Why do people care so much about illegal (or legal) immigrants? /u/Doesntmatter1237 No such thing as stupid questions

I am an American born citizen and I have never once cared about immigrants, legal or even illegal. It’s just not my problem. But it seems like our entire politics now revolves around immigration, and almost like people are single-issue voters about immigration. Is that really the most important issue to anybody?

I don’t really understand what the problem is. They say they’re taking our jobs, but every job I’ve ever had I had to prove that I was a citizen and/or legally authorized to work in the USA. The ONLY jobs I can imagine them “taking” are very low wage, off-the-books type jobs that American citizens don’t want to work anyway. Farm work, construction, landscaping come to mind. Seems like shady employers should be to blame, they shouldn’t be hiring illegal immigrants, or if they claim ignorance they are still at fault for not doing their due diligence on the people they’re hiring. It’s not really the immigrant’s fault that someone was willing to hire and underpay them.

For the people working in vegetable fields or on a roof for $2 an hour cash, do Americans really want to do that?

Then they say they bring crime, and not to even mention the racist implication that all Mexicans or foreigners are criminals, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to stay in Mexico or Latin America? My perception of those places, crime is much more commonplace and the police are much easier to pay off than they are in America. Why would they come to America to commit crimes where the law enforcement is harsher and harder to buy off? Couldn’t they just do their crimes and Mexico and import the products to the US same as they’ve BEEN doing for decades?

Then some people say they’re draining social programs like food stamps, but again, this stuff is hard even for CITIZENS to get. You have to prove citizenship as well as residency, income, employment etc. I don’t understand how anyone could game this with how much red tape and bureaucracy is involved. I can’t imagine there’s a single person walking over from Mexico and immediately getting food stamps and TANF and Section 8, it doesn’t make any sense.

I have never once felt affected by immigrants legal or illegal, and I don’t understand why anyone else cares so much either.

I am an American born citizen and I have never once cared about immigrants, legal or even illegal. It’s just not my problem. But it seems like our entire politics now revolves around immigration, and almost like people are single-issue voters about immigration. Is that really the most important issue to anybody?

I don’t really understand what the problem is. They say they’re taking our jobs, but every job I’ve ever had I had to prove that I was a citizen and/or legally authorized to work in the USA. The ONLY jobs I can imagine them “taking” are very low wage, off-the-books type jobs that American citizens don’t want to work anyway. Farm work, construction, landscaping come to mind. Seems like shady employers should be to blame, they shouldn’t be hiring illegal immigrants, or if they claim ignorance they are still at fault for not doing their due diligence on the people they’re hiring. It’s not really the immigrant’s fault that someone was willing to hire and underpay them.

For the people working in vegetable fields or on a roof for $2 an hour cash, do Americans really want to do that?

Then they say they bring crime, and not to even mention the racist implication that all Mexicans or foreigners are criminals, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to stay in Mexico or Latin America? My perception of those places, crime is much more commonplace and the police are much easier to pay off than they are in America. Why would they come to America to commit crimes where the law enforcement is harsher and harder to buy off? Couldn’t they just do their crimes and Mexico and import the products to the US same as they’ve BEEN doing for decades?

Then some people say they’re draining social programs like food stamps, but again, this stuff is hard even for CITIZENS to get. You have to prove citizenship as well as residency, income, employment etc. I don’t understand how anyone could game this with how much red tape and bureaucracy is involved. I can’t imagine there’s a single person walking over from Mexico and immediately getting food stamps and TANF and Section 8, it doesn’t make any sense.

I have never once felt affected by immigrants legal or illegal, and I don’t understand why anyone else cares so much either.