I'd Like to Share a Personal (and True) Immigration Story With Everybody...

[BuddyRey]

It is my belief that the immigration system is cumbersome, unwieldy, expensive, and riddled with quotas and favoritism. I know because of a first-hand experience with this grossly inefficient system.

True story: About eight years ago, my dad met a resident-alien South Korean gentleman named Mr. Park, befriended him, and soon grew enamored with the prospect of starting a martial arts school with him. Now my dad is a 3rd-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, and Mr. Park is a 5th degree Grand Master in Tae Kwon Do, with certificates and accolades galore from almost every major Tae Kwon Do academy in the world, including The Kukkiwan in Korea. He's one of only a couple dozen men in the entire country with his extensive accreditations.

Try to imagine the kind of market demand for a school established by two people with these combined credentials, and ask yourself if, in a free market, such a school could be a success. This is exactly what we did, and we came to the conclusion that, due to his lofty professional status both here and in his own country, getting Mr. Park's green card and other papers in order would be a breeze...right?

Well...not exactly.

First, Mr. Park was told he'd need a sponsor. Of course, my dad was more than willing to vouch for his prospective business partner, so this wasn't much of a hurdle. But in the ensuing months, all manner of application fees, processing fees, immigration attorney gratuities, and assorted hoops he had to jump through because of the government's monopoly on Immigration and Naturalization, ended up costing us around twenty-thousand American dollars.

It soon came to the point where what we were putting out to get Mr. Park's green card ended up being just slightly more than the income we were making off of our new pupils, because, as most entrepreneurs know, the first three years of a new business are usually the most trying and least profitable. There was even a frantic move on our part to secure an apartment and a brand-new car for Mr. Park out of fear that the INS would cite us for "exploitation" and nullify the immigration process entirely (they had made threats to do exactly that).

All of these exorbitant fees for immigration bureaucrats wound up bankrupting our school, which, with great sadness, we finally had to fold up after two years. We had tried to do everything the "right" way...the "legal" way; and all we got for trying to have everything on the up-and-up was debt and despair. Mr. Park is living in another state now, my dad hasn't been able to get back on his feet financially ever since, and we lost far more money on account of the whole mess than we took in from tuition during the school's brief history.

The Immigration Bureaucracy stifles entrepreneurship, harms the economy, stagnates the creation of wealth, and hurts far more people than it has ever helped! It's time to realize that our country's immigration problem is caused not by ruthless scofflaws who get their jollies from spitting on our national sovereignty, but by a corrupt and ineffectual governmental behemoth that exacts brutal and exploitative fees on human beings (many of whom have families, hopes, and dreams just like us) and preys on the desperation of countless individuals frantic to escape the Hell of plutocratic dictatorships or pestilential war-zones.

Just like outlawing guns ensures that only outlaws will possess them, placing excessive strictures on the flow of the destitute into a rich and free nation ensures that those among the immigrant population who do harbor criminal intent will be over-represented in the numbers of such people who do finally make it into this country. That is why we've seen such an explosion of Latino gangland violence on our streets. The Latino population in the United States is over-represented by those whose regard for the law was not sufficient to bar their illegal entry into this country.

We should continue to punish violent immigrants of all stripes, as well as violent natural-born citizens. But the Immigration Bureaucracy that ruined my dad does very little to address issues of criminality and coercion, instead treading a path of impractical legalistic dogmatism. They not only deprived Mr. Park, his family, and my family of prosperity through government force, but they deprived countless others of a top-shelf martial arts education in the process. Everybody lost...except the state. :(

[BuddyRey]

//

[dannno]

That's messed up.

[someperson]

That's :(

[BuddyRey]

^ and ^^: Ditto! It was incredibly frustrating to watch my dad struggle through such massive amounts of red tape when all he wanted was to make a living helping kids, the elderly, and people in high-crime areas protect themselves. But it was even worse having to see Mr. Park and his extensive family, all of whom were incredibly sweet people who treated us like their own, scrimp and save in a two-bedroom apartment because of these cold and faceless bureaucrats who had no inkling of what their backgrounds were or how they struggled to get a slice of the American Dream.

[BuddyRey]

I think maybe some people glossed over my story believing I'd made it up somehow. But how could I make up something like this?

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

I think maybe some people glossed over my story believing I'd made it up somehow. But how could I make up something like this?

Statists don't care. Sad, but true.

[BuddyRey]

Statists don't care. Sad, but true.

I'd like to think you're wrong, and that they're just hurt, misguided people looking for someone to blame for the declining state of prosperity and liberty - a causal entity outside the establishment that won't make them think the worst of their own leaders, but that might be naive of me.

My heart goes out to those people and I wish I had the eloquence to explain to them who's really responsible for their hardships, but I suspect many of them are too far gone for that. I think it's more cognitive dissonance than outright callousness or meanness, but I can't say for sure.

[someperson]

I'd like to think you're wrong, and that they're just hurt, misguided people looking for a someone to blame for the declining state of prosperity and liberty that won't make them think the worst of their own leaders, but that might be naive of me.
Dr. Paul thinks you might be right. Watch from 4:30 - 5:00:

YouTube - Statist/Racism Blame VS Liberty/Federal Reserve Blame For Economic Turmoil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UmlR0CwEtU)
or just watch the whole thing lol

[BuddyRey]

Dr. Paul thinks you might be right. Watch from 4:30 - 5:00

:eek: Oh wow! RP nailed it!

Thanks for sharing that video!

[someperson]

:eek: Oh wow! RP nailed it!

Thanks for sharing that video!
He certainly did :)

If one listens to Dr. Paul objectively, from both long ago and recently, as shown in that video, it becomes quite clear what his true goals are, with regard to borders, trade, and immigration. Epic mental gymnastics might obscure the picture, though... for a while ;)

[BuddyRey]

^ Awesome. Couldn't have said it better myself!

[michaelwise]

Awesome for the system we have. They are purposefully sucking out every dollar from the immigrants they possibly can.

They are doing us a service by keeping the immigration levels at legal levels, whatever it takes.
Bravo!

[michaelwise]

OT

Ron Paul!

No one says it better.

[michaelwise]

Dr. Paul thinks you might be right. Watch from 4:30 - 5:00:

YouTube - Statist/Racism Blame VS Liberty/Federal Reserve Blame For Economic Turmoil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UmlR0CwEtU)
or just watch the whole thing lolOT

Ron Paul!

No one says it better.

[JeNNiF00F00]

:D

[BuddyRey]

Mr Park needs to find a nice American girl to marry. Its still a bitch to get in after that but id expect maybe a little easier.

It's funny that you mention that, because I have a female relative whose husband is a very recent transplant from Western Europe, and he is constantly lecturing me on how naive he thinks my immigration views are. When I try to tell him how hard it was for my dad to get Mr. Park's documents in order, he calls B.S. on me and cites his own breezy change of residency into this country as an example. Of course, he married my female relative while in Europe and basically had an easy ride all the way, but try telling him that.

He thinks all immigrants enjoy the expedited process he did, only without the American sugar-momma and a suburban home already set up for him. Then he blames illegal immigrants for our family's inability to thrive financially, when INS and ICE basically soaked us for everything though our business had real potential and a growing clientele.

It's very easy for "legal" immigrants who have already benefited from the pre-existing system to cast their disapproving eyes at those who may not be as circumstantially fortunate as they were and have to take matters into their own hands. This is probably why so many "legal" immigrants resent the "illegal" ones; for the same reason taxpayers look down on tax protesters. "The government raked us over the coals and mercilessly abused us, so they should do the same thing to you!!!" This is the same mental process which often compels victims of childhood sex abuse to reenact their own trauma on others, and it's a very sad thing to see.

[axiomata]

Thanks for sharing. Such a devastating argument from anecdote.

Related: So You Want to Be an American: 5 Circles of Immigration Hell (http://www.cracked.com/article_18552_so-you-want-to-be-american-5-circles-immigration-hell.html)

[BuddyRey]

Thanks for sharing. Such a devastating argument from anecdote.

Related: So You Want to Be an American: 5 Circles of Immigration Hell (http://www.cracked.com/article_18552_so-you-want-to-be-american-5-circles-immigration-hell.html)

LOL @ that article. I wish I could say it was an exaggeration, but I can't. :D

[BuddyRey]

Bump for the morning crowd.

[libertarian4321]

One of the reasons we have so many "illegals" is that the process to become a legal citizen is so daunting.

Not just the limitations on the number of immigrants, but the bureaucratic cluster fuck- it's almost impossible for anyone other than a lawyer to understand and the bureaucrats running it are amazingly slow and frighteningly incompetent. The process takes years just to cut through the red tape, and more money than most people can afford.

Make the immigration process more rational, and more people will try to do the right thing. But when laws/processes are inefficient and/or stupid, people will disobey them- just as most of us disobey stupid laws like speed limits every day.

[libertarian4321]

Awesome for the system we have. They are purposefully sucking out every dollar from the immigrants they possibly can.

They are doing us a service by keeping the immigration levels at legal levels, whatever it takes.
Bravo!

Actually, they aren't.

By making the process such a cluster fuck, they are TELLING PEOPLE TO FLAUNT THE LAW and go around it.

The humorous article presented earlier was VERY close to reality ( http://www.cracked.com/article_18552_so-you-want-to-be-american-5-circles-immigration-hell_p2.html ).

My wife told me similar stories. She was a well educated person (advanced college degree) from a well off family (could afford the many stupid fees) and had an excellent command of English, and even for her, the process was an extraordinary pain in the ass (similar to what the Australian author of the article encountered).

The end of the article sums it up perfectly- this is why so many openly flaunt our idiotic "legal" immigration system:

"At some point, from within a cloud of despair, you'll realize that you could have simply caught a plane from your homeland to Central America, bribed a friendly drug lord to get you across the border, and then paid someone to give you a dead guy's social security number.

That process would have saved you a year of your life, several tons of money, and your sense of trust in the basic competence of the American government and authority in general. Sure, you might be breaking the law. Sure, you might end up dying of thirst in the desert, your bleached bones standing as an ironic symbol of the drawing power of the American dream. But at least none of the drug lords are going to casually pull you aside at the airport and ask you if you've ever been convicted of genocide."

[constituent]

Great story, unfortunately. ;) :)

[cswake]

The Immigration Bureaucracy stifles entrepreneurship, harms the economy, stagnates the creation of wealth, and hurts far more people than it has ever helped!
Not to devalue your story in any manner, since it does harm us all regardless of how often it happens, but every permit/license/certification bureaucracy does this - some more than others depending on the amount of red-tape and fees.

[ClayTrainor]

That's a very sad story, it sounded like such a great entrepreneurial idea that would've created jobs and helped several people.

It's interesting that "the government is the solution" people have pretty much refused to comment in this thread. :(

[jmdrake]

That's a very sad story, it sounded like such a great entrepreneurial idea that would've created jobs and helped several people.

It's interesting that "the government is the solution" people have pretty much refused to comment in this thread. :(

There isn't a poll attached. ;)

Anyway there's a world of difference between saying "the immigration process should be streamlined, simplified" and even "scaled down" and saying "we should just ignore all of the violence on the border along with armed incursions and go for open borders". Also from the story itself it sounds like Mr. Park was allowed to immigrate (come here) but not allowed to be naturalized. There's been a lot of "hair splitting" here on whether or not the feds power to "naturalize" someone gives them the power to control "immigration". But (unless I'm reading the story wrong) it was naturalization that was the problem in this instance. Once somebody's come here through proper channels (whatever they are and whoever's set them up being it federal, state or private property owner), I have no beef with allowing that person to pursue free enterprise. That only makes sense.

[angelatc]

There isn't a poll attached. ;)

Anyway there's a world of difference between saying "the immigration process should be streamlined, simplified" and even "scaled down" and saying "we should just ignore all of the violence on the border along with armed incursions and go for open borders". Also from the story itself it sounds like Mr. Park was allowed to immigrate (come here) but not allowed to be naturalized. There's been a lot of "hair splitting" here on whether or not the feds power to "naturalize" someone gives them the power to control "immigration". But (unless I'm reading the story wrong) it was naturalization that was the problem in this instance. Once somebody's come here through proper channels (whatever they are and whoever's set them up being it federal, state or private property owner), I have no beef with allowing that person to pursue free enterprise. That only makes sense.

Exactly. I know a woman who met an American guy on the internet, came here on a tourist visa, and married him while she was here. It wasn't a scam - she really did fall in love with him. But because she has her papers, now she's busily importing the rest of her family. They all got bumped up to the front of the line, just because she landed a spouse. That's crazy.

[Ekrub]

Dr. Paul thinks you might be right. Watch from 4:30 - 5:00:

YouTube - Statist/Racism Blame VS Liberty/Federal Reserve Blame For Economic Turmoil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UmlR0CwEtU)
or just watch the whole thing lol

Ron's tie is pretty BA :D:D

[Brian4Liberty]

All of these exorbitant fees for immigration bureaucrats wound up bankrupting our school, which, with great sadness, we finally had to fold up after two years. We had tried to do everything the "right" way...the "legal" way; and all we got for trying to have everything on the up-and-up was debt and despair. Mr. Park is living in another state now, my dad hasn't been able to get back on his feet financially ever since, and we lost far more money on account of the whole mess than we took in from tuition during the school's brief history.

Sorry to here about that. Small business is tough. 9 out of 10 fail in the first year or two, that's just the way it is. No fault of your own. And we have a bad economy to boot. Sometimes it's best to start small. When you plan a business, it's good to keep your balance sheet in the black right from the start. Going into debt to start a business usually just leaves you in debt. Can your father teach on his own? It sounds like there is a lot of cost involved with trying to naturalize someone. That needs to be factored in. It's nice that your dad wanted to help the guy get his citizenship, but from a business standpoint, it was a cost without a lot of benefit.

You said the guy is still in the US? Couldn't he just work for your father without going through all the immigration BS? If not, why use a partner at all? Or why not an American partner? Heck, if you really want to get creative, have him go back to Korea and partner on an "international school". Send students from the US to Korea and the other way around on learning trips. That might get expensive though, and you need students that can afford the money. The bottom line is critical. You want the income to exceed the expenses...