Once a migrant worker, today he's a brain surgeon

I agree with your words 100% percent. Now, for those who say "Get in line" well, if the line wasn't so long and if the US didn't make it so hard to enter legally it would not make sense to risk their life entering illegally. As far as who pays for who, come on people. Really, check your stats from a reliable source and/or do the research yourself. I am an American and I love my country but the one thing I detest is the simple minded who make biased uneducated statements that make the rest of us look bad. Not a Democrat and sure as heck not a Republican just someone who wants things fair for everyone.

Every nation on the planet has its own immigration system and always will. The US in fact has one of THE most generous systems in the world. Just try immigrating permanently to Germany or Switzerland. Could our system use some changes? Sure it could. Maybe something more like Canada's system.

I look at Dr. Q and it reminds me of what this nation can produce, but then I read comments like the "OC Voice" and it reminds me of all the trash we need to take out in order to move forward. We should put the "OC Voice" in a distant island, he will probably just eat worms and perish, actually that's what he/she is probably doing right now.

Dr. Q, we need more of you and less of these types of idiots...

Maybe you should go back to school so you could learn that Mexico is not in South America. Also, there are many Asian immigrants that come to this country illegally and are not educated. They cook your pork fried rice just like many mexicans cook your burritos.

Wow, what a useless comment.

Newsflash: There are many many more unskilled "Asians" than there are skilled and educated ones. Those we encounter here in the US are sadly, the exception to the rule in their home countries.

He does, not the 12,000,000 here illegally. END OF STORY!

Is he one of the millions that received amnesty in 86? The story doesn't say. Possibly he could have gotten a visa based on the fact he graduated college at 18. All kinds of scenarios.

1 in 12 to 18 MILLION! OK, the US hit the lottery with this one. Let's just let them all in and see where we end up. I sure hope all of them become doctors because they are all going to get free health care according to the Democrats. FREE!

Some of them need to become cops, to keep the rest of them from raping, murdering and selling drugs to our kids. Of course, they could all move to San Francisco. That seems reasonable.

You know the Dribble from you AZkat makes no sense. This is an inspiring and rare to find story about a man who has surely done more with his life then you have probably ever done. I for one feel lucky that he is here whether he came in legally or illeagally what difference does that make??? He is contributing to this country and society a hell of a lot more then most people who are here legally. i guess if you were born here or came here legally gives you the RIGHT to complain and sit on your ass all day?? And his attendence at HArvard wasnt stolen from anyone, you think he was just let in, he qualified with good grades and intelligence. If your smart enough to get in Harvard you can go to, but somehow I doubt that. Plus he became a legal citizen of the US on top of all that. I think the real problem is you havent got what you wanted out of life so now you want to blame somebody for it. What you are doing is scape goating its been done before remember germany ,the country was run in the ground by bad leadership, but who was blamed for all of Germanys problems ,the jews. The same thing is happening here, just fill in the word illegals instead. A country that is united can never be divided.

g331557, You don't know a thing about anything, and before you insult others intelligence and success in life, try a little self examination. At the very least, try spell-check so that your ignorance isn't so clearly displayed.

I happen to be quite happy with where I'm at in life and although, I admit I'm not a brain surgeon, I make a very good living. I doubt you've got a college education, otherwise you would know that simply making the grades and 'wishing' to attend doesn't cut it. A 8-year medical program at Harvard costs roughly $260,500 - yes that's right more than a QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS. There isn't a snow-ball's chance in hell that a illegal produce picker could cover that without the generosity of the American tax-payers. Further, Harvard MD/PhD program receives over 500 applicants a year and interviews only 75-90 max applicants. Of those accepted into the program, only 10-12 receive tuition funding. Do you still doubt that someone who criminally entered this country, worked under the radar, defrauding the US tax system and draining the supplemental living resources of our country, not to mention cutting in line for a quarter million dollar tuition program has nothing to answer for?

I can only assume you don't live in an area infested with criminal illegal aliens, otherwise you wouldn't be so sympathetic. We have over a billion dollar deficit in Arizona due to providing entitlements to illegals, we are in the highest percentages nationwide in multiple crimes dominated by illegals. We have illegal after illegal caught here in the Phoenix metro raping and molesting pre-teen and teen girls. When you have a teen-age daughter who gets accosted almost daily on her way to school because some brainiac decided to put a day-labor-center a block from her school you come talk to me. When you're the highest in violent home-invasion, shoot-outs on your highways, identity theft, and child rape, we'll talk again. We recently had a home-invasion/shoot-out involving a member of the Mexican Army posing in a police uniform. In your simple little world, apparently realities don't matter. I deal with the reality of criminal trespassers and the ancillary criminal element it breeds every day.
Becareful who you challenge - in this battle of wits, you're clearly under-armed!

Wow, so much anger. How do you know the money used to pay for this mans education came from tax payer dollars? Harvard is a private university that provides scholarships. They happen to be one of the richest Universities in the world with the largest endowment fund in the US (34.9 billion dollars). I think they have enough change to pay for a few scholarships, don't you?

Also, if you detest illegal immigrants so much, don't shop at places where they employ them. Don't go to restaurants, don't buy produce, don't get your lawn mowed cheaply. Don't be a hypocrite. You don't like illegal workers, yet you turn a blind eye to those employing them. By the way, they do pay taxes, maybe not as much as you or I, but then again they don't make that much money.

If you are so passionate about this issue, the solution is easy. Don't hire them. Get your local representative to submit a bill that penalizes employers that hire them. Have employers pay a million dollar fine for each undocumented worker they hire. Pretty soon the 6 dollar burger will cost 12. It's up to you. But, I'm sure you're e just happy to go to your local restaurant and ignore the fact their working in the kitchen for peanuts and talk about how much you hate them.

Its not a battle of wits with you its an easy win. First of all I have used spell check , second of all I live in a town filled with illegal immigrants, ever heard of Los Angeles?? To say illegals are raping young girls every day is a complete fabrication, I am supposed to take you word on it simply because you state that its true?? Plus I AM college educated, now lets talk about your facts. "500 applicants a year and interviews only 75-90 max applicants" WRONG Harvard medical school had 5,482 applicants for its 2007 year and accepted 578 into its MD program. "Of those accepted into the program, only 10-12 receive tuition funding." Wrong again Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 80% (excluding MD-PhD students) Whoops! I assume thats what you mean by tuition funding. Tuition is approx 38,000 per year which adds up to even more then your total. "We have over a billion dollar deficit in Arizona" Your right Az deficit is predicted to be over 1.7 Billion but there is no evidence to show it was mostly caused by illegal immigrants The state budget gap is caused by lower tax revenue because of the housing slump as well as spending increases approved by state voters, Napolitano and the Legislature. According to this article Sorry this does not allow me to leave the links I posted.
The information below deals with the state of Ca. only but i think the information can be applied to AZ as well. The other day a West Coast think tank announced the results of a study on immigration and crime. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, individuals born outside the U.S. are significantly less likely than American-born citizens to wind up in a California prison. People born outside the U.S. constitute 35 percent of California's population -- but only 17 percent of its prison and jail population.
The disparity is even bigger in some demographic sectors. U.S.-born adult men "are incarcerated in state prisons at rates up to 3.3 times higher than foreign-born men," the PPIC says. "Among men ages 18-40 -- the age group most likely to commit crime -- those born in the United States are 10 times more likely than immigrants to be in county jail or state prison." I am sorry about the home invasions I am sure that is terrible, but again to blame a whole race on the fall of an entire state or country just isn't realistic.

Oh yea I forget to ad this fact AZ.

Those numbers don't distinguish between legal immigrants and illegal aliens, so it might be that illegal aliens make up a disproportionate number of incarcerated foreign-born persons. But that also might not be the case, because "noncitizen men from Mexico ages 18-40 -- a group disproportionately likely to have entered the United States illegally -- are more than eight times less likely than U.S.-born men in the same age group to be in a correctional setting (0.48 percent vs. 4.2 percent).

More proof Ilegals are NOT starting a crime wave.

g-331557 thank you, finally and educated answer from an educated individual.

I'm in the AZ side of this cat fight.
I noticed the 19yr old teacher right away. And he was on someones assistance or the picker job pays a damn sight better than i think i does. We all need a lesson from this guy on what method he used to save that much money on minimum wage or less.
I will say congratulations on becoming a US citizen, but you still should have went through proper channels.

I'd like to provide some insight to those that hate immigrants into how their true issue is not the "breaking of the law" but racism and ignorance.

An international student can also apply to Harvard and receive a scholarships based on merit just like a US citizen could go to the Sorbone in France or Oxford in England and the citizens of those countries would not claim that a foreigner(US citizen) is "stealing" their spot and asking them to "foot" the bill.

The comment about an illegal "stealing" the spot of a US citizen in Med School and his education being payed for by taxpayers is an example of how people make a number of unfounded/ignorant assumptions truly stemming from their racism/prejudice and then try to mask it as righteousness and fairness to avoid feeling guilty about their mean-spirit.

Be honest about your racism and stop trying to pretend that you are "not against immigrants" as long as they are "legal"..whoever buys that is just naive.

If we wish to continue to consider ourselves a nation based on the rule of law, then IT does matter whether someone enters legally or illegally.

I think you're full of it AZ.

That brain surgeon probably pays more taxes to Uncle Sam than you do so he is givng back to the system. I don't care what he did to get in our country as long as he didn't hurt anyone while doing so. He worked as a farm worker and did a labor job that most Americans won't do but our economy needs.

Most of the illegal workers here pay taxes but never collect returns or social security.

You like to bring up illegal immigrants who commit crimes(rape/murder) but you don't bring up the fact that there are probably more non immigrant rapists and murderers here in the US.

It's ironic that a majority of the serial killers and kids shooting kids in our schools are white and/or non immigrants.

We don't know if this guy used affirmative action and race based handouts, so it isn't fair to assume. I'd say if he graduated from college by 18, he probabaly didn't use affirmative action for acceptance. I'd assume he's intelligent if he could graduate college when most students graduate from high school. And if he is that smart, he would probably have gotten a scholarship based on merit rather than affirmative action. Academic scholarships are given that way. Their are other scholarships for low grades/affirmative action. Lastly, the article said he graduated at the top of his class at Harvard. Affirmative action doesn't buy you a GPA; that's based on merit.

agree with you on this. sometimes I wonder if that's how Obama & his wife got into top colleges too. Not that they're not smart, but affirmative action does do a lot more non-whites & non-Asians.

Ray/Cali,

Afraid to tell you, but you'd be heading home to Euro/Asia as well.

American Indians are decedents of original Asians who migrated when a land peninsula existed between the continents. The Mexican race is a hybrid race that was created when Spaniards (Europeans) crossbred with American Indians (Asians). That would make your ancestors from Europe/Asia, will you go back too? That idiotic argument is just plain idiotic. I have no more in common with my Euro ancestors than you do and I'm not going anywhere either.

By the way before you get bent on the history lesson and claim I'm a racist, my genetic composition contains 1/8 of that 'hybrid race'.
I could be wrong but I sincerely doubt there's a single pure blood individual alive on this entire planet. Isn't it about time we all burn our race cards?

When we focus on the real issues instead of deflecting to race, maybe we'll make real progress in coming up with solutions.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Aztecs and the Mayans already lived in Mexico, Guatemala and other Central American nations when the Spaniards arrived to the Americas. So did the Incas in Peru. So why are you saying that Mexicans are a hybrid race that originated "when Spaniards crossbred with American Indians"? That doesn't seem to make any sense...

Fabulous 22, Ever heard of North America and South America

AZKat,

If you want to get really technically, we all (as in the human species) originally came out of the African continent. Maybe we should all go back there.

1/8 hybrid race. WTH is that? We're all mutts.

"Brown Power!!!"... And then they call us racist??? Go figure.

It is great to have pride but you contradict your self when you call everyone a racist then exude the phrase "Brown Power" it makes you sound just as bad as the Neo-Nazis. There is no double standard, if you don't like racism don't practice it yourself?

i am a cherokee indian and most black men are racist

John-365774: this sounds like a joke with a cheesy punchline XD

Yes, that is an invitation to come to our country... legally. Not to sneak in through the back door.

And no, we are not all descendants of Native Americans. But our ancestors immigrated through legal means to this country. Unlike this individual in the article.

Through legal means, eh? Like stealing land from the people *already living here for thousands of years* Give me a break, we are all here as thieves in one way or another.

Many times its impossible to come here legally. They are using thier resources, to make a better life for themselves and thier family. I thought this type of behaviour was always encouraged here!.Isnt it the popular opinion to say get off your ASS and do what it takes to improve your life?? To not depend on someone else to do improve your life for you? Well it seems to me that is exactly what they are doing!! And we are complaining about that!

The truth is, like it or not, that the US is significantly more crowded than it was when those words were written and the Statue of Liberty erected.

Every since our nation's founding we have increasingly restricted immigration (at one point, it took 14 years to become a citizen!). It is unlikely that it will ever be as "open" as during the mass waves of the 19th century. And even then the US wasn't open to everyone. Up until the mid-20th century, individuals from certain Asian countries (like India) were completely barred from entry. The mass waves of the 19th century were primarily European and FAVORED Europeans.

The simple fact is that we can't open our borders to the world. No nation can, has or will. It doesn't mean our immigration system couldn't use some work.

i'm an indian

My guess would be when the US Government comes accross an exceptional person, regardless of whether they are Mexican, Chinese or Russian, they are granted citizenship. These class of exceptional people tend to be scientist, engineers, doctors, architects, etc. Werner Von Braun, the famous rocket scientist from Germany, came to America directly after WWII and helped America get to the moon.

The value of these people is greater than the conditions under which they came. Why not let the best and brightest stay if it helps America? Do I favor illegal immigration. No. But I understand its root cause and I think their should be exceptions, such as the gentleman above. As a Veteran, I think you should be granted automatic citizenship if you serve (not sure of time frame there) or are wounded/killed in battle. Giving your life for your country is the ultimate sacrifice.

John - You make a good point, and I agree with you. However, like the rest of your examples, this is the exception and NOT the general rule when it comes to the prosperity of illegal immigrants

Who cares how he became a US citizen? The important thing is that the US government decided to give him legal status and then citizenship. And he learned the language and is a successful doctor that is helping many people. God knows, maybe tomorrow he could save you or someone that you love! Have you thought about that? The guy is one of the best brain surgeons in the world and he's here! Why aren't you happy with that?

I find it sad that many chose to attack the story and the man rather than take the story for what it is. Many of these comments are ignorant, racist and bitter. I have had bad experiences with people of different races but just because one happens to be a rotten apple I am not going to sit there and judge the whole orchard. Regardless of his nationality or how he entered the country he is giving back something to the world, no just this country. God help him in his research to find a cure for Cancer. I mean, you never know you just might need his help one day.

That was my thought exactly. The timing is right for that program.