Thursday, August 14, 2008
Immigration How 287(g) Could Lead to Disaster and Death
Posted by PJ Tobia on Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 1:20 PM
Comments (3)
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Most of us who are educated enough to read and appreciate Pith In The Wind would probably never consider migrating illegally to another country.
I'd be surprised if a single reader here has ever left this country without identification or entered another country illegally, unless they were drunk, stoned, intended to engage in criminal activity or are pretending to be a fan of Pith In The Wind. That's because we're educated enough about the fate that awaits people that make poor choices.
I think the more educated others are at the fate that awaits them when they choose to enter our country illegally, the more likely they are to chose a legal, safe and secure path toward the future. That's not to say 287(g) should be used to treat people inhumanely, but I wouldn't expect any country, including the U.S., to treat criminals or illegal immigrants to a cushy stay at the Ritz, either.
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It is curious that you write as if there is always a "legal, safe and secure path." The status quo that we have had in this country for a long time is that there is no such path for many.
A vivid example is Anne Frank's father, who did what you suggest and chose a legal path by applying for a visa to the U.S. on two separate occasions, and on both occasions was denied. Had he applied mere decades earlier when Ellis Island was willing to consider anyone who got off the boat, and in the process rejected only 2% of the arrivals (and not testing for English, by the way), the Franks would have lived.
As their story illustrates, for many would-be immigrants, the U.S. does not offer any legal, safe, and secure option.
I would have rather Anne Frank and her family arrived in the U.S. and found a country willing to welcome them. Instead, out of fear, we withheld their legal, safe, and secure option. Just as we continue to do today.
Wonder how many citizens of Nashville are alive at this moment thanks to 287(g). Of those who have been deported are criminals and wild and careless drivers. In the above story it stated he came to America legally and then 15 yrs. later was deported. Something doesn't add up.
