November 19, 2007 -
Reporter Melissa Newton of Oklahoma City's KOCO-5 offers a balanced look at the emotionally-charged topic of immigration.The focus of Newton's report is a ICED! (I Can End Deportation), an upcoming online game published by New York-based nonprofit Breakthrough, which describes itself as "an international human rights organization that uses media, education and pop culture to promote values of dignity, equality and justice."
Breakthrough's Mallika Dutt told Newtown:
It's a video game that has five young characters with different kinds of immigration status who try and avoid getting picked up by an ICE agent.
In the course of playing the game you realize that the immigration laws are really not working very well and penalize people for very minor crimes... This game is really trying to show you that immigration is an American issue.
Oklahoma State Trooper Betsy Randolph looked at ICED! (apparently, only the logo, since the game is not yet available) and was offended:
From the very beginning, here's the small little people and here's the law enforcement person. It's a big white male that's standing towering over all of them. That right there sends the message to whomever is going to sit down and play this game, number one, you're already in the wrong because you're an immigrant. And number two, the big white man is gonna hold you down or he's going to deport you.
Of ICED!, reporter Newton said:
The game's maker hopes this high-tech role-playing will teach others what it's like to walk a mile in an immigrant's shoes.
The game is scheduled for January release.
Comments
Re: Video Report: Oklahoma TV News Looks at Immigration Game
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Even if they are here legally...they are visitors; we are letting them come here willingly, so they should adhere to our laws, shouldn't they?
Its simple lets start counting heads with a temp card system while the illegal immigration system is overhauled to let in 3-5X as many people in a timely manner so that people wont have to choice boarder crossing as a reasonable "choice" while this goes on we can make it illegal for business to hire people without a real workers card or social card all fakes will be refused and fi a business keeps them hired they will be FINED through the ass, and while this gets finished we can polished up border security however overhauling the immigration system to be more efficient and let more people in at afaster rate will end the cycle of stupidity over the border we can build a wall but it would be a waste , lets get them counted for in some form of temp/migrant way so that every one is paying all their taxes and properly account for and with a proper system in place you can easily apply for premenit residence in the US because after all we are a country founded on a concisious of immgrants.
It dosent work like that the PC nazis want everyone who comes here to be full born citizens no need for background checks and what not let them all in so our business's can find cheap work and not lower their prices at the same time.
um...no? Come here legally and wait 7 freaking years like my ancestors did, it's not that hard..
Not quite the problem has gotten out of hand because the politicians cannot do their job, because the system is so fcked up first we need to start counting heads and overhauling the system,when the overhaul is complete and if you are coming from Mexico(and a few other country's) and want to work for a few weeks/months you can get documentation in weeks ,background checks for prement residence should only take alil longer but under 5 months for people from selected country's the rest depending on what and where can take up to 15 months, be then again it comes down to how willing the politicians are to create a functioning system.
Look at other country's there are systems that work faster and mroe efficient than ours we need to over haul the system, the only real way to do that is to some what blindly give out tempcards to thos that are here,enforce worker laws to keep fake IDs out of the system and while this is done overhaul the system so that it takes a handful of weeks or months to get in be it as a migrant worker or a citizen.
I have mulling over fines..and well charging 500-5000 is nice if you can get it but frankly with the money from tax revenue you don't need it and trying to insert fees to this is just foolish it wastes time and moeny and delays and chance the system can be fixed.
PS:PC nazis do not believe in borders,sovernity or fairness or evil :P
There are LEGAL immigrants, and there are ILLIGAL immigrants. As far as I'm concerned, if the illigals make it into the US, they can work for whatever, but they can expect NONE of the freedoms US Citizens enjoy, and deportation if they're caught. That's why it's called *ILLIGAL*.
Sure, the current system is broken, but breaking the law to enter the US is still breaking the law.
Sorry, but, the system is so bad, I have to sympathize. For example, my sister knows someone who's father is still in Mexico. After 10 YEARS he STILL can't get into the US legally. That's some serious bullshit; his wife and child made it in but not him, and he has to wait YEARS just to live with them again?
Is it any wonder why they cross illegally? You have a better chance of that then getting into the US through legal means.
IMO, that should be the REAL issue; fixing the system.
Don’t only illegal immigrants get deported…?
Yes, but for every one who does, a whole bunch of legal ones get tormented by people who assume they're illegal. The whole "you're guilty until proved innocent" mentality. The red tape is also so convoluted that it's far easier to just go black market and risk getting caught, than it is to even bother trying to enter legally.
Yes illegal ones should get deported. But as long as there are companies looking for lots of cheap labour, the "illegals" will be willing to fill those roles, and willing to take the risk of getting caught in order to make that money.
Clearly the "illegals" are crossing to work, not to try to gain "benefits", so why don't companies cut deals with Immigration to "sponsor" workers? That's what they're doing in Alberta, Canada, to help fill the labour shortage. Immigration opens up it's quotas for certain job categories, and the jobs get filled legally. People pay their taxes, and it all works out.
And will be pulled of of store shelves in Febuary, to make more room for used titles.
I know it may be difficult to achieve citizenship, but I think it would most likely be worth it. When you look at those people who are here illegally, they tend to always be looking over their shoulder. They have to hide in jobs that make sure that they will not draw attention to anyone of authority.
There is also the problem of illegal immigrants taking advantage of state funded welfare programs. You would think that they would not be able to but they are. They also get passed some road blocks by just showing up to the hospitals and receiving health care with out ever paying it through insurance or out of pocket, thus leaving tax payers to pay the bill.
I am against socialized health care for just that reason. If I am going to pay for the health care of people in this country, I want to make sure that they are legal residents of this country.
From what I have seen of this game, I don't think that it is as bad as these people make it out to be. It covers multiple statuses of residency from illegal to people with valid visas. But it does bring to light some of the flaws in immigration laws. The laws are not perfect and there is a lot to do to get them closer to that.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Actually it doesn't work that way anymore (the 'just wait like everyone else'). The way current legal immigration works is that you have to demonstrate that you are entering the country to fill a job position that can not be filled by an American (your sponsor company actually has to post a job ad for your position before the paperwork can finish).
There is currently no real citizenship path for low skill low income immigrants... only for high paid valuable ones. That is how the system is currently failing.... for the most part the people who come across illegally do not HAVE a legal path to immigrate.
I kinda have to disagree on the health care issue. Illegals are a good example of why socialized health care can be a good thing. Yes the taxpayer picks up the bill (pity we can't fiddle with things so illegals still pay taxes rather then sending all their cash back to mexio), but the public GETS something significant back. If you want to combat disease, you have to attack the vectors, not the symptoms.
Flu is a good example. You get much better results giving the vacceen to people likely to spread the Flu (like children) rather then people at risk of being injured by it (like the elderly). Diseases can really spread quickly through highly social communities.
Treating illegals means the rest of us don't get nearly as sick, and that is worth the money.
They also get passed some road blocks by just showing up to the hospitals and receiving health care with out ever paying it through insurance or out of pocket, thus leaving tax payers to pay the bill.
I thought you guys didn't have state-paid-for-because-it's-communist-socialize medicine? ;)
Considering that most of the time it's workers who come across the border, rather than entire families, one would think that the majority of them cross to work and make money, not because they are desperate for medical care...
I agree with Neeneko. Just turning them away from hospitals merely increases the potential for disease spreading, if they are not treated. Don't assume that if they get turned away from hospitals that they just won't cross the border... They come here to work, not for welfare...
At this point and time the system is so broken kickign the out,turning them away and making them pay a fee for cards is not going tog et us anywhere, the US needs to
1.start counting head and giving out temp cards, doign this will start taking taxs from them properly and weeding out the fake ID and criminal and other issues,its not prefect but tis only part one
2.overhaul the immigration system to where it will take weeks/months to get a worker card and or citizenship, there is no reason it should take 5+ years, by doubling or quadrling the amount of people that are let in
At this point and time the system is so broken kickign the out,turning them away and making them pay a fee for cards is not going tog et us anywhere, the US needs to
1.start counting head and giving out temp cards, doign this will start taking taxs from them properly and weeding out the fake ID and criminal and other issues,its not prefect but tis only part one
2.overhaul the immigration system to where it will take weeks/months to get a worker card and or citizenship, there is no reason it should take 5+ years, by doubling or quadrling the amount of people that are let in from Mexico and making it fast and efficant to do so the black market can not compete with it and thus tis win win all around.
3.Now here is soemthign that is optional and thats fully protecting the boarder, this could mean a wall or whatnot but frankly without a solid immigration overhaul anything done here is a ignorant waste of time.
politics refuses to deal with this issue in a timely matter thus making them pay fees or kicking thing out or just letting them in is no longer a option, the US needs to just fix it and be done with it.
It is hard to get people to pay taxes when their employer is paying them under the table.
This won't work if the employer has no incentive to check employment eligibility. That is what Oklahoma's laws are meant to remedy. If an employer is found to knowingly employ illegals, they will get large fines and possibly jail time. It is also very easy to prove intentional employment of illegals.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Its not that it is state insurance, but when the hospital doesn't get paid, it all ends up being paid for by increased rates for those who do pay (people paying taxes) and government credits.
I am not a big fan of socialized medicine. No offense to the British here, but I was terribly underwhelmed and unimpressed by your hospitals. It took a friend of mine 12 hours to be treated for a potentially life threatening injury. Not really that nice. Not to mention the number of people who show up for something that can be treated with some triple antibiotic ointment and a band-aid. It seemed to me that over there every injury was treated by the patients as life threatening and by the doctors as a scraped knee.
But I guess if that is all you have known, then it is great.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Then that hospital had sucky triaging. The hospitals in my city will actively turn you away if you show up for something stupid like that. There's 24-hour walk-in clinics to deal with scrapped knees and handing out band-aids.
the incentive is that the employer is breaking the law and will be forced to stop ALL work and even be forced to by huge fines until its rectified, sorry the free ride is over, its bad enough the situation is so bad we can not simply setup a pay your way in thing at 5G a pop and be done with in,the immgration system itself will keep brining back problems until tis overhauled.
thats why we give out a tempcvard system and force employers to switch to it or be forced out of business they are aiding and abiding fake ID scams and thats a federal crime while a temp system helps count heads and make legal workers out of people the other part that could take 10+ years is to overhaul the immgration systems so tis more efficant at what it dose.
There is no reason why it should take years for people from Canada and Mexico to become citizens, the process as it is is a nightmare not only for the people comming here but for the country its working for..
Really for the common person as long as your name dosent pop up on the FBI list or other law enforment type thigns there should be no reasonyou are not approved for coming in.
Now I am sure they will btch endlessly over worker and citizen status but frankly theyc an do that after the temp card system is in palace and overhauling started.
The game is not about illegal immigrants- the game is about due process and human rights for all immigrants- legal and undocumented.
Please play the game and see that four out of the five characters are legal.
Thanks,
-Breakthrough