Why Do Restaurants Hire Illegal Workers?

There was an article recently about the federal government cracking down on Chipotle restaurants for hiring illegal immigrants. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/chipotle-chain-targeted-federal-immigration-audits.html. The article was not biased, just stating the facts. What really upsets me is reading the vain, self-righteous comments of people screaming “ILLEGALS OUT”. These are people who have never met and talked with an illegal themselves and maybe never owned a restaurant for that matter. I hear from them three main arguments all the time: illegal immigrants work for less, they steal our jobs, and they do not pay taxes.

How to File Your Tax Return in America

This article is in direct response to questions from my students.

Q: Who Pays Taxes?

Everyone who works and lives for more than six months in the United States is required to pay some taxes. If you do not work, then you do not pay taxes. What and how many taxes you pay depends on your immigration status. Foreign students on F1 or J visas pay only federal and state taxes and/or local. All others are required to pay also Medicare and Social Security taxes.

Q: What do my taxes mean?

Federal Income Tax means you are paying a percentage of your income to the Federal Government. State taxes go to the State you live in and Local Taxes go to the city or town you live in.

First Impressions-The Good Old South

So, here I was completely alone for the first time in a new country heading towards Delta gate to board a plane to Atlanta. There was a visible difference between the international section of New York Airport and the domestic one. The first one looked like a pack of mules have just passed through it. It was noisy, the floors were laminated, the bathrooms were dirty, and the space was cramped with no chairs to sit at. I guess the international airplane companies were saving on rent and customer service. The domestic section was quite different.

Your Dream is Only a Dream

I have always known I would be an immigrant. As a child I read books about far-away countries and dreamt of living there. I was fascinated with the stories of the wild west, the fights of the cowboys with the Indians, and the great adventures of  taming the wilderness. The land across the ocean looked so appealing and exciting.

My First Impression-pt.1

I remember the enormous anticipation of seeing the "Land of Freedom" for the first time. I had all these images in my head from the numerous movies I had seen.