I'm truly relieved that President Trump has tackled the immigration issue early on in his Presidency. Our deportation system, which at one time worked so smoothly to remove foreign national felons after they had completed their sentences, basically came to a halt under the Obama Administration. Before I get into the heart of this post, its important that I point out my experience with this issue. In 1996, I completed seven months of training at the Immigration Officer Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), located in Glynn County, Georgia. This program included intensive courses on Immigration Law. Its my understanding that the law has not changed must since those days, so I feel comfortable discussing some of the more controversial aspects of Immigration Enforcement. After graduating from the Academy, I started my INS (now Homeland Security) career as an Inspector on a bridge in Laredo, Texas. That job required a solid understanding of Immigration Law, as did my next posting in Huntsville, Texas. Basically, I went from being an Immigration Inspector to being an Immigration Agent, and I was tasked with completing the necessary paperwork required to return a convicted foreign national felon to their home country. I was very fortunate in that my Supervisor assigned me to work with a former Border Patrol officer named Kelly Grimes, who knew Immigration Law like nobody's business. I learned so much from Grimes, so that by the time I left INS, I could quote from the Justice Department's Immigration Law manuals. Every Monday through Friday, and many times on Saturday, Grimes and I were interviewing and processing foreign national felons for subsequent deportation. If anyone would like to argue Immigration Law with me, I'm happy to oblige.
Within the last two weeks, an illegal alien was deported from Arizona, after she had been convicted of using a fake Social Security number. This case garnered much attention from the mainstream media, in order to promote the idea that President Trump's new emphasis on Immigration Enforcement is focused on destroying families. Actually, its the self-identified "Sanctuary Cities", incorporated areas who chose to ignore the Federal Law, who are contributing to the destruction of families. First and foremost, we are a nation of laws. Our system exists so that if a law is unjust or no longer supported by the people, the mechanisms exist to change that law. Simply put, in the United States, you don't get to pick and chose which laws you like. This reality includes cities and states as much as it includes every single American citizen. Because we have communities who advertise the fact that they ignore Immigration Detainers, undocumented persons flock to these places (an Immigration Detainer is the Federal Law which requires local law enforcement to hold any undocumented person who has been incarcerated, until a Federal Agent arrives to take custody of the individual and begin deportation proceedings). This is why you have illegal aliens getting arrested five and six times, and then being released after completing whatever obligations they had with the local authority. The number of illegal aliens who have been released by sanctuary communities, who then go on to commit felonies including rape and murder, is disturbing and continues to grow. Does anyone on the left care about THOSE FAMILIES? Regarding the case from Arizona which resulted in a Mexican national woman being deported after living in the United States illegally since 1991, the media continues to portray the woman as a victim. In particular, they repeat the lie that she was never in a position to legalize her presence in the United States. Actually, since she had two children in this country, she absolutely had the opportunity to adjust status (through her kids). Unfortunately, she would have been obliged to return to Mexico for a period of time while her case was processed, then return to the nearest Port of Entry and present herself for inspection with her new documents. Of course, this option does require hiring an Immigration Attorney. Returning to Mexico and saving the money to hire an attorney can be heavy burdens, but worth the effort from the perspective of this law-abiding citizen.
Last year I was shocked to see images of young people in the United States, waving the Mexican flag, celebrating Mexican Independence Day, and in some instances, desecrating the American flag. After the last few months, I'm no longer as sensitive to seeing people use their right to free speech as an opportunity to insult this country and all those who sacrificed to give us the life we have today. There seems to be a small but growing group of people who absolutely hate the United States, but continue to live here and enjoy the same rights and privileges I have. These people have hijacked the immigration issue, and are attempting to frame it as proof that President Trump is a racist. Trying to understand who President Trump hates from one week to the next can get confusing. First it was Mexican Americans, then the Muslims and Black Americans. These folks had better be prepared for a long struggle, because President Trump will follow through on the promises he made during the campaign.
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