Tom Tancredo & "Ask a Mexican" columnist Gustavo Arellano keep talking in debate videos

• to bad that bountiful is uptain through the exploitation of what are now known as 3rd countries

• Wow, you are dumb. Look at your grammatical errors. LOL.

• An interesting point, Diane. Thanks for reading and commenting.

• Ermalu, you need to study your history honey. The Spanish did not discover America, obviously the Native Americans were here first, followed by the Vikings, I can't stand idiots.

• Why don't you study Colorado's history on the various immigrant groups that worked the sugar beet fields, or picking lettuce, etc. You will find they consisted of Germans, Irish, Scottish, Italians, Asians, long before Mexicans started coming around. The only difference is, those groups went on to become legal American citizens and assimilated.

• Alexamabad Deanokatafi said: and no Americans will do hot backbreaking work for $7-8/hour. Absolutely false. I did "backbreaking work" for only $1.50 an hour and I'm an American. Many American's do extremely difficult work for such wages. You are acting like foreigners are somehow more capable of doing difficult work, a blatant lie. Americans do most of the difficult work of all types in this country, including farming, picking tomatoes, and so on. The question is should illegal aliens be allowed to continue to break our laws without repercussions or even get some special road to legalization or citizenship? I'm inclined to think illegal aliens, though willing to work for lower wages (they have lower needs, also, receiving lots of freebies) are not willing to go through legal means to enter the country, not willing to jump through the legal hoops and pay the necessary expenses to do things the right way and to wait the necessary time required. They are willing to pay $800 to $2,000 to hire a coyote to guide them illegally into the U.S. or to carry drugs in to pay for their illegal immigration...both are felony offenses._

• Mr. (Arell) Ano (Mr. Butthole) who loves to make fun of "other" people's names (like Sheriff Joe) really showed how dumb he is. If he thinks Americans believe him on how there is really "no" Mexican plan (AZTLAN) to take over first the SW and then the nation (and later continent)which Mexico only owned for all of 24 yrs. after stealing it from Spain (they don't teach you that in Raza Studies, do they?), he is even dumber than we thought he was. And this by a people who have no idea how to run their own country which is & has always been a complete failure because of the corrupt way of life of its (so-called "proud" & arrogant) people who destroy everything they touch. Illegals (most of them Mexis) cost the U.S. $367+++ BILLION (it's called "stealing") A YEAR! (You read that right!). And they scam everything they can steal from this country because they don't know how to make it on their own & don't care about laws - just like in ol' Mexico! Don't know why Tom wastes his time talking to "tontos" when he could have an intelligent conversation with an intelligent human being. (And by the way, human beings can be illegal when they do something illegal). Their silly catchy phrases which they think are pulling the wool over Americans' eyes. Mr. (-) Ano is most probably an illegal alien himself as he even admits his parents came illegally. Perhaps we should all check and call I.C.E.: 1(866)347-2423.

• In the words of Ronald Reagan..."Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

• Has anyone posted a video of this debate?

• Muchisimas gracias Westword, Su Teatro, MSC Chicano Studies......y que viva MEChA u Gustavo Arellano!!!!!!!

• The debate was great and civilized, and I have slightly more respect for Tom than I did going in. However, I have one question, Mr. Tancredo, that I'd like to see answered: the same argument you made for legalizing drugs (that fighting the war on drugs is a losing battle and legalizing them would effectively put the criminals out of business) could be used in favor of legalizing our immigrants (we're losing the battle; legalizing them would put human smugglers out of business and stop a lot of identity theft) - also, just as collecting sales tax on drugs would be a boon to our economy, so would collecting income tax on undocumented workers who are currently employed under the table. So, isn't it hypocritical and just a little inhumane to want to legalize dope but not people? And doesn't depriving immigrants of unemployment create a huge burden on our economy by creating a need for food stamps and Medicaid for their US citizen children? Doesn't it unfairly deprive their US citizen children of a means of support? And by the way, HB 1023 is indeed being enforced but it solved no problems and is very foolish because it attacks a problem that ranges from minimal to nonexistent and creates a huge expensive bureaucratic nightmare that places an unreasonable burden on US citizens. It's tough to get copies of your birth certificate when you're a broke homeless mental patient from another state.

• Westword: You've really outdone yourselves this time. The debate was very healthy and informative. This will be the first and last comment I ever write. Besides the one I wrote before that got deleted. Love.

• Westword: You've outdone yourself this time. This debate was very informative and healthy. Please, have more events like this in the future. This comment, is the first and last I will ever write. Love.

• Question: If I have a family back in latin america, I am going to wait 10 years to buy groceries to feed my family? People can't wait 10 years when they have a family to support. If they see people coming to a new place, just like our ancestors did more than 100 years ago, where they see an opportunity to be able to sustain their families they are going to come. Ethics and values sometimes cant be followed when your kids are starving to death.

• we can't understand them! tell them to not speak so close into their mics! Thanks!

• Tell them both to not speak so close into the mic!!! we cant distinguish all the words from the loudness of their voices! Thanks!

• Why has the Dream Act been looked over for so many years? Why are children still being held as criminals for reaching the age of maturity and staying in their homes ? Wouldn't it be fair to let them work for and earn the right to be here ?

• ??? Get Tancredo outta Colorado, Get Tancredo outta Colorado, Get Tancredo outta Colorado...and save tortillas for us all!!???

• ??? Get Tancredo outta Colorado, Get Tancredo outta Colorado, Get Tancredo outta Colorado...and save tortillas for us all!!???

• Question- Part 1: Describe, as you see it, the problem of having "For-Profit Private Detention Centers" which often have open-ended contracts with ICE to house detained undocumented people for months at a time, at the cost of $200/day per detainee to all tax payers and the subsequent explosion of additional contracts for construction of additional "For-Profit Detention Centers". (also, many undocumented people pay taxes every year via filing under an ITIN number with the IRS) Question-Part 2: Do you feel it is right, moral or just good business to detain work-capable people for months at a time, only to have "citizens" pay other "citizens" to watch them and in many cases mis-treat them?

• I can't wait for this debate! Question for Mr. Tanpendejo: What are you going to do about US business's that hire undocumented workes ON PURPOSE? I know you like to say that you "didn't know" the company hires "these people" but I can tell you that they do. There is a hotel here in Denver that does that very thing. It fell on me, as a translator to tell employees who's social security didn't match their name, and I quote to "Bring in a new social. We won't ask and you can still keep your job."

• eLiz: You call them 'unpapered immigrants' instead of what they are: illegal aliens. You talk about our country's rich history of immigrants and ask, "Is it different now because they are 'of color'?". The difference is that in our 'rich history of immigrants' they were immigrants, not illegal aliens. They wanted to become American. Many of them waited their turn under a quota system. They wanted to assimilate and become successful. They did not sneak across the border while pregnant, have the anchor baby at taxpayer expense and immediately (through their interpreter) demand welfare benefits for the new citizen.

• Question for both of the participants: What is Mexico's Immigration Policy?

• Do you believe in the concept of inalienable human rights, either independently or as they are outlined in the UN declaration? If you do not believe in the UN declaration can you explain your independent understanding of inalienable human rights? Does undocumented immigration correspond with your belief in human rights? Does bombing Mecca correspond with your belief in human rights? How, or how not?

• Questions for Tom Tancredo: 1. We're you aware that your grandfather, Joseph Tancredo, born in Italy, lived in the United States for 36 years, and had 5 children, including your father, before petitioning to become a naturalized U.S. Citizen in 1940? www.tancredofamily.com 2. Do you think you have a responsibility to to verify the accuracy of family folklore that you use as a comparison of then and now to make your point on immigration?

• I am very interested to hear how the two debaters will address the very real problem of immigration reform in the US. I would like to know how each person would address the two main points that immigration reform encompass, namely secure but permeable borders and dealing with those already in the US. Clearly the US has the right, as do all countries, to protect their borders and account for people crossing into and out of the country. Just as certainly, there are millions of undocumented people (not just Mexicans) living in the US that must be dealt with through a fair and humane process that either allows them to stay in the US or return to their homeland. Shutting off the border is not in the best interest of the US and denies the many businesses dependent on migrant labor access to this resource; not to mention the talents and energy of honest and hard working people. The boarders must be permeable in a controlled way so people who want to come to the US and work can. The barriers to that goal are ALL self-induced by present laws and bureaucracy and can be changed by Congress if there is a will to do so. We can set up a system to allow people who want to work to enter the US with minimum wait time and expense and at the same time allow the Government to account for these people and tax them as their earnings provide. That should go a long way to satisfying parties on both sides of the border. So then, what can the US do with the millions of people already here? Well, deporting eight million people is not only ridiculously costly but is reminiscent of events in history no civilized people would ever like to see repeated. We will clearly have to envision a system for either allowing these people to stay legally in the US or return to their homeland. Mr. Tancredo has run for office in Colorado based mostly I what I perceive as a one issue platform. His hard core stance on sealing the border, reducing trade and deporting millions of families has won him a formidable, but not favorable, reputation in Colorado and the US - a country built by immigrants. Mr. Arellano�s widely syndicated column �Ask a Mexican� has also put his views in front of many Americans across the country. I am very familiar with his column, however I am unaware of any specific plans or suggestions he has made to address the issue of immigration reform. This should be a great debate! As an aside, for the last ten years or so I have boycotted Mexico actively. I used to live on the border in Del Rio Texas and enjoyed visiting the border town of Ciudad Acuna frequently. I have vacationed in Mexico several times and even studied Spanish in Cuernavaca for a short time. However a few years ago I became more aware, and disheartened, as I came to realize the cause of immigration and the winner in this issue is the Mexican Government itself. Here in the US we are not talking about putting up a fence with Canada because the economies of the US and Canada are roughly equal and undocumented crossings there are more aimed at illegal activities rather that people just looking to better themselves. Why is the Mexican economy so different from Canada�s? Mexico is an OPEC nation, wealthy in oil and natural resources, bordering two oceans with beautiful tourist attractions. However in Mexico the people are so destitute that they risk their lives and the lives of their families to cross to the US and work for minimum wages trimming someone�s lawn. Where is Mexico�s wealth going if it is not somehow trickling down to its people? The Mexican government is corrupt to the core and does not take care of its people and so we have many Mexicans seeking a livelihood in the US. For the Mexican Government this is a win-win situation. It means fewer people to provide services for while much of the wages earned in the US are sent back to Mexico where it boosts the economy where it is spent. The Mexican Government is ineffectual in a monumental way in controlling drug related criminal activity and their own population pays the price. The swine flu scare recently had the Mexican Government broadcasting ads on US TV to lure tourists back to Mexico to fill their hotels (and pockets) once again. As long as the US treats the Mexican Government as the �Messy little kid brother� instead of demanding real reform for our aid dollars we can only expect the Mexican officials to continue to line their pockets with our taxes and the common Mexican citizens to suffer at the hands of these officials.

• Mexican law will give you six years in jail for aiding an illegal. Why don't you start by changing your own law? Why do you never talk about the way Mexico treats law abiding immigrants and you dare to question America values. Legal immigrants in Mexico have very few rights and never will. You are hypocrites.

• Under current immigration law if a U.S. citizen or a soldier marries an immigrant who entered illegally, that immigrant almost always has to leave the country for 10 years in order to have their papers fixed. Do you agree with prominent immigration restrictionist Mark Krikorian, of Center for Immigration Studies, that this penalty is too severe?

• This should be an easy "debate". Gustavo can't give a straight answer without being sarcastic, off topic, or saying something stupid. NO AMNESTY! NO DREAM ACT! NO COMPROMISE! NO VACANCY ! THANK YOU...

• 2 tickets if any are left, Please! This will be a great event after just attending the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. Seems APT somehow!

• Chris: as I said before, yes, there will be security at this event. I'm heading to the theater right now to work on the ground rules, if you have ideas for how to have a "fair and disruption-free event," which is certainly our intent, I'd love to hear them.

• Heidi- Exactly, hence my post above questioning Westword about security and other measures to prevent the usual tolerant suspects of disrupting this. Count Westword as apart of that haranging crowd of which you speak, and although I don't expect them to encourage said behavior, I'm also certainly under no illusions that they're intent on seeing a fair and disruption-free event, either.

• Will there be a DVD of this? It sounds like an event to be viewed again and again!

• 1 ticket please

• Love to be a fly on the wall at this debate, wonder if it will really be that, or a haranging of Tom Tancredo.. Check out other times he has tried to speak, mainly at univercities, and have been shut down by the "tolerant" lefties.. Should be interesting.

• Hi, I'm looking to reserve two tickets if still available. Thank you!

• Question for Mr. Arellano, In 1492 the Spanish completed the Reconquista with taking controlled of Spain form the Moors. In 1492 the Spanish discovered America, giving birth to a new people, Hispanics or Latinos. In 1521, with the help of the "indios" the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire. And for 300 years the Spanish controlled Mexico. Gustavo Arellano, in referring to your "Loving the Reconquista since 1492" what is the Spaniard in you trying to reconquer?

• does sanctuary city status take away the illigal immigrants need to survive or even thank their god? second. question. . . do. non-assimilated illegal immigrants sens all theie earnings back to their homeland, therefore drying. up the. purchasing power of the city that. gives them sanctuary status?

• I'd like two tickets. Thx.

• Me too! (Two please - thanks)

• If room for two is available, we would love two tickets. Thanks.

• To Chris: I couldn't agree more! And Westword does need safeguards in place!

• A question for Westword: What security and safeguards do you have in place for when the usual and expected takes place: Shouting down, disruption, maybe some pie-throwing, alarm setting-off, etc? Will you have escorts ready for Tom like he and Dick Lamm needed at Auraria when the usual reconquita-bent La Raza activists raise hell in lieu of a substantive debate?

• "Looking forward to the debate and representing my people" Couldn't ask for a better statement to exemplify all that is wrong with this picture. A segment of people that are more concerned with "their people" than their country or coexisting with others of different ethnic background. Sounds familiar...but of course it's ok, because these are people of color, right? Here's an idea: if you're truly only concerned about "your people", perhaps you should return to homogenous Mexico and stop polluting this country with your racist beliefs.

• thanks to all who signed up for tickets. We'll have them at the Westword office, 969 Broadway, Monday afternoon/all day Tuesday, to avoid will-call crowds at the theater. (Call 303-296-7744 to arrange pickup.) As for the commenter who wants to make sure the audience is balanced, anyone who signed up here by midnight last night will get tickets -- and Tom and Gustavo will have some, too.

• I would like one ticket please. Can't wait to see Tom squirm.

• We need a better balance between respect for the law and respect for the human. We also need healthy debate in this country instead of walls of hate. I look forward to this if i could get two tickets please :)

• I would love two tickets. Here's my question: I've worked with Metro's program designed to help the children of migrant workers succeed in college, which gave me some valuable perspectives on teaching from first-generation Mexican college students. Still, the pass rate for Mexican students tends to be less than 50% in my classes, compared to more like a 75% pass rate for gabacho students. I would say the number one problem is attendance, resulting in missed assignments. How can I approach teaching my college English classes in a way that helps Mexican students to succeed? Una Profesora Que Cuida

• Looking forward to the debate and representing my people.

• Gustavo will just call Tancredo names like all lefty losers. there were no Mexicans on this land when the Indians were around.

• This Westword page has said "ticket information tomorrow' for several days. When? It is important for tickets to be available equitably to both sides of the debate.

• Please put me down for two tickets, thanks! Looking forward to it!

• Please put me down for a pair of tickets! thanks, looking forward to it!

• looking forward to it.

• To Zachary: I actually feel that immigrants can contribute, including Mexican immigrants. In fact, the ones I have met are very hard-working, polite, industrious people. It must be done legally however. Noone gave my husband a break when he came here from Bosnia, he was expected to pay his fees, learn the language and assimilate. I'm Lakota Sioux and I don't see anybody trying to learn our language, yet we were here before everyone. The problem, as I see it, is that the current immigrants were preceded by other Mexicans who have now lived in this country for many years and learned how to suck off the system, i.e., welfare, food stamps, Section 8, and if that wasn't enough, they're ungrateful. The paper is littered with stories of crimes being committed by these folks. But I want to make it clear, those are not the ones new to this country, those are the ones who have been here. So now, Americans find themselves distrustful. Which actually makes me feel bad for those that are trying to come here for a better life. Classic example of 'You reap what you sow'.

• You can't have cheap food with out cheap labor and boy, do we have cheap food. Props to those people whose agricultural/milpa economy we've ruined who refuse to be told they have to stay home and suffer. Two tickets please!

• do you feel that illegal immigrants really don't contribute to society as we know it today?

• would love 2 tickets

• Two tickets please.

• Should be awesome, put me in for two!

• I would like 2 tickets to the debate.

• I would like 2 tickets to the debate please.

• @ eLIZ: Paragraphs require spacing in between, duh! And you've been nothing but an obnoxious, arrogant, elitist to everyone here who's disagreed with you. But that's what everyone's come to expect from people who expect entitlements.

• 2 tickets please! I'm excited to see the fireworks.

• 2 tickets please! I'm super excited to watch the fireworks.

• I would like to reserve a pair of tickets, please. Thanks!

• Excited to attend the event (two tickets, please!). My question is for Tom "Soon-to-be Torn Up by a Mexican!" Tancredo: Assuming that undocumented immigrants continue to live, work and (yes!) pay taxes among the rest of us, how can we work to increase their contributions to our communities and country (i.e. allow them to develop new skills, increase their education levels, fill specific areas of need, etc.) Please be specific and provide at least one concrete example.

• Put me down for 2 tickets. I look forward to the debate of something that is dear to our hearts. I hope that they focus on addressing the issue and talk about some possible solutions instead of attacking each other. I'm truly interested on what is bestfor our country and all of its people, including legal immigrants.

• Would like to reserve a pair of tickets. Thanks!

• This should be a very interesting yet entertaining night. I would love to get tickets to this event. I know it will be one to remember.

• I would like, please, one ticket to this debate. I am ashamed to live in a state where pot is legal and people are not. Our priorities are backwards. Maybe if residency status was less expensive and the process wasn't so bogged down with red tape...it can cost thousands of dollars to get a green card...I say, let's use the taxes from medical marijuana sales to create a fund to assist people who would like to get green cards or work permits but can't afford it. Read what Emma Lazarus had to say about it. It's on the Statue of Liberty.

• To Eliz: A. As far as your statement regarding Mexican small business owners not being able to 'overpower conglomerates like Walmart', I take it you haven't noticed that small business owners of all cultures have been losing out to Walmart, and before that it was Kmart and Target. Why should the Mexican business owner be given special accord? B. Regular U.S. citizens absolutely apply for jobs at McDonalds, Taco Bell, etc. but often lose out to Mexicans because the corporations that own these fear being labeled discriminatory. C. As far as migrant workers, in Colorado, prior to Mexicans working the sugar beet fields there were Japanese, Irish, Scottish, Germans. Gee, wonder why they're not complaining? D. Hispanics are given not only the same opportunity to achieve success, but more concessions have been made for them than any other culture. (I'll insert here that I agree America's drug problem only enables the Mexican cartel.) E. As a proud member of the Lakota Sioux nation, I resent your statement that you are 'one of us'. Although the Mestizo is a blend of Mayan and Spanish blood, may I point out, that is only because the Spaniards raped the Mayan women. And if you research further you will find that the next group of people to come to America after Native Americans, were Vikings-and they most definitely were not Spanish. It is not that this country is not welcoming to Mexicans, they are simply being asked to follow the same criteria that so many immigrants before them have followed. Lastly, it was John Logie Baird that invented the color television, not a Mexican. (I don't mean that disrespectfully, just stating a fact.)

• I would like to know why Tancredo is wanting to destroy the United States by causing racial chaos and fear mongering. His comments spout nothing but hatred toward a certain race and he hides behind the notion that its about "illegal immigration" and not about race. Case in point was his comments regarding the election of President Obama in which he stated in a speech at the so called first Tea Party Convention held this past Febru ary :"people who could not even spell the word 'vote', or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama." [Comments taken from article at: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/05/tancredo-opens-tea-party-convention-with-a-bang/} At that same speech he stated, "So the race for America is on right now. The president and his left-wing allies in Congress are going to look at every opportunity to destroy the Constitution before we have a chance to save it. So put your running shoes on. Because I'll tell you, I've heard we need a revolution. My friends, we already had it. We lost. I mean, what happened to us in that last election was a revolution," said Tancredo, discussing the 2008 presidential contest. What is your real agenda here Trancredo? Looking forward to seeing you choke on your own words. Two tickets please or at least a live feed!

• Guardenme 3 boletos. Porfis! Gracias. Save me 3 tickets. Please! Thank you.

• Two tickets please!

• Can I have two tickets?

• For Mr. Tancredo: Given the fundamental influence of proper adjustment to place in determining human, well, being; are Latino/a immigrants--in spite of their relocation--to the place recently named 'The United States' more psychologically healthy, spiritually sound, and ontologically authentic due to their native blood quantum than are European immigrants who have traveled a comparatively greater distance and wandered here a comparatively short time? If this is the case, what do you have to learn from these immigrants? Feel free to reference the Unheimlich condition of the dislocated European soul as elaborated in Freud, Heidegger and Otto. Thanks, Mr. Tancredo.

• Please!!!!

• David Miranda, love your post. We're going to make it an upcoming Comment of the Day. Congrats, and thanks for reading.

• One ticket, please.

• The first time I ever heard Tom Tancredo speak was at a luncheon sponsored by the Summit Co. Republican Women. He obviously avoided taking my question. I was brown and sitting in front of him with a stack of documents to refute the myths and lies he was spouting. Even one of the Republican Women sponsors apologized to me after the luncheon for what was an obvious spurn.

• Count me in please.

• Please reserve me two tickets, just hope ICE does not raid the place. Tommy does have a very nice tan, would not like to see him deported.

• Would like 2 tix and to propose two questions for the debate... 1. True immigration reform cannot be solved by just throwing money at border security - what are your suggestions for broader reform and do you agree with a state-by-state approach or a universal federal approach to this? 2. It doesn't take a historian to see the similarities between how Mexican immigrants are treated today and how Italian immigrants were treated in the early 1900's. Will we always find a new group to blame for whatever woes we experience or can we somehow rise above the stereotypes?

• Very excited for this debate!

• Couple tix this way too! This is great news.

• Questions for Tan-Crudo: Tancrudo, if you would have it your way, you'd love for immigrants to assimilate instead of acculturate in this country, why? Was there anything in your ancestor's culture that you really disliked, did anything happen to you as a child that made you hate your ancestor's culture because I love my Mexican culture and would never assimilate even if it meant a $100k salary increase? And, I think a melting pot is more of assimilation term....I'd like to think of it more of a salad bowl where we all have our different traits, cultures and characteristics but at the same time the salad dressing is the American culture that we all get full of.. What does a melting pot mean for both of you?

• Questions: Do you think the USA will ever intervene and help out our neighbors next door fight this war against drugs or is it part of the U.S. economy? If we stop the drug trade, many more Gov jobs would be lost here in the USA and that cannot be good for economy would it...? I believe if we stop the drug cartels in M�co, many immigrants would stop coming here since they would have a nice place to live in and businesses could start opening up again in M�co... What is your take on this Mr. Tan-crudo and Tavo?

• Please reserve two tickets. We are so looking forward to a spirited and honest debate of the pertinent issues.

• Please reserve two tickets -- thank you so much for pulling this together!

• Dear Eugenia, I have been nothing but respectful to you and have challenged you to intelligent dialogue of research and reality; however, you have only looked for ways to attack me. For your information, this lack of debate skill on your part tells a lot more than your petty attacks. Also, the formatting of this particular forum caused the problem in may paragraphs, look at the breaks on the right side; (duh) My questions about the debate are posted in my previous post, to the friend who was upset for the "dissertation" that I wrote. (I am actually working on a dissertation and it's about 100 pages long so far, so this forum post was nothing in comparison to real research and writing jajajaja) Have a great day everyone, and may I have 50 tickets to the debate, I'd like to bring a bunch of undocumented workers LMFAO!! Shout out to all the gente and pa' lante!!!!! eLiz...2.71828183...

• Dos boletos por favor...Two tickets please..

• I would love to attend the debate. Gustavo and Tom

• Hey i would love to see this.

• Please provide a link so I can view it online... Go Gustavo!

• I would like to request two tickets please. I would like to be there. I have been waiting for a long time for somebody to put tancredo in his place

• Oh, I can't wait to see this! Please reserve 2 tickets for me and my significant other.

• I'd like to get a couple of tickets.

• I would like two tickets. Lynn

• Does Tom Tancredo have aspirations for any future candidacy? May I please have one ticket?

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