Shades of Fremont!…..local town citizens take up action against influx of Hispanics!
Posted by nebraskaobserver on September 2, 2008
It seems that residents of the community of Goshen, Indiana are “… damn sick and tired of pressing one for English” according to Bob Schrameyer, leader of Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement, or CILE, recently formed to spur stricter enforcement of immigration law. The continued influx of illegal immigrants and the changes they bring, however, have just been too much to take, especially with the slow-down in U.S. economy and the increasing number of layoffs in the community.
Surprisingly, besides also having an illegal immigration issue, Goshen is a small town with striking similarities to Fremont, Nebraska as shown below.
| 2000 Census | Fremont, Nebraska | Goshen, Indiana |
| Population |
25,174 |
29,383 |
| Households |
10,171 |
10,675 |
| Families |
6,672 |
7,088 |
|
|
|
|
| Racial Makeup |
|
|
| White |
95.28% |
83.15% |
| Black or African American |
0.57% |
1.53% |
| Native American |
0.31% |
0.26% |
| Asian |
0.61% |
1.10% |
| Pacific Islander |
0.11% |
0.02% |
| Other Races |
2.29% |
12.00% |
| Two or More Races |
0.82% |
1.94% |
|
TOTALS |
100.00% |
100.00% |
| Hispanic or Latino |
4.31% |
19.33% |
This Goshen group was formed out of members’ interest in cracking down on undocumented workers and their employers. Here’s some interesting points to ponder according to retired truck leasing firm operator Bob Schrameyer and Goshen City Councilwoman Dixie Robinson.
- “They’re not against all immigrants, it’s just the illegal ones ” says Schrameyer.
- According to Schrameyer, “there’s nothing wrong with the immigrants coming and filling the jobs, as long as they’re legal.”
- “Why shouldn’t those opposed to illegal immigration here raise their voice?” says Schrameyer.
- “We’ve got the law on our side.” “They’re the ones who are here illegally. They’re the ones who broke the law to get here” explains Schrameyer.
- “We have thousands of people here in Elkhart and St. Joe counties who are unemployed and can’t get work and illegals are working” said Robinson, elected to the Goshen council last year, in part on her stance on the immigration issue.
- They want to give foes of illegal immigration a voice. Robinson says “such critics are frequently hesitant about speaking out for fear of being labeled racist.”
- “If you’re illegal, you’re illegal,” said Robinson. “This isn’t anything about being racist, prejudiced.”
- Schrameyer sees the undocumented immigrants as “thumbing their nose” at law enforcement, complains they don’t pay their share of income taxes and gripes about other cultural intrusions brought on by their presence. “The community is damn sick and tired of pressing one for English,” he said.
- Schrameyer tires of talk of “diversity,” that is, the notion touted by immigrant defenders that the food, customs and other markers of the newcomers’ home countries enhance the local culture.
Group members envision seeking enforcement of existing law that they say is ignored and pushing for new state legislation requiring employers to be more stringent in checking their workers’ migratory status. They’ll also be pressing local candidates for office on their immigration views. ALIPC story eTruth story
Nebraska Observer Weblog 
unknown said
i’m an immigrant here in the US..and it really depresses and sickes me how the government and how people..our citizens.. can be so “ignorant” about this issue…we’re all immigrants here in this country..legal and ilegal coming from Asia, the train workers who were brought to work in the mines..from Africa ..the slaves who came to work in these lands of the so called “land of the free” to European and Irish people who came here to explore a new land….i understand the issue of identity theft and social security and health care issues and that “we steal jobs”..well.let me tell u something, we don’t steal jobs..we earn them..and we don’t steal taxes…..we work out butt off to have them the same way they do…can we all get along???? Is really America the most powerful country in the world when it can’t even withstand its own economy??and why has America been involved in mostly every country’s problems..can we deal with our own first and then worry about some others??What’s wrong with the world today i ask myself…Can’t we all get along??
Anonymous said
I agree. I am a legal immigrant here in US and i don’t steal your jobs. Like the illegal immigrants here, we do the Jobs you Americans won’t do. Your economy won’t survive without these “outsiders” you are referring to, who work their butts off taking dirty jobs. Even if this is your country but you don’t or selective with jobs, we will have more dollars in our pockets than you will have. Your pride will lead you to not saving your houses. I talked to my friend who is an American, I asked him if we can start a janitorial service company, He laughed at me and said, i won’t dare do that kind of thing,,, SORRY. Now tell me, who is to be blamed for this friend’s close to foreclosure house. He don’t even have enough to live a decent life everyday. I am working 8 dollars per hour yet i live a decent life in a nice apartment and is able to manage to provide for my needs and even help my family back home. I don’t get the point of all these crap talking, go get some work.
anonymous said
I am a middle aged white legal taxpaying American that is sick of pressing one for English. That is why illegals do not learn the language. We bend over backward to accommodate them. If there were no choice but English they would learn it in short order. The fact is they are breaking the law being here. There is no gray area. The breaking up of families while sad is something they knew was a possibility when they sneak over here. Americans need to be less liberal on this issue . It is a matter of preserving our economy, country, and way of life. I realize we are all immigrants on some level but my ancestors did it legally. This is so apparent in Elkhart County. Our schools resources are gobbled up by immigrants children that cannot speak read or write English and legal children have to wait at the back of the line.I have experienced this first hand. I am paying the taxes to build that school. The companies that hire them should be subjected to criminal charges if they are found to hire illegals and hefty fines that should be given to the local unemployment department to offset the cost of having our citizens out of work and in competition for jobs. Unless you take away the financial gain for employers it will never stop.