>>>>All illegal immigrants are illegal; that is, they already broke the law of this country. And if do no think that many of illegal immigrants turn to drugs or gang activities, you have your head in the sand.
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>>It is true that poverty has an association with crime, especially for people who come from the worst environment to a land of plenty. In some cases it's because their whole life knowledge consists of seizing what you can because soon men with guns will come and take everything. However, some groups seem less affected: e.g. families of escapees from Cambodian atrocities tend to be physicians and businesspeople by now, not career crims.
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>>The big issue is that illegal immigrants already have millions of anchor citizen kids against whom you cannot discriminate, even if their parents are drug lords.
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>I can see now that you re-wrote your message. It is ok; your right. But the discussion here is not about anchor kids but rather about the fact that many illegals turn to crime. Liberals who live in the ivory towers know it well but for the political expediency like to publicly deny these facts. Because they are cowards.
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>And poverty does not have to be associated with crime. Not everybody who is poor is a criminal; in fact majority are not.
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>When I came to live in this country (30+ years ago)I lived in the inner-city of New Orleans. When I would go shopping I would often find myself the only white face in the store. And strange looks like "you got to be really poor to be here. :) " I didn't have a car so I would grab two grocery bags (I was single and lived by myself so that was enough) and carry these home through total slums of N.O. I saw tons of poor people as I would go back and force to do my shopping. But they were not criminals; just very poor.

Not being disagreeable but I was saddened to read a news story about New Orleans the other day. NOLA has always had a hold on me, both as our most romantic big city (along with San Francisco) before Katrina and as our most tragic since. The article said it has had the highest murder rate in the U.S. for the past six years running. Yes, poverty and crime go hand in hand, everywhere. It just hurts for it to happen in such a soulful city, a city that makes no sense in the first place other than being a natural port. The recruiter who brought me to Baton Rouge, a New Orleans native, put it perfectly. "We live in a bowl. And we wouldn't live anywhere else." Very much reminiscent of Californians who remain there even though they know in their hearts the Big One is coming some day.

Repeating myself, anyone with any interest in New Orleans or recent American history is highly recommended to watch Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke." It's the best documentary I have ever seen.