Sipping iced coffee with his wife at Tip Top Sandwiches in Little Saigon, Anh Quy reminisced about his early days in the United States.
After American troops pulled out of South Vietnam in 1975, the U.S. government let refugees into the country and helped them establish lives in places such as Orange County.
Quy felt welcome in his new home, but it’s a charity the 81-year-old wouldn’t extend to immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally.
“There’s crisis now because in California, we are so close to the border that when there’s so much travel … without control, it becomes chaos,” the former singer and marketing director said. “Illegal is not acceptable. It affects our safety.”
President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration has sparked strong criticism and protests across California. But among older residents of Little Saigon, he has found a corner of support for his hard-line tactics and rhetoric.
They too believe that those who want to come the United States should go through legal channels, just as they did.
“There are Vietnamese who perceive that people from Mexico didn’t sacrifice as much coming here. They think Mexico and the U.S. are so connected. You can’t go to Vietnam for the weekend. But from here, you can go to Mexico,” said Fred Smoller, an associate professor of political science at Chapman University.
Those attitudes could help Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa), a hard-liner on illegal immigration, in his bid for reelection in the 48th Congressional District, which includes Little Saigon. His seat is one of several in California traditionally held by the GOP that are tightly contested and could help determine control of the House.
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2 comments:
We should crack down on all the earned wages these people make and wire home. Even the most successful of them that open legit business's borrow from their own and only hire their own and depend on our economy and buy up property but contribute little else to communities beyond their own. They are leeches. They are hard working sneaky and clever and see us their HOSTS as lazy stupid rubes unwilling to work and sacrifice and keep our families and communities together. They may be right.
I think you got something here. Just look at the Eastern shore chicken farms. Owned and run by Vietnamese. Open nail solans and hire only Vietnamese. Live in family groups. Stay to themselves. Yes you have a good point.
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