Monday, November 12, 2007

Cruel and unusual punishment

Well, it certainly isn’t cruel but I found it rather unusual that our government is willing to grant amnesty to the illegal alien boy who ran away to Mexico with his school teacher.

And his parents and siblings are eligible as well. If all goes well, it will be visas for all and a path to citizenship in exchange for his testimony. The other boys in the class feel he’s been rewarded enough already.

I’m glad to see the U Visa finally being used somewhere. It was originally intended to get the wives who are victims of domestic violence to turn in their husbands. It is supposed to help these senoras decide between beatings and deportation of the old man.

Bu like most immigration law, it seems prone to loopholes and scams.

The real question is whether such an offer is necessary in this case.

And it begs the question as to whether or not such a deal constitutes preferential treatment. Just imagine extending something like this to the family of a citizen. (“Let’s see, Mr. Jones, if Johnny testifies against his teacher, we’ll make sure you’re never prosecuted for tax evasion and identity theft. Would that be enough to win your cooperation?”)

It is just one more example of the thought process in Washington that being an illegal alien is no big deal. That mentality has contributed to the problem. It is really hard to keep people out when so many of us send the message that it is OK to be here.

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