What Part of Illegal Don’t You Understand?

The law is meant to serve the people and people are not created to serve the law. This is the belief in Mexico and other Latin American countries. However, we live in the United States. People entering our country need to understand our simple immigration system, laws and policies. Here, we serve the law.

Although you may want to come to the United States because you cannot earn enough to feed your family or because of our boundless opportunities, you must follow the rules. Rule one is that you apply for a visa. You must either have a sponsor (that will support you if necessary) and/or proof of a waiting job. Second, if you have a sponsor and/or proof of a waiting job, you will wait for 10 years for your visa. Although you may have a child in the United States, you will still wait 10 years for a visa.

People may or may not be aware of the hopelessness of waiting for a visa, but they are aware of other facts.

·       There are at least 11.9 million people living in the USA without authorization. They are often referred to as illegals.

·       Many have lived in the USA for a decade or more. Their children attend school. Some have purchased homes.

·       Millions of these people file Federal income tax returns using a special identification number provided by the federal government.

·       The federal government will not use your income tax information to locate and deport illegals.

·       Many of those filing federal income tax returns receive refunds or ‘earned income’ checks from the federal government.

·       Many purchase cars and trucks that are registered with local state governments

·       Authorities will not question citizenship when these people file police reports, register their children for school or seek hospital care.

·       When sneaking into the United States there are ‘safe places’ where bottled water is left to help you on your journey and the U.S. Border Patrol is prohibited from arresting you at these ‘safe’ stops.

·       Many people that are illegally on U.S. soil are arrested for crimes but not deported.

·       Millions of people that are illegally on U.S. soil are not targeted for deportation because they have children in the United States.

·       Thousands of people illegally in the USA participate in protests to change immigration policies and are not arrested and deported.

·       Thousands attend colleges and do not need to pay non-resident costs that American citizens must pay if they do not legally reside in the state where the college is located.

·       Schools do not require people living in the USA illegally to provide the documents needed for U.S. citizens to register their children for school.

·       Some people are arrested and deported during random sweeps conducted by the Federal Government

·       Some people are sentenced to jail for being on U.S. soil without authorization and then deported.

·       Thousands of people from Latin America are arrested and released when entering the U.S. illegally and given citations ordering them to appear in court. They are allowed to remain in the USA until their case is resolved in court. If they fail to appear, an order for their removal may be issued.

·       Many people are arrested while trying to cross the international bridges to return to Mexico. These arrests bolster the statistics that show the number of arrests by the Border Patrol and our taxes pay for the overnight stay in jail.

A common belief among immigrants is that if you enter the United States and get passed the Border Patrol, you chances of remaining in the U.S. are very good.

I wonder why there might be confusion about the law. Is there any part of our immigration rules that might not make sense? Is there anything in our policies that seem inconsistent with the law? Are we doing anything that could lead people to believe that being on U.S. soil without authorization violates a very important law? Why would any poor person wait for 10-years on a list so that they could enter the USA when we obviously allow people to remain on U.S. soil in violation of our law?

What part of illegal do you not understand?

Angry Questions

Last week a 16 month old child was abandoned at the public hospital. The child was unconscious and suffered severe brain trauma. Bruises and other injuries strongly suggested child abuse. The child was also malnourished.

No hospital in Acuna, a city of 180,000 people, has the medical equipment required to even assess the injuries to this baby, let alone provide treatment.

Paper Houses paid to have the infant transported to a hospital in Piedras Negras, 55 miles away. The child was brain dead. A few days later the child was pronounced physically dead.

Both parents were found and arrested. The mother was released. The father confessed and was charged.

Anger exists on several levels. How can a father, or anyone, beat a 16-month old baby? How can a mother remain while her baby is undernourished? Can anyone believe that this was not a case of on-going abuse?

How can a city of this size not have a fully equipped public hospital? The public hospital does not even have the equipment needed for a routine CAT Scan. There are only two ambulances in the city and they only transport patients to a hospital. Transports from hospital to hospital most often happen in a pick-up truck.

Yet, we must set aside the anger. Many things are not within our control. We must look at the immediate need of the child. Although the chances are slim, the child might survive with proper diagnosis and treatment. We paid for the transportation of the child.

It is far to easy to become angry about the situations in these border cities. The cartels, the silent media, the politicians, rumors, corruption, extortion and the lack of good jobs are all frustrating. Too often anger and frustration become excuses to justify not trying to help the poor. We must redirect our anger into positive action that helps the weakest and the poorest.

One other thought about the abused baby . . . Did the neighbors know? If the neighbors knew, what was their obligation? The people in the Mexican border cities are our neighbors. What do we know about their needs and situations? What is our obligation?