I don’t believe I’m alone among many of my fellow progressives (and even conservatives who have a heart) when I say there is a line not to be crossed by illegal immigrants already in or coming into America.
In my 68 years on Earth, I have never been arrested or been convicted of a crime, not even a misdemeanor. It’s not been that hard for me to obey basic laws, and human dignities, and I expect the same from everyone else.
For immigration policy, it all comes down to treating each case on its own merits. Whatever the Trump Administration and Congress do about enacting immigration laws, whatever state and federal policing agencies do to enforce them, and whatever courts do to mete out punishment, all must be seen by the people of this country as reasonable and equitable. And every person detained must be treated not as a number or a country of origin but as a human being, his or her situation treated on a case-by-case basis. That said, let’s look at one general example of who IMHO should be subject to deportation, with the understanding there are always caveats and exceptions.
If you’ve been in this country illegally and have not committed a serious offense, I think you SHOULD be safe as far as round-up and deportation are concerned. If, however, you have committed a felony, and are serving jail time or will serve time, you are well advised to begin practicing speech patterns of your foreign tongue that have grown a bit rusty, because you’re heading back.
Felonies are not and should not be forgiven (unless it’s a felony somewhere to possess a joint of marijuana, for example). The logistical problems begin when determining which crimes – from felonies to misdemeanors down to petty offenses – rise to the level of a deportable offense. This is where reason and equity live, and there are 11 million stories in the naked city to sort through.
So, my current benchmark for deportation is felony conviction, and I’ll bet there are a whole lot of other folks with that same benchmark.
What’s your benchmark for deportation?