This is how you do it the right way.

[bigred1]

Great great story @dennishoddy ....thank you for posting this.
She seems like a humble lady and that was a moment she earned and deserved. A day she will never forget......

 

[Forgalspop]

I think it would be interesting to know what % of citizens ancestors entered legally vs illegally. I was born in Texas so I’m barely legal (according to my parents, both born in Oklahoma)

All I do know is the current system is a cluster and more than enough blame to go around to both parties.

My grandfather on my father's side immigrated from Russia and entered illegally via Canada. He worked on a farm in North Dakota and then migrated to Chicago and worked as a mechanic. He was working under a car one day and immigration officials showed up and kicked his feet and had him get out from under the car and arrested him. They gave him a choice of being deported or joining the Army to gain his citizenship.
He ended up in the Army and served in France during WWI. He married a Swedish gal (my grandmother) who's parents had immigrated from Sweden when she was a child.

My grandfather could speak four languages (Russian, German, Swedish and English). He refused to speak anything but English and was proud to be an American.

Even though he entered the United States illegally, he assimilated and only considered himself an American; not a Russian-American.
America has always been a melting pot, but unlike today, most immigrants in the past assimilated and were proud to be Americans.

 

[John6185]

I have no problem with those who enter our country legally and would be among the first that congratulate them. My father came from Ukraine and entered legally. He was a cabinet maker, musician in an orchestra, bartender, cook, spoke five languages and was tossed in jail once I heard because he was working in New York City and one of the other guys made some remark in their language not knowing that my father understood. He hit the guy and was arrested. Unfortunately, I know little else about him due to divorce and logistics. He never came to visit me in Oklahoma and he lived in California. I visited hm twice when I was 28 years old and again at age 36. When he died I would have liked to have had his work shoes I saw sitting in the garage as a keepsake but I didn't get them. That's life.

 

[dennishoddy]

We are cleaning out MIL's house prior to an estate sale. We found her grandfathers immigration application from the 1800's and the associated letter of recommendation by a citizen that was required at that time.
He immigrated from Germany, moved to KS to farm and applied for citizenship. Back then from what I understand, before you could submit the application to become a citizen, you had to have a citizen in good standing recommend you and vouch that you had skills, knowledge and enough money to support yourself and the family.
He passed, made the land run and staked out his 40 acres.
Trump was trying to return to this way of becoming a citizen by requiring people to apply before entering our southern border vs opening the doors and letting them flood in with a promise to appear.
If you didn't have skills, and a means to support yourself, we didn't want you. Most countries around the world do exactly the same thing. Mexico included.
There is absolutely zero reasons to allow people that can't support themselves as immigrants to become a burden on our society and it's resources while ignoring our own homeless living in squalor.

 

[TedKennedy]

I think it would be interesting to know what % of citizens ancestors entered legally vs illegally. I was born in Texas so I’m barely legal (according to my parents, both born in Oklahoma)

All I do know is the current system is a cluster and more than enough blame to go around to both parties.

I had ancestors that came from England around 1710, and some that were already here. The ones that were already here took a screwing from the ones that came in the 1700s...that's ancient news though. You'd think we'd learn something from that experience, yet here we are.

 

[El Pablo]

I had ancestors that came from England around 1710, and some that were already here. The ones that were already here took a screwing from the ones that came in the 1700s...that's ancient news though. You'd think we'd learn something from that experience, yet here we are.

I have no idea if mine came legally or not.I know one set of great grandparents were Swedish, no idea if legal or not. After that, no idea on the others.

 

[TedKennedy]

I have no idea if mine came legally or not.I know one set of great grandparents were Swedish, no idea if legal or not. After that, no idea on the others.

It's an odd situation we have today (started in 1986, thanks Reagan).

Folks from south of the Rio Grande would be stupid not to come here.

Folks north of the Rio Grande are stupid not to stop them.

If I was born a poor Mexican, I'd do exactly what many of them are doing. I hold no animosity, yet I want to see my culture and society preserved.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

My moms side of the family came on the Mayflower. My dad’s side immigrated legally. No patience for those skipping the proper process to enter and become US Citizens

 

[dennishoddy]

It's an odd situation we have today (started in 1986, thanks Reagan).

Folks from south of the Rio Grande would be stupid not to come here.

Folks north of the Rio Grande are stupid not to stop them.

If I was born a poor Mexican, I'd do exactly what many of them are doing. I hold no animosity, yet I want to see my culture and society preserved.

Trump agreed with you. I've spent the last three winters 2 miles from the Mexican border where most of the citizens are brown.
US citizens that got here legally that own businesses, own farm land, work as contractors, etc. They DO NOT LIKE THE ILLEGALS as they call them. Even though they are hispanic, they do not like the illegals for the same reason the rest of the country doesn't.
The illegals take jobs away from those that live along the border trying to make a living legally just like they do in Oklahoma and other states.
They are a burden on our health care and social services that were designed to help our citizens that are in distress and living without a home on the streets. Some with mental problems given to them by our government after service to this country in the military.
Let's help our own and fawk the immigrants unless they can show they can be self supporting in their jobs and community, then I'll welcome them.