Sunday, November 19, 2006

Illegal is Illegal, Even for Relatives of 9/11 Victims

There is a move afoot to introduce legislation to grant citizenship to illegal aliens whose relatives died in the tragedy that is 9/11. That event was tragic, and my heart goes out to any one who lost a loved one that day. However, feeling compassion for one's loss does not mean we excuse their own criminal activities. Passing legislation to reward illegal aliens citizenship for ANY REASON is wrong.

So far 25 illegal aliens have been identified as losing loved ones on 9/11...our hearts go out to them, and our government has compensated them for their horrible loss. That being said, we should be implementing deportation of these illegals, returning them to their country of origin. It is not our fault that an illegal cannot get a license, drive a car, or look for work...they of their own free will BROKE OUR LAWS. They, and their family members put themselves in harms way because of their own decisions...we are a nation of laws, and those laws have to be enforced equally and fairly for EVERYONE. If you are here illegally, you should be deported, and if our government has identified these 25 illegals, it is their duty to uphold the law by deporting them back to their home country.

It sounds harsh...yet, would we suggest AMNESTY for illegal aliens who had lost a family member in a car accident, or in a gang shooting? Of course not...it would be, and is a tragic loss for the family, but that does not mitigate the fact they BROKE OUR LAWS, and must be held criminally liable for their wrongful actions.

Immigrants in limbo 5 years after 9/11
Posted 11/18/2006 10:39 PM ET

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-18-sept-11-immigrants_x.htm
By Cristian Salazar, Associated Press
NEW YORK — In a small meeting room with a view of ground zero, 40 stories below, the woman from Ecuador sat with her attorney, holding a crumpled white napkin that she used to dab her eyes.
She is a Sept. 11 widow. Her husband worked at the Windows on the World restaurant and died that day.

As an illegal immigrant — one of about 25 identified as having lost a family member when the World Trade Center came crashing down — she could face deportation at any time. So could her 17-year-old son, whom she implores to carry around his father's death certificate, in case someone asks him why he is in the U.S.

"I can't get a driver's license. I can't go to apply for a job. I can't work. I can't study. I can't fly. I can't do anything," the 38-year-old woman said in accented English this week as she described how her life in the U.S. is constrained by her illegal status. She spoke on condition that her name not be used, for fear she might be deported.


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