Over 100,000 Parents Deported From US

[tekisui]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Immigration officials are reviewing whether to gather more information about parents they deport whose children may be U.S. citizens and are left behind.

An investigation by the Homeland Security Department inspector general found immigration officials deported 108,434 parents with children who are U.S. citizens during 1998 to 2007. A report on the investigation was made public Friday.

The number may not be complete because Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of the Homeland Security Department, does not keep detailed data on deported parents of children who are U.S. citizens. It is also unknown how many children the parents had, whether they left them behind and how many of the children were minors.

ICE says it will study whether it can gather more information on parents it deports. The agency expects to issue its findings in about two months.

"I am saddened, but not surprised to learn that our government, in its harsh anti-immigrant stance, has split hundreds of thousands of families apart over the past decade," said Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y.

Serrano serves on the House Appropriations Committee's panel that helps decide how much money is provided to the Homeland Security Department each year. He has filed a bill, the Child Citizen Protection Act, that would allow immigration judges to consider whether the immigrants are parents of children who are U.S. citizens.

ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said the agency would review whether to establish procedures to ascertain whether deported immigrants have children under the age of 18 who are U.S. citizens. But she also noted the potential negative impact of giving reprieve to immigrants who have violated U.S. laws.

more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IMMIGRATION_DEPORTED_PARENTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[rucky]

1. USA: Violating human rights to keep the country safe from brown people.

so much to be proud of.

[ulysses]

2. single-minded thinking overrides common goddamned sense.

"But they were here illegally, so they have to go!" :grr:

[tekisui]

3. I have known a few of these parents who have been deported.

It broke up their family and they all live in fear, without the father and income they depended on. It is a tragedy what we have done to so many good people and good families.

I am so ashamed of my country at times like this.

[ulysses]

4. it happened to one of my kids at the very end of last school year.

It was her mom, though, the one person in the family who wasn't a citizen. Jennifer had to go to Guatemala with her, even though she was born here.

[Kansas Wyatt]

14. The guy who robs you has a free pass?

Someone enters your home or bank account and steals everything you have, must go free without penalty, because those are your common sense laws. After all, the guy was probably trying to feed his family, but you'll be happy knowing this guy was not punished for the crime committed against you. It's all good!

[ulysses]

28. no.

And if you equate illegal immigration with robbery, what do you think of overseas outsourcing of jobs?

[Lost in CT]

5. Why are the families split up?

Why wouldn't they simply take there kids (American born or not) back to Mexico.

US Parents take their kids oversees for job and other opportunities all the time.

Look at our current President for a great example.

[tekisui]

7. When a parent is arrested, it is done without warning.

They are silently shipped to a holding facility, sometimes for weeks, and then deported. It is not as if they have the money or the luxury of planning for a move.

Also, why should they have to or want to move? The kids are citizens, other members of the families could be citizens, and have lived their lives here. They have a community and a life in this country. Many have no connection to the country of their heritage and besides they would have no way to earn money in the other foreign country.

[Lost in CT]

8. Also, why should they have to or want to move?

Well they are here illegally would be the straightforward answer.

And yes we should provide transportation for dependents and spouses. And I am not going to defend the way immigration currently handles many deportees.

But the bottom line is that there is no reason that the families should be split up.

If a parent or parents choose to leave their kids in the states that is their choice.

Clearly the children of foreign born parents can reside in the parents home county and help to make that country a better place for all.

[tekisui]

9. The children and sometimes the spouses are AMERICAN CITIZENS.

They are not "here illegally". We should not be splitting families up. I don't care how someone got here. If they have been living, working and paying taxes here for years, they should not be deported.

[Kansas Wyatt]

11. If they are not here "illegally," then why are they deported?

Hmm... Because they did NOT file the proper paperwork before getting married. 'Oh my God, we had no idea that there might be some sort of process to go through, since we were from different countries.' Nobody is that stupid, and ignorance is no excuse for violating the law.

[Lost in CT]

15. Yes and....

There are many reasons to have a strong immigration policy. (For one thing you cannot have Universal Health care without it)

I Understand the minors and spouses are American citizens. That is why it is their choice to join the departed in the home country. They have complete freedom of movement. (And often dual citizenship)

Why it is America's fault the would rather stay here than join their family member in a foreign country is the real question.

We cannot be a progressive country with union protections and universal health care with unfettered illegal immigration.

[tekisui]

18. Worker Amnesty can afford us Union protections and UHC.

Get the good workers out of the shadows, and into the system. We will all be better for it.

I have no problem with fixing our immigration problem and securing our borders. That, IMO, is a separate issue. Those who are here, have been for years without incident, should not be punished. I don't care how they got here. I was lucky enough to be born here. They came another way.

[Lost in CT]

20. We are not talking about all immigrants.

We are talking about those that entered the country illegally.

We already had an Amnesty for all illegal immigrants. It did nothing but encourage a new generation to take advantage of our porous border and (formerly union) jobs.

Working Americans are underpaid... and more and more find themselves without work at all. We need to eliminate illegal immigrants from the workforce to shore up wages and put hard working Americans and hard working legal immigrants back to work.

The stimulus bill will create many new jobs but that will be for naught if all that work goes to illegals and not those Americans who need and are willing to do those jobs.

[tekisui]

22. The best, and easiest way eliminate what you call illegal emigrants

is to make them legal. Full citizenship, is what I mean by amnesty. Once they are full citizens we can all progress.

We should provide a process to grant citizenship to those who have worked and lived here, an easy and quick process. These are people, living in communities. They should not be punished for how they go to this country.

[treestar]

6. They could take the kids with them

When kid grows up, they can always come back. They are dual citizens, which can have some advantages. They'd also be bilingual. Sometimes it is hard to imagine that splitting up the family is better than leaving the US. Is living in Mexico or whatever country is was that bad? That people are willing to live here illegally would seem to indicate a partial answer to that question.

[Kansas Wyatt]

10. The illegal immigrant violated the law before the child was born.

The illegal immigrants KNEW the risk they were taking by illegally entering and staying in this country. It's the parents who are the blame, and they are the ones who are fully responsible for this. It's their problem, not the U.S. Government's problem.

So those who choose to push open borders are trying to make the claim that these children would not have been born if they were not going to be U.S. Citizens?

Well their parents knew that they were responsible for the child, until the age of 18, even if they were deported, so why can't they be responsible for them in their country?

NO, you do not get to violate the law, then expect a FREE pass as punishment!

[tekisui]

13. Well, I respectfully disagree.

Our country has been supported by the shoulders of undocumented workers for decades. They live here, work here, pay taxes here and shouldn't be treated like criminals. They came into the country out of need for work, and have dedicated their lives to it. They took a risk, and we, as a country have benefited from their risk.

If someone has been living here for, in some cases 20 or 30 years, without any criminal incidents, working and providing for their families and building communities, simply, they should not be punished for an act that occurred years ago. They and their families should not be split up and terrorized by arbitrary enforcement of a "crime" committed so long ago.

[Kansas Wyatt]

16. 'They do the work Americans won't do!'

BULLSHIT! Americans will do any work for a fair wage.

Your illegal immigrants placed themselves in the position of risk THEMSELVES! They KNEW the risk when they entered or stayed ILLEGALLY.

[tekisui]

17. Who the hell are you quoting? I never said that.

Don't put words in my mouth. I know they took a risk, and we all benefited from that risk. These are good people, just like you and me. They want the same things for themselves and their families that you and I want.

I can't say that if I was in the same position that I wouldn't make the same decisions. I am for amnesty, plain and simple.

[Kansas Wyatt]

21. You said, 'this country has been supported on the backs of undocumented immigrants'

Sorry for cutting you off with your next rant of, 'they do jobs Americans won't do.'

I've known a lot of construction workers who have had their lives and families destroyed by ILLEGAL immigrants undercutting their wages and taking their jobs.

You will get NO sympathy from me at all. They broke the law, and deserve to be deported. End of story.

[tekisui]

24. If we allowed for them to become citizens, they would not

drive the wages down. I have worked my entire adult life in manual labor jobs. I have worked along side undocumented workers. I have not seen live destroyed because of their work. Congratulations on your hardline. I guess it is easy for you to see other people as inferior or less deserving than you and your kind.

Again, if we provided a process to citizenship, they would no lower the wages. And, hey, WHO IS PAYING THEM THE LOWER WAGES? Where's your outrage about the employers who you claim destroyed lives because they snubbed your friends?

[Lost in CT]

23. No one is saying they are not good hard working people.

The problem is the people who are put into poverty by the jobs they take and the wages they suppress are also good hard working people and here legally to boot.

[tekisui]

25. That is the fault of the employers exploiting the situation.

Not the workers, regardless of where they came from.

[Lost in CT]

27. I agree... but we can do both. And illegal immigrants need to be sent

back to their own countries so Americans in many industries can get a living wage again.

[tekisui]

29. Well, I strongly disagree.

The human side of this, the human face, the living community. Path to citizenship is the answer.

[Greyhound]

12. When are we going to "crack down" on illegal employment?

I hate all this BS about illegal immigrants, any of us would do the same thing in the same circumstances.

[NeedleCast]

19. Spent three years working for the DoJ Immigration Court

And I agree that illegal employment is exactly the problem. We kick illegals out of the country, but no one ever punishes the employers who have, in many cases, knowingly hired illegally.

[tekisui]

26. And, exploited their willingness to work for supressed wages.

[.... callchet ....]

30. Human rights.

Upgrade respect for human rights. Human rights is not confined by boundaries, yet the violation of human rights is universal. We start wars over oil, but don't violate a countries sovereignty to demand human rights. Besides that issue, some people are exhilarated at the use of power.

[tekisui]

31. Indeed.

It is all too easy to dehumanize someone and label them as illegal people. We are all the same, regardless of what piece of Earth we were born one. All have human rights.

[gollygee]

32. Poor kids

I can't imagine being separated from my kids. :(