Limbaugh: Mexican immigrants who illegally enter the U.S. are "unwilling to work"

March 28, 2006
Source: Media Matters

On the March 27 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh stated that Mexican immigrants who illegally enter the United States are "a renegade, potential[ly] criminal element" that is "unwilling to work." Limbaugh made the remarks during a conversation with a caller about the recent Los Angeles protests against a federal immigration bill that would criminalize the provision of aid to undocumented immigrants and make it a felony to cross the border illegally. The bill itself contradicts Limbaugh's contention that illegal immigrants are "unwilling to work" as it prescribes stiff penalties for U.S. employers who hire them.

From the March 27 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: One of the puzzling things about this to me, since President Bush has been in office, is his -- you know, he had a very close relationship with [Mexican President] Vicente Fox, and I don't --

CALLER: Right.

LIMBAUGH: I don't -- I -- I think the opposite of what you suggest is actually what's been happening. But look at it from Vicente Fox's point of view. I mean if -- if you had a -- a -- a renegade, potential criminal element that was poor and unwilling to work, and you had a chance to get rid of 500,000 every year, would you do it?

CALLER: Right.

LIMBAUGH: Yeah.

Note: Mr. Limbaugh needs to travel internationally a bit more to expand his horizons and fully understand that not everyone was born with a roof over their heads, let alone all the amenities most Americans take for granted.

It is a blatant show of ignorance and narrow-mindedness to stereotype a person immigrating to the United States as “a renegade, potential criminal element that was poor and unwilling to work”.

Poor… very likely, but wanting a better life for themselves and their family. A renegade… willing to rebel against the status quo of poverty and “classism” in his or her native country. Potential criminal… I don't know what I would be capable of if I could not feed my wife and kids because of having no feasible sources of income (do you know, Mr. Limbaugh?). Unwilling to work…¡Jamás!

- Juan Guillermo Tornoe, ¡Latino a mucha honra!

Comments

[George Richardson]

Las alegaciones de Mr. Limbaugh son entendibles.

La llamada "Main Sreet Media" habla de que la cifras de indocumentados ha aumentado y, muestra imagenes de estereotipos que la media creo para el consumo de quienes lucen por dentro y por fuera como Mr Limbaugh.

Piense. Si a esa imagenes de estereotipos e agregan unos numeritos y la clasificamos por years y la ponemos con grafico que muestre % ( Por-cientos); es este un argumento que convence o no?...

...the answer seems more more likely to be "Yes.

So...how can those whom have the visurs of "poor, criminal and indcumented" figth back those algument?. Una posible y efectiva repuesta podria comenzar con los numeros. Numeros. Numeros. Numeros, Numeros, guys.

Los numeros, bien alineados, deben mostrar los beneficios actuales y un detalle de las perdidas, por septor a NIVEL NACIONAL!. Las matematicas demonstaran, mas halla de las dudad razonables, quienes se benefician, asi como quien gana mas.

So, it is time to show out those numbers guys.
- Realista numero de indocumentados hispanos?
- Actividad economica que hacen.
- Numero de horas que ellos suelen trabajar ( Graficamente) I can help with this.
- ahora,comparar el numero de horas, contra la de sus contraparte. ( Graficamente) I coudl help with this)
- Comparar ingresos (G) Graficamente)
- Como las economias LOCALES se benefician.
- El escenario LOCAL sin esos beneficios. Graficos por tipos de industrias. Consecuenacias a nivel nacional. Cuanto en nuemro y % sera el incremento de precios que vendra. Relacionar eso con el combustibel y viviendas.

- Grafico de las muy posibles consecuencias para la economia de EU, si las naciones lationoamericanan comenzaran a cancelar ordenes de comparas. Quenes se beneficiarian. Grafico del petroleo que recibe US de las naciones latino-americanas.

Solo con numeros se vence numeros.

Esta equacion, en combinacion de marchas y numeros, ha de en su momento ganar espacio en la prensa.

...and hey, dejemos el corazon y la rabia para el beisbol y el futbol.

Es hora de Numeros. Numeros. Numeros.

B. Regards

[Rick Campos]

Juan-this is El Guapo and i could'nt agree with you more on your comments regarding that racist hypocrite Rush Limbaugh. As a 2nd generation Mexican-American, i believe there does have to be a secure border and humane treatment of the people who are already here. Who do these hypocrites think they are--do you think they would pay "Union Wages" to the people that pick their food, clean their hotel rooms, cook their food, wash their cars, mow their lawns and any other menial tasks that they would not do themselves. Recently, they had an open house, if you will, for any one that wanted to work in the fields-a la farm worker style, and they had one non latino taker. He lasted 1/2 day! How many contractors are going to pay prevailing wages for general construction labor? Don't get me wrong-i am an American and i love this land. The border has to be controlled and fair and humane treatment given to people who are already here. I bet if you look at Rush Limbaugh's past-you would find a underpaid latino on his payroll-though i do know that as fact. This i do know for a fact-if Mr. Limbaugh could not feed his family, and had any huevos at all, he would do exactly what these people are doing. I just heard on the buisness program "Squawkbox"; one high tech company proposes putting a computer chip on the undocumented workers' hands as a means of tracking these people. Sounds like the the "Mark of the Beast" to me,,,