They do background checks on people who have been arrested for a crime. The assertion to the contrary is a piece of propaganda. The reason they do not do background checks on people who have not been arrested for a crime but who report crime is because its oddly thought that its better to catch a theif and or a rapist then Julio the gardener. If they checked everyone who reported a crime then people wouldn't report crimes even people here legally. The other reason they do not check everyone they come across is mere expense. At the moment the Govt estimates that it would take 100 years and at minimum 94 Billions dollars to catch everyone. Thats 94 billion as a govt estimate so we can safely say its probably closer to double that cost. So thats at least 94 billion dollars they are not spending on healthcare, education, apprehending actual criminals. Because being in this country illegeally is NOT a crime..I repeat is not a CRIME..it is a CIVIL misdemeanour. Which is another reason they do not do background checks other then the HUGE cost involved. How many people called Julio Garcia do you think are in this country???? I'd say alot..

You suggest They should be allowed during a stop if they 'feel' they should..way to promote racial profiling. Blacks and Latinos are already stopped more often then white people and you want more of it and not just that but to check these people requires them being arrested so they can do a background check..its a civil rights case in the making and the govt/dept checking would ne found to have violated the law.

Some examples of why what you propose is just not going to work: Just 2 weeks a go a woman who was born here was held in jail for 36 hours because she had the same name as a previously deported person. They deported a mentally retarded man to mexico and he was lost for 3 months because they assumed he was here illegally despite being told he was born in LA. People have rights and their rights supersede your desire to have every single hispanic person in the country checked because they are doing what my forefathers did when they came from England many years ago..seeking a btter life. Its not their fault they believe whats written on the Statue of Liberty. Coming to this country legally use to mean getting on and off a boat..now they want to charge people with little or no money high costs so they can follow the American dream and I say shame on anyone who seeks to undermine the foundations of this country because someone doesn't speak fluent freakin English.


Responsbile Govt which is a 'branch' of the concept of the rule of law which doesn't just mean no-one is above the law btw, the rule of law seeks to restrict Government power not the power of people, it also takes into account the concept of due process why anyone would say that the govt should usurp its power and go around due process is beyond my comprehension. Its one of the reason this country was started and one of the reason we had a revolution and a civil war. I am so disgusted that anyone would suggest we undo who we are because they fear Jose the gardener (remembering most of the people here illegally have no been convicted of any crime sure we can all find examples of where they have been convicted but there isn't just 6 of them there are at least 12 million). Anyway responsible govt doesn't just mean enforcing law it also means making laws that have the least impact on the people generally. And I am sorry but what you want is expensive, interferes with the rights of the American citizens and is just plain mean spirited and antithetical IMO to the foundations of this country. Do i believe the people we are talking about are doing this on purpose, that is, being who we use to be and standing for what is decent and right, no I do not but I do know they come here for a better life and want the chance to have one. And is there anything more American than this desire??? I can't think of any, they show more American value then many actual Americans IMO.

Either the truths we hold to be self evident actually are self evident and thus apply to every single person be they citizen or not or be they ijn this country or any other country or we do not think the truths are self evident. (we are also a signatory to the ICCPR which is basically a re-wording of the Bill of Rights so clearly we hold the truths to be true even beyond our own borders).

They should be made to pay a fine, re-pay taxes and allowed to stay not simply because its the humane and decent thing to do (I laugh at all the so called Christains who seek to send these poeple back to the third world toilet they came from whatever happened to Christain morality and charity??) but because it is the most responsible action the govt can take.