Let the deportations begin! I've never understood all the nonsense about how we should be sympathetic toward illegals who came here to work and find a better life. We don't extend such sympathy to other people who routinely break the law. We aren't sympathetic, for instance, toward people who break into banks or hold up grocery stores in order to support their families and get a fresh start in life. We don't get teary-eyed about folks who engage in insider trading or bribery in order to send their kids to college and enjoy the American dream. We feel sorry for these lawbreakers, and than clap them into prison.
I'm an immigrant myself, and I'm pro-immigration, but that means legal immigration. I think the immigration plan being pushed by Bush and Kennedy is basically an amnesty program, even if it makes the illegals jump through a few hoops before they get their citizenship papers.
The case of Yaderlin Jimenez, however, is a special case. Her husband Alex Jimenez is one of the American soldiers missing in Iraq. Recently his military tags were found in an Al Qaeda hideout near Baghdad. HIs fate is unknown but not looking good.
Recently Jimenez applied for a green card for his wife Yaderlin, whom he married in 2004. The authorities discovered that in 2001 she came illegally to America from the Dominican Republic. Ordinarily I'd say we should start planning Yaderlin's farewell party. But here is a situation where her husband is, in a very literal way, putting his life on the line for his country. He may already have paid the ultimate price. Therefore I think the immigration people should make an exception and let Mrs. Jimenez stay. No general amnesty for illegals, but amnesty for her.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 19)
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jempmmqvos at 10:29AM on Jan 24th 2009
2. Mr. D’Souza,
As a conservative I must say this issue confuses me beyond belief. My father came to this country illegally (unlike my mother’s family who had been here already). I must say my opinions on this matter are mixed. On the one hand I feel for these people, but on the other I don’t. In your post you stated that “I've never understood all the nonsense about how we should be sympathetic toward illegals who came here to work and find a better life.” In that case why extend this helping hand to Mrs. Jimenez? She is after all---an illegal. I think the problem is you actually took the time to understand her plight and if you did the same for other illegals you’d feel the same about them.
I went to a Title-1 high school in which 90% of students spoke primarily Spanish, and most of them I’m sure were illegal. And it is in fact their fault that the school is Title-1, but the point is they are trying to learn English, so it is bittersweet. The examples you provided, about people breaking into banks, holding up grocery stores, etc., I don’t see how those apply to illegals. After all they are actually working hard (illegally, yes) to make money, but they are not robbing banks. If they were I would have no reservations about sending them all back. But they are here working their butts off to make money and to provide for their kids.
This is why I have mixed feelings about the whole immigration issue. Yes, they are here illegally, I don’t dispute that, but they are trying to make it here in America. Back to the example of my dad, he became a citizen when I was very young, the man tried like hell to assimilate.
I understand completely why we would want Mrs. Jimenez to stay in this country; her husband is serving this country in the Military. But if we had taken you original line of thinking, i.e. “Let the deportations begin!” she wouldn’t stand a chance would she? But when you actually reviewed her plight Mr. D’Souza you obviously felt for her. Like I said, this why I find it hard as a conservative to have the “Let the deportation begin!” attitude. In chapter 27 of “Letters To A Young Conservative” you talk about immigrants who come to this country, granted you were talking about legal immigrants, it seems to me this could very well explain why illegals alike come to America also.
I will say for sure that most of these people will probably vote for the Democrats and that alone scares the hell out of me. Maybe my family was an anomaly? But like I said, this issue confuses me above all others. Maybe it is because I put a face to all those illegals, or maybe because they live in my crappy neighborhood. But just as you reviewed Mrs. Jimenez’s troubles, I’m willing to bet you’d feel the same about most other illegals.
Thanks for reading my post Mr. D’Souza. You and Thomas Sowell are my favorite conservatives. Maybe when I start my first year of college this fall we can get you to make a speech at my school.
P.S. I can’t wait for “What’s So Great About Christianity.” I saw the video of your speech at Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, nice job! When will the cover-art be posted?
Joey Torres at 1:57AM on Jun 21st 2007
3. Dear Dinesh,
First of all, let me say that I believe Mrs. Jimenez should be allowed to stay. If it means anything at all to be an American, a person should be able to take whomever they wish as their spouse and that such declaration should the final authority. Is that not what, "The pursuit of happiness" means?
That said, what we need to look at is what you've been referring to as "Amnesty for Illegals". In fact, it is far worse than that because it puts a price tag--of about $5,000.00 in fine and fees on it--which means that the only people who will actually benefit from it will be criminals--the very people we don't want here!
I mean by this that most illegal immigrants come from countries where, if they had $5,000.00, they could live very nicely. In addition, if they had $5,000.00, they could pay an immigration attorney to achieve to same thing that this 'amnesty' proposes or, they could pay someone to marry them and thus get permanent residency status. So, again, who, but a criminal, is likely to just have $5,000.00 laying around?
One of the things that separates America from other countries is that American justice is not supposed to be for sale. Other amnesties that have been offered came not only without a price tag but usually with a waiver of fines, fees penalties and interest!
"Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..." But, how poor can they be if they have $5,000,00 dollars laying around collecting dust?
Keith J. Mohrhoff at 8:17AM on Jun 21st 2007
4. Absolutely DO NOT DEPORT this woman ! She is
married to an America GI. I cannot believe this
subject ever came up in the first place.
Betty at 9:51AM on Jun 21st 2007
5. yes deport her but make her the last one after the first 12 million are deported and the last brick goes on the wall
jack at 8:40AM on Jun 21st 2007
6. The media and others tend to put illegals on a pedestal. They are all coming to the US to work hard, Baloney!!Like any other group of people the illegal aliens have industrious and lazy among them. I am against the amnesty for illegal alien bill. I reject the argument that they are only doing jobs that Americans refuse to do. In reality, in many parts of the country there is a bias against American workers. The employers would rather hire the cheap labor than to adhere to the labor laws in our country. They are greedy business people! The American worker is perceived as being lazy. I admit that as a business owner, I have noticed that the pool of employees for low skilled jobs are increasingly lazy. The reason that I think that they are lazy is because they don't have to work if they don't want to. They are receiving welfare benefits of some kind. If we eliminate all of the welfare benefits and put all of these healthy, lazy people to work there would be little need for the guest worker program or illegal workers. There is no greater motivator than an empty stomach!!! There should be absolutely no consideration of amnesty or guest worker program until we kick the lazy people off of the system and fix our lousy school systems.
Oscar at 10:11PM on Jun 25th 2007
7. The problem is she is illegal. therefore if you are here illegally then you should be deported, period. You cannot have excuses for some and not others. This is why we have so many immigration problems. We need to enforce the laws we enacted. No more exuses.
Born In the USA at 8:52AM on Jun 21st 2007
8. Not all mistakes, or deeds in general, are created equal. Not all pants fit all of us. Why politicians are so stupid? Some zealous people say because they almost all are lawyers. I do not know. By the way I find your writing, this one no exception - brilliant. You are a (what I call) 'republican w/ heart'. As opposed to 'cold blooded', 'computerized' one. In our personal life, non of us, stupid or smart ones, we never make daily decisions on the basis 'one size fits all'. When the kids go to school/college, we shop around, we agonize over - what the kid could handle, what we could afford to pay, safety & security... When we want to get married, boy do we agonize, whether she is going to be blond, brunet, short, tall, smart, sexy, homely, chatty.. But for some reason, the politicians write the laws w/ a (tacitly) 'lazy' axiom in mind - all the emigrants, illegal..., as if they are all 'Martians' and we cannot take trouble to SORT THEM OUT, apply discretion's. Imagine if they deported Mrs. Jimenez! The eloquent guy before me said - she was breaking the law, she is an illegal 'Martian', alien. Really? She came in the country illegally, say 5, 10 years ago. But in 2004, she married this fine young man and as spouse of the US citizen, she rightfully applied for her 'green card'. From that moment on, till the present day, she is legally in this country, just like you and I. The INS officer has had a chance to consider her case and weigh in how much the fact that she came into the country illegally, should affect the case. At present, I say her Congressman/woman should get up on the Congress podium and introduce a formal resolution granting Mrs. Jimenez the green card, for the reasons that you beautifully stated above.
.
.
As for the broader question, what to do with the proposed Immigration Law in question, take it from me. I like you also came from abroad. Maybe because I came from a formally communist country, I personally am allergic on 'one size fits 'em all'. In the Ph.D. program, we had an elementary research approach 'lock & free' (you lock all variables and unlock - one at the time for the consideration). My Emigration Law, would have main guidelines, but by no means would be blind. The 12 million or 15 million illegal are not all 'future members of Dem. Party', not all of them wish us well, not all of them came to feed their kids and all that jazz. My life is science, so I do not know at this moment how to do it. But I will forward my appeal to my friend down at NRCC office - Hey señores, you all spent at least three years beyond college in Law School, could you come up with some differential method to sort out these 12 million people that are among us... Say - you need 1000 point for a green card. If you are between the age 0 to 10 you get 'minus 100', 50 year old and older - 'minus 300'... If you come from a country, where Al Qaida operates successfully - minus 200... If you have college degree - 'plus 100', MS - 'plus 200' - 'Ph.D.' - 'plus 500'..... If your spouse is US soldier missing in action or killed, you and the kids get - 'plus 1,500' points.
Roy Dedeic
Roy Dedeic at 9:02AM on Jun 21st 2007
9. Mr. D’Souza
I find your position on Illegal Immigrants difficult to reconcile with my understanding of "the American Dream".
I have documented six of my ancestors who served in the American Revolution. All six of them (or thier fathers) came here precisely as "illegals who came here to work and find a better life."
Other than the fact that they came (illegally)from France, Scotland and Ireland rather than from Latin America, how did thier immigration diifer from our present "illegals"?
Fount Smothers at 10:17AM on Jun 21st 2007
10. First off I wnated say the only reason why they are trying to deport her is because she is of a different latino race..If she had crossed over from Mexico or Cuba then come high hell water they will find a way for her to stay but because she is from the D.R then who gives a flip...I say if she's married to a U.S citizen and one who serve this so called land of the free do something for her..Work those paper's...My husband is not a U.S citizen and also from the D.R who serve in the Marine's for 4-6 years before getting out(he has a green card) but we have been married for 21 years if something happens to me sure he be deported! If the gov. is working so hard to keep the Mexicans here who half of them are charged with DWI the heck do something for this women.......
felecia at 9:11AM on Jun 21st 2007
11. Born in the USA: WE have always allowed residency status for those married to an American citizen. (And pretty much granted 'de-facto' citizenship to those married to an American citizen after 3 years.) The fact that she was illegal is irrelevant. It would be the same for you if you car insurance or registration lapsed. If for a while, you were driving your vehicle illegally--but never got caught--then bought insurance and registered your car, you would then be 'legal' and you prior illegality would not be held against you.
Keith J. Mohrhoff at 9:11AM on Jun 21st 2007
12. Send them both back, they shouldnt even be here in the first place.
cali guy at 9:16AM on Jun 21st 2007
13. Repub-lie-con presidents signing Amnesty Bills will finish America off.
WHY DOESN'T THE NEO CONS SUPPORT AMERICA INSTEAD OF MEXICO.
TIMMONSW3 at 9:12AM on Jun 21st 2007
14. I think a lot of Common Sense should be used in this situation. Considering the political ramifications and outroar that this is causing, I still strongly believe that there is NO question about what to do: You DO NOT deport her--her husband is fighting for America, in a NASTY WAR, and he's missing. Deporting her would be CRUEL...and INSANE!!! And doing so would just CRUSH any substance to The American Dream.
Benjamin at 9:25AM on Jun 21st 2007
15. I believe any persons coming into this country illegally, should be deported. If you cannot come into the country like many people with the correct immigration status'then you must leave.
The GI's wife came to this country illegally over 6 years ago. She is using her husband's citizenship to stay. Didn't she think of her immigration status before this happened? She should have been deported long ago. She does not deserve any special treatment due to the fact that her husband is missing in action. While I appreciate the sacrifice he has made for our country it does not take away the fact that she came and stayed in our country knowingly as an illegal. People come into our country illegally each day and think that they are immune. They have children in order to have a reason to stay. Do they really care about the children's welfare???? She should not get special treatment just because her husband is MIA.
sandyb3099 at 9:33AM on Jun 21st 2007