously embarrassed over. But nothing I posted… Which, at best, depends on a narrow reading of “average Mexican” which you _should_ be ashamed of. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2018, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/88 "2018-11-15T00:35:51Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > And also wildly misleading. I never challenged the _accuracy_ of your wildly misleading assertion. > > Which, at best, depends on a narrow reading of “average Mexican” which you _should_ be ashamed of. The average Mexican has immediate family as US citizens? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213/89 "2018-11-15T03:16:50Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Which, at best, depends on a narrow reading of “average Mexican” which you _should_ be ashamed of. Let me say this as clearly as possible: the average Mexican does not has a spouse, parent, sibling, or child who is an American citizen. That’s not “wildly misleading”. That’s an objective fact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undocumented-immigrants-crossing-border-what-should-be-the-response/824213.md?page=4)