E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Denny Henry for msnbc.com
Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio at Capitol Hill on April 19. He is an undocumented immigrant, brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, who is seeking his law license in Florida in what appears to be a landmark case.
Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio was brought to the United States from Mexico by his parents when he was nine years old. Sixteen years later, he had graduated from his Florida high school as class valedictorian, become an Eagle Scout, completed college and law school, and passed the state bar exam.
But one big accomplishment eluded him: citizenship. Godinez-Samperio is in the country illegally, which could keep him from achieving another part of his American dream: becoming a lawyer.
In what appears to be a landmark case, the Florida Supreme Court is going to consider whether Godinez-Samperio has the right to practice the law -- a decision that could impact others who hope to follow in his footsteps.
“It makes me feel that we’re living in a … historical moment. I really think the last time something like this happened was when African Americans and women were admitted to the bar,” he told msnbc.com. “I think if we win this, it’ll be another historical civil rights mark.”
Godinez-Samperio is pressing his case as the national debate over illegal immigration heats up. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of Arizona’s strict anti-illegal immigration law. And last week, Godinez-Samperio was in the nation’s capitol to lobby for the Dream Act, which would provide a path to legal status to some adults who came to America illegally as children. Supporters are making a renewed push for the legislation after it failed in the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Some 11.5 million “unauthorized immigrants,” as the Department of Homeland Security calls them, lived in the United States as of January 2011. Of that, 6.8 million were from Mexico, like Godinez-Samperio, according to the department’s Office of Immigration Statistics.
Godinez-Samperio’s journey to the law began when he and his parents left their home in Pachuca, Mexico. They came on tourist visas, which they overstayed. He didn’t know English and it was a few years before he began to realize what his immigration status was and what it meant for his future.
He couldn’t get a social security number or a driver’s license, he didn’t have access to most financial aid, he couldn’t work for compensation and has been ineligible for most internships and awards, according to an essay he submitted for his law school application.
But he said he managed to get private scholarships to help pay for his education, and volunteered where he could -- such as helping domestic violence victims obtain immigration relief.
“For me, it’s very important to show that I have been a contributing member of society (the) entire time I have lived in this country,” he said. “ … there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to contribute even more … with a green card.”
When Godinez-Samperio applied to take the bar exam last year, he sought a waiver because he didn’t have proof of his immigration status, which is required by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners who administer the test. States set their own requirements for those seeking to become a lawyer.
His request was granted. Godinez-Samperio took the bar exam in July and found out in September that he had passed. He was ecstatic, until he learned in November that the board was going to seek an advisory opinion from the state supreme court on whether undocumented immigrants are eligible for admission to the Florida Bar.
Denny Henry for msnbc.com
Cesar Vargas at Capitol Hill on April 19 to launch a Dream Act-related campaign. He is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, brought to the U.S. as a child, who is pushing for immigration law reform.
“I had mixed feelings,” he said. “I knew that it was going to be an interesting trajectory that I was about to begin.”
That journey has included a number of filings from the board and his attorney, Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte, as well as a few friend-of-the-court submissions from groups supporting his application, including three past presidents of the American Bar Association.
“It’s the first time it’s ever been addressed in Florida, and I think it’s probably the first time it’s been before a supreme court anywhere in the country,” said Thomas Arthur Pobjecky, the board’s general counsel.
The board determined it was “a really serious matter” and decided to seek out the court’s guidance in these types of cases, which they expect to see more of in the future.
“If the law says you cannot employ -- or it’s against the law to employ -- somebody who is not legally in this country, then when we say … here is a license to practice law in this country, are they not also implying that you can hire this person and go ahead and pay him and everything else? So there is a concern,” Pobjecky said. “Once the Florida Supreme Court licenses somebody to be a lawyer, they’re putting their stamp of approval on that person.”
But D’Alemberte questioned why the board would let his client sit the exam if they did not intend to give him a license.
“It just seems to us fundamentally unfair after he’s complied with every valid rule not to just go ahead and admit him to the bar and leave to the immigration service whether he is complying with immigration,” he said.
The possibility that undocumented immigrants could receive law licenses doesn’t sit well with some.
“I know what the policy ought to be, which is that … someone who doesn’t have the right to be in the United States shouldn’t be admitted to the bar, period,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.
“This is trying to steal a base. In other words, they’re trying to skip over the debate over whether people in his situation should get legalized,” he added. “It’s one more way of trying to create a de facto legalization.”
Cesar Vargas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has passed the bar exam and is in the process of applying for his law license in New York, has started a group, the Dream Bar Association, to advocate for people in his position. Membership numbers about two dozen, and includes those interested in going to law school to those who have passed the bar.
“We’re basically throwing the judicial branch into the immigration debate … through our cases,” he said.
In California, Sergio Garcia, 35, an illegal immigrant, has been awaiting a decision since he passed the bar exam in 2009. Because the admissions process is confidential, neither Garcia nor the bar could speak about his application, though a bar spokeswoman said the application for admission doesn't require citizenship.
Thomas Fitton, of conservative Washington watchdog Judicial Watch, said the idea of an undocumented immigrant working as a lawyer in the U.S. was “preposterous.”
“These are kind of, in some ways, public relations stunts, but you know, we’ll see what happens … the whole notion of it is at odds with the rule of law and undermines federal immigration law,” he said. “I think those who’ve passed the bar should focus on making themselves legal as opposed to bypassing the law.”
But others feel that admission should be done on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether a specific applicant has met the moral character test of the application, said Stephen N. Zack, a former ABA president who has filed a brief in support of Godinez-Samperio.
“You can’t take one finite point and say that that is an absolute determination of a person’s character,” he said. “You have to look in a holistic way at the person’s life story and here, you have an exceptional person.”
He also noted that bar candidates like Godinez-Samperio could offer some unique services, with the nation heading to a “majority minority” status in the decades to come.
“We need people who can reach out and provide access to communities that … have historically not had access, and this is the kind of person that is ideal to provide that to the future generations,” he said.
Video: Immigration officials mistakenly deported Dallas teen
Godinez-Samperio, who would like to work in immigration law, continues to research his case and to work on promoting the Dream Act.
“This is a huge fight for me and for a lot of people,” he said.
Despite the challenges and the uncertainty, he doesn’t regret going public before a Florida legislative committee in April 2011 with his status, which few were aware of before.
“I decided to come out with my story because I’m undocumented, unapologetic and unafraid,” he said. “In telling the truth, I am risking my liberty, but that’s what a lawyer is about, is about telling the truth … so I’m being as honest as I can possibly get, even to the point of risking my liberty.”
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
He has broken the law plain and simple. Go home and come back legally. Just because he got educated does not offset that he is a law breaker as long as he is in this country.
I guess my biggest question here is this:
If he's had all this time to go to school, get an education AND pass the bar exam...then why hasn't he become a legal citizen of this country? He's obviously got enough time and money to do those other things. After all, you don't get the education necessary to become a lawyer overnight.
While I appreciate the fact that he didn't come here illegally by choice, the fact of the matter remains that this man is not a legal citizen of the US. Therefore, he should not have the legal right to practice law in this country until he IS a citizen.
How can a person be expected to practice the law when they are already breaking it??
Once again, it's great he was able to get an education and he has done well by applying himself to school.........
BUT the fact remains HE IS HERE ILLEGALLY, STOP SKIRTING THIS ISSUE WITH ALL THESE FEEL GOOD STORIES OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
HE IS HERE ILLEGALLY.
Give the same opportunities to the legal immigrants and I'm fine with that.
we continue HANDOUTS TO THESE ILLEGALS AND IT DILUTES WHAT IT REALLY MENAS TO BE AMERICAN.
You want citizenship then DO THE RIGHT THING. FOLLOW OUR LAWS.
STOP THIS CRAP.
There is an easy solution to the problem...go back and apply to become a legal resident. Plain and simple. It will only be opening the flood gates if he is allowed to practice law without first becoming a legal resident. Of course, maybe he is afraid of not being accepted as a legal resident because, after all, we need another lawyer in this country about as much as we need more national debt.
Well you might say the same thing about Obama. Wasn't he born in another country? Minorities have the country by the Ash. They now own this country. Thank you big business and our don't care government.
He has broken absolutely no law that you can point to. If you feel otherwise, cite and quote the particular law you are refering to.
What you really mean is that you object to his very existence on Nativist and bigoted grounds.
All Americans deserve the same rights and privileges. If YOU can't compete with immigrants, go back to school and acquire more skills. As a nation, we can't afford to discriminate against millions of Americans just because you feel that YOU need an unfair advantage over other people.
The Florida Supreme Court's ruling must be based on the legal practice of law in the state. Most state licenses have requirements regarding legal status, convictions, residency, etc. It's purely an issue of the letter of the law. Seeing as this guy is currently breaking laws, I don't see how he can be allowed to practice law.
On the topic of his not being a citizen, did he think he was just going to get away with never becoming a citizen? Does he have a social security card so that he can pay his taxes? Did he get loans for his education- from whom and didn't they have a LOT of ID requirements? Does he have a green card or worker's visa(I know he doesn't)?
The right way to deal with this guy and other illegal immigrants is to reform immigration laws. We need to start the line with the LEGAL immigrants requesting citizenship(on visas, paying their taxes, getting their legal representation, going to their immigration meetings, etc.- doing the process the right way) in the front, followed by those here on legal visas seeking residency, followed by illegals. They should not get to go to the front of the line. They should not be allowed amnesty just because as many like to advocate. Ask ANY legal immigrant/citizen just how much work it was and if they think that illegals should catch a major break. They'll likely say no.
These so called christians would tell Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ to leave our country, but they would love to insert a vaginal probe into my wife. These Fascist Right Wingers are Looney Tunes
That's an easy question to answer.
There is NO PROCESS by which a child in his position can become a "legal" human being.
The DREAM Act would provide a process, but the Republican Party voted it down.
Here's a question that is much harder to answer:
WHY is there no process by which an innocent child can become a "legal" human being?
I say the answer is Republican politicians like closet-Nazi Lamar Smith are the problem. We'd be better off sending Lamar Smith into exile and replacing him with more people like this brght American kid, who has already passed the bar.
He should have spent some of his time becoming a true and legal citizen. Our government wants YOU to work until you are 70 and not have Medicare, while doling out entitlements to people who have never paid a dime into the system. Our country has become a joke and is on the downhill slide.
Yes, he has broken the law. He is undocumented. There is such a thing as personal accountability as well. After the age of 18 he couldn't point to his evil parents being the reason he is illegal. It's his fault. He never bothered. Being illegal is ILLEGAL, which would, in turn, be breaking the law.
But he's not an American. He's Mexican. He would be undermining federal immigration law if he practiced law here and that's not fair to American citizens and all the other immigrants who are trying to get their green cards legally. Why is it ok for him to jump ahead of the line? We've already supplied his education.
I'm sure he is a very nice person who has the best intentions in life. I think he would probably be an attribute to American society. But he's got to do it legally, just like everyone else in his position.
Here lies the problem. While it is commendable that he was validictorian of his high school class, attended, college, law school, and passed the bar exam, he is not truly a functioning member of society. He has not paid into the society which has afforded him these options. If he were to be allowed to practice law, how woudl he pay taxes on the income he has earned. I AM NOT a pro-tax person, but lets be real here. The reason he is undocumented is because he has chosen to remain that way. He indicates that the choice refused him access to public scholarships, grants, and employment, but all of this is by choice. Had he become a citizen, he would have had access to everything. IT is another wayt o beet the system. And for all of us that work hard and do pay our taxes, it is a slap in the face. Again, I commend him for hte hard work, but a lawyer shoudl abide byt he law! Many lawyers are dispbarred by breaking laws of much less consequence. And if you wanted to retain your Mexican citizenship, then oyu could have gottentyour law degree and gone back to Mexico to practice. You cannot have hte best of both worlds...as it is unfair for those who have no other choice because they are born in America and those who shoose to become citizns of this great country!
While the outcome is pending he should be deported. After he applies for residency or to become a citizen then he can come back. Why are we even debating whether or not he can practice law??? He is an ILLEGAL alien!! He has broken the law and is still breaking the law. We want him to practice law here?
Its about Time we treated everyone like Human Beings and Stop this Punish Mentality.. we all live in this World ...get over yourselves... I hope he wins in everyway.......
commensense, please see the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. You can find this on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
And no, I don;t believe we are "bigoted". Most of us are completely in support of legal immigration. I am the osn of an immigrant mother and a father whose father was an immigrant. Both came over through legal means, showiung respect to the country they wanted to call home.
How exactly is it bigoted to expect people who come here to follow the laws of the nation?
And how is is "descrimination" to expect those laws to be followed by those who chose to be here?
Try responding in a way that leaves out the hot buttons you like to include, and the name calling.
An illegal immigrant became president so why not.
Wow, you people are amazing. He was 9 years old when he was BROUGHT here. He wasn't old enough to make that decision on his own. We're all here illegally if you get right down to it. You all are so influenced by the media that you've all lost any sense of decency and humanity. I am ashamed to be called an American when Americans act this way. what a bunch of jerks.
Another nail in the heart of America's future, if he is allowed to practice law. He could have become a citizen, I am sure, in the last decade , if he wanted to do that. One would think he knew a little about law if he could pass the law exam. Who's next, Hugo Chavez's kids?
I'm generally appalled at the flaunting of our laws illegals are doing and border-running going on today, but, I'm sympathetic to kids at the mercy of their parents. [Lets clean up all of our own unemployment and welfare problems first!] I have to agree with Wizard and might add, it occurred to me that he might not have wanted to "out" his parents by applying for legal status when he reached legal age, but clearly he's not afraid of that now and the cat's out of the bag. Painful as it is, he would be culpable at legal age by not disclosing the whereabouts of his illegal parents and since he knew, stayed and wouldn't risk their place here by reporting himself and seeking amnesty and citizenship, I say make him go home, risk going through all the steps and try to come back. It's not in the least cruel, at the worst he's already cleaned up by getting a fine American education, and is polished and bilingual. We have to stop this hemorrage, not only of space, welfare and American jobs, but also of respect for us. There needs to be some mechanism and might already be of amnesty for children brought here as dependents by their real parents (anything less limiting and specific and we'll have tribes of street kids dumped here with commercial 'guardians' getting citizenship easily.)
commonsense, there you go again. Who brought up being a "legal human being"?
You briung hatred into yoru posts and call out others for their supposed hatred. Are you incapable of posting anything that does not bash anyone else whose opion does not match your own?
I think this is a great opportunity to improve legal immigration pathways. We spent a boatload of money educating this kid through our public school systems. He's now a highly-educated citizen, which we need more of. And you want to sent him away, squandering that investment?
Seriously??? Um... illegally entering the country would be a good start. Residing illegally in the country would be a second one. Broken absolutely no law? Are you that stupid???
we continue HANDOUTS TO THESE ILLEGALS AND IT DILUTES WHAT IT REALLY MENAS TO BE AMERICAN
What a bunch of self-serving hogwash.
This kid didn't get any handouts. He attended school just like every other American child, and we got some other country to pay for the education of his parents.
He graduated from law school and passed the bar.
Now he wants to practice law, which is WORK, and PAY TAXES. And yet YOU have the audacity to call that a handout, and act like YOU'RE the one who's going to be paying his fees instead of his own clients.
What hypocricy.
Here's what it means to be American: That we can work hard in a career of our own choosing, that we can enjoy the fruits of our own labor, that we have the freedom to raise and educate our families.
And YOU want to DENY all that.
YOU are the one spreading unAmerican (not to mention unChristian and anti-free market) propaganda.
What part of "illegal" does this "lawyer" not understand???
jim...you state we are all here illegally. Please explain how we are here illegally? What laws are being broken?
The better question is, why has he been allowed all of this time in the United States without having faced deportation? Him and his family. GG US GOVT.
I am conflicted on this issue.
While it is true that the US should not go out of its way to accommodate illegals, there should be some way to legalize illegals who came here as children, brought over by their parents, and struggled through everything to become good solid people with good education and prospects. These people, whether rightly or wrongly, have used our resources and our system to achieve something and it would be a waste to deny them the ability to earn for themselves and be of use to the society.
Just because this guy managed to get through law school does change the fact that he is here illegally. If you allow him to become a member of the bar and practice law, what are you saying to all these people who waited years to come here and did so legally through the visa lottery program. Are you saying that if you are smart and have money to go to school then you can bypass the proper procedure and jump the line. He has been aware of his status for well over a decade and has done nothing to try and become legal. This is because he figured he would get his law degree and then pull a stunt like this to try and gain sympathy and jump ahead of all of those who are doing it right and waiting their turn. This is not some poor innocent kid ho as brought here as a child the way he is trying to play this. He is a conniving SOB who is trying to game the system to his advantage. He should be deported and told to file for legal entry along with everyone else and wait his turn. Education does not give you the right to jump the line.
HOW??????
Without revising our immigration rules, what you WANT him to do is simply NOT POSSIBLE!
Reposted because Fascist RWingers dont like my comments
These so called christians would tell Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ to leave our country, but they would love to insert a vaginal probe into my wife. These Fascist Right Wingers are Looney Tunes
I think that there are issues that forced his parents to leave Mexico that he can now help to resolve. He is Mexican and should fight for his country and make it a better place so that people are not forced to flee. He should be grateful the United States gave him what it did, it would be nice for him to pay this country back for all it has done and also fight to make Mexico a more stable place for his people and improve the ties of our two countries. And if he really wants to come back to the United States he should have the skills now to properly apply for citizenship. If you love this country prove it by protecting it and follow the laws, isn't that what they teach in law school.
@commonsense. He is a 'legal' human being. He's a legal Mexican human being. Just like I'm American. Up north is Canadian. Beyond Mexico, they're Columbian. Brazilian. Being denied citizenship doesn't make you 'a non-human'. That's a terrible claim. I love how we make excuses for people who come here. Is there a process? Yes. Is it broken? Sure. Does that mean we ignore it? No.
Tarzan7 your comments are truly getting tiresome. Even the most conservative candidates running for President this year have acknowledged that he was a US born citizen. Believe what you want but it no longer has any effect on what is going on today.
There is a small point in that a relative of President Obama, an aunt I think but don't quote me, is an illegal alien. What has happened to her? If she is still here why is she?
To commonsense above, he is breaking the law because he is an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT (hence the word illegal). If you don't have proper documentation to be in our country (or any other country for that matter), you are breaking the law. He came on a tourist visa when he was a kid, and should have been deported after it expired (or asked to renew it or apply for new documentation). As to your comment about Americans deserving the same rights and privileges, I couldn't agree more. But to enjoy those rights, you first have to be an american citizen (which he is NOT).
It's a double edged sword. I can't just drive to Canada, stay there for 15 years, and expect to become a citizen. Why is the U.S. the only one not enforcing immigration laws?
Oh and by the way, you called him an American kid, which he is not. He is a mexican citizen illegally living in the United States. Let's not make this something it's not. Get off your soap box and think clearly.
If you believe this young man is breaking the law, please both CITE and QUOTE the law you believe he has violated.
Saying that you THINK it's SOMEWHERE in the Nationality Act of 1952 without citing a specific provision is worthless.
You might as well admit that you just don't know.
Mike - we don't need more lawyers.
Do people realize how difficult it is to become a U.S. Citizen? First of all, he would have to become a resident first. The only way to do this for Mr. Godinez-Samperio would be to marry a U.S. Citizen or resident, or his parents would have to become U.S. Citizens or residents. Because he entered the U.S. legally with a tourist visa that he overstayed, he would be eligible to complete this process while staying in the U.S.
For those who entered as children illegally (i.e. through the desert without any visa), they too would have to marry a U.S. citizen or resident, or their parents would have to become U.S. citizens or residents, but they would have to leave the U.S. in order to obtain residency. Because they have been unlawfully present in the U.S. for more than 1 year, they would technically be barred from reentering the country for 10 years, and would have to apply for a waiver (through their U.S. citizen/resident spouse or parent) to be able to reenter sooner.
Before everyone starts mouthing off about 'why doesn't he just become a citizen', maybe you should look into what the process entails.
commonsense...not true. He can work towards citizenship, and could have in the recent past. He chose not to.
That does not mean that he would be guaranteed acceptance, but to say that it is impossible is incorrect, and I have a feeling you know that.
And just so we can all get a clear picture of your intentions...you believe that anyone from anywhere should be able to freely walk across our borders in order to find themselves a better life. Is that correct?
So how can he work without a social security number? You need one of those to pay taxes?
commonsense...first, I never said that I "THINK" it is in there.
Second, I am going to assume from your statement that I have to spoon feed you answers, that you do not actually chose to become knowledgeable on the subject. Therefore, it is a waste of time.
I will also assume that you are an adult and know how to find information for yourself. If you chose to remain ignorant about a subject, no one can change that, certainly not me.
I pointed out the resource for you to find the information. The rest is up to you, as an intelligent person, who is supposedly in possession of some common sense.
@CommonSense...
PL82-414 / Sec 237 - 8 U.S.C. 1227 - Deportable Classes of Aliens
And, no hand outs? Unless his family was somehow fraudulently paying taxes via some twisted tax scheme, he went to school for free. Unlike our children, who we pay a very high tax amount for.
I'm sorry it sucks in Mexico, unfortunately, that's not the US' problem.
While I think it is great that he was dedicated to being a positive member of society, I agree with the great majority here in asking why, if he had the time to go to both college and law school, he didnt have the time/desire to become a legal citizen. How did he even get into college and law school without a social security number, unless he applied as an international student? I know I needed my social security number to apply. I think it's ridiculous to let this man (or any other illegal immigrant) practice law without becoming legal; how can you have someone enforcing the laws while they are knowingly and willfully breaking the law? That makes no sense. It's like hiring a gang to be your police department. He, and aparently multiple others, need to file for citizenship and go through the process or go home until they realize that they are not above the law, no matter how much or how little schooling they've had.
"Reposted because Fascist RWingers dont like my comments
These so called christians would tell Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ to leave our country, but they would love to insert a vaginal probe into my wife. These Fascist Right Wingers are Looney Tunes"
Mother Teresa wouldn't want to be here, she would help those less fortunate than those who live in the United States.
So what is it you are proposing?
Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ and never had it easy and would not complain and do what he was destined to.
I do not agree with the vaginal probe but I am pretty sure that is more of a political game for leverage than something that would actually happen even if there are a few crazy people that would love to see it.
He needs to go back to mexico and use his education to better his OWN country. We will be just fine without him.
Why would the man not be able to become a licensed practicing attorney? We have illegal immigrants
from all over the world who are engineers, software designers and doctors but we are singling out this man? Sounds to me like it’s an issue because he’s a Mexican, if the guy was Indian or Chinese
there wouldn’t be issue. The majority of white Caucasian Americans need to realize that will no longer be the only ones who have political, financial and social power. The world has changed and will continue to change; look the President is of African descent and many other politicians and powerful CEO’s are from foreign descent also. In the past many unskilled and uneducated Americans had good positions due to (the good ole boy system) the people they knew, those days are over.
You are no longer competing with Joe you are going be competing with Juan, Ahkmed and Huntu. The
globalization of the world is going to only allow the strong to excel and strive; the rest will fall by the wayside. So white America I hope you’re ready. Stop complaining just because you don't have the intelligence that this man has.
We have a saying in Texas, "Commonsense just flew out the window."
I will probably need to explain that to the liberals.
Eric60watts - how do you suppose he could have worked towards citizenship in the recent past? What steps could he have taken?
audence123, sorry, but you are incorrect. You do not need to marry a citizen to gain residency or citizenship. That is one route to take, and often the most abused.
We are constantly bringing well-qualified professionals into the country through legal immigration practices. I personally work in HR for a large engineering firm, and we sponsor many immigrant workers due to their highly specialized fields.
So please do not spread the incorrect assumptions that there are no legal means for this man to be here legally. He is making the choice not to be at this point.
This from the article.
Thomas Fitton, of conservative Washington watchdog Judicial Watch, said the idea of an undocumented immigrant working as a lawyer in the U.S. was “preposterous.”
“These are kind of, in some ways, public relations stunts, but you know, we’ll see what happens … the whole notion of it is at odds with the rule of law and undermines federal immigration law,” he said. “I think those who’ve passed the bar should focus on making themselves legal as opposed to bypassing the law.”
Enough said.
audenc123 -- Have you ever heard of lawyers who specialize in immigration law? Many of them work pro bono in order to "help" illegals.
Let him become a lawyer - then arrest and fine any firm that hires him just like any other business that employs illegals.
audence123, he could have/should have applied for a student visa, ensuring his legal status as an immigrant student. During his education, he would have legally been able to obtain internships in his desired field. This in turn would have given him a) US experience and b) relationships with law firms or corporate attorney's who would have been willing to help sponsor him under H1-B towards legal resident status.
Regardless if he was educated in the US, he should not be able to practice law here UNTIL he becomes a US citizen. Period. There, that wasn't so hard.
But Eric60watts, in his specific situation, since he has been in the country unlawfully for more than 1 year, he would trigger what is called the '10-year permanent bar' if he ever were to leave the U.S. So he would have to spend 10 years in Mexico, a country he hasn't lived in since he was presumably a small child, before even being able to apply for any other kind of visa. The only way to get around the 10-year permanent bar would be to marry a U.S. citizen or resident, or have his parents become U.S. citizens or residents and apply for him. Here is more information:
Let me get this straight, I break the law I get fined or go to jail, illegals break the law they become lawyers. Why not, good combination. I don't care if he came here as a child and had no say in it, just become a citizen and then practice law. I love this whoever wrote it.....
SO LET US GET THIS STRAIGHT - If you cross the North Korean border illegally, you get 12 yrs hard labor. If you cross the Afghanistan border illegally, you get shot. Two Americans got eight years for crossing the Iranian border...BUT...if you cross the U.S. Border illegally you get a job, a drivers license in some states, food stamps, a place to live, health care, housing & child benefits, education, and can't be asked for ID if you go to vote....No wonder we are a country in debt
Commonsense is really confused! on the one hand he screams his head off at people, telling them they are hypocrites for being angry at illegals but not the oppurtunities provided by the people who hire them.
Here we see that commonsense is NOT upset by the oppurtunities of free education, which are just as lucrative as the chance to work.
It's easy to see how commonsense has focused on the idea of hypocrisy, having such a mastery of it.
Emmanuelle, for one, who said:
1967 for another:
Then there's this gem:
I don't have documentation to be in this country, and I was born here. So were my ancestors going back nigh on 400 years (150 years before the United States of America became independent, thanks to the efforts of my forebears and their compatriots). If you think I'm breaking the law, cite and quote the law.
Residing illegally??? You're confused with 1930s Germany. It was illegal for Jews to reside among Germans, after Jews were legally defined as non-Germans.
Jon Overbee...I am assuming you know of these Engineers, Software Designers and Doctors? I work HR at one of the world's largest Engineering/Construction Services firms. We have to EVerify all staff, no matter the position. This process confirms with the HSA and Social Security that they are legally authorized to work in the United States. Most firms are now required to also EVerify.
So please provide evidence of what you say, since it seems a little uneducated about the realities, and also just designed to stir the pot.
I agree with God and hter Bible on this one. There is no reason why this young man should be treated differently from any other American.
Leviticus 19:33-34: "When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself."
"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." Exodus 22:21
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt." Exodus 23:9
"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him." Leviticus 19:33
"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:34
"...help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you." Leviticus 25:35
"Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien." Deuteronomy 1:16
"And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt." Deuteronomy 10:19
"Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him." Deuteronomy 23:16
"Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow." Deuteronomy 27:19
"The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked." Psalm 146:9
This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3
"Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor." Zechariah 7:10
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Render true judgment, and show kindness and compassion toward each other. Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your hearts.’" Zechariah 7:9-10
"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself.... I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:34
Why does the court have to be involved? He is an admitted Illegal Alien and should be returned to Mexico immediately. Why are we wasting Tax Dollars from Legal U.S. Citizens for this piece of dirt? NO!!! Send him, and his family, back to Mexico where they belong. The Drug cartels need lawyers. He is in this country illegally and has knowingly violated our laws for years. He had chances to become a LEGAL RESIDENT and failed to comply. He should also immediately reimburse Legal U.S. Tax payers for any and all assistance he illegally received during his time as a Criminal.
No! How can one be trusted if they are breaking the law in the first place. What is this man's motive in becoming a lawyer. Helping illegals in the USA become legal citizens.
Go back to your own country and do it the right way.
This man never should have been allowed into college to begin with. I think a lot of people at the college he attended need to be removed for failure in doing their jobs.
We need to uphold the laws of the land. This is why America is so financially broken. We are supporting people that are illegal in this country that do not belong here.
Go back to your country and fix your government there. Stop welching off the US taxpayers.
Reposted because Fascist RWingers dont like my comments
These so called christians would tell Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ to leave our country, but they would love to insert a vaginal probe into my wife. These Fascist Right Wingers are Looney Tunes
Commonsense, you do have documentation. It's called a birth certificate and a social security number. If you are born in the U.S. then you are a U.S. citizen. That's the law.
He was not born a U.S. citizen. He is not here on a legal visa. He does not have a green card. Thus, he is an illegal resident. If you bothered to read people's posts instead of spouting off about things you clearly know nothing about, then you would know that Emanuelle had a similar entrance into the U.S. and still managed to obtain legal residency. It can be done.
Why should he jump the line? If he does not have a social security number, he cannot pay taxes. Do you think it's fair that a lawyer who would make upwards of $100,000 to start (at least) does not pay taxes? Do you think it's fair that American citizens who do pay taxes continue to support his ride in the U.S.? Why is that ok to you?
Oh...wait..I know...you probably don't pay taxes either :-/
commonsense...in response to me asking who said anything about being a "legal human being", you quote someone and even in your quote it does not bring up the term human being.
and you do not have documentation? You do not (nor have you in the past) had a birth certificate? A Social Security Number was never issued? All of that is "documentation".
And no, we are not confusing us with Nazi Germany, but congratulations on bringing up that dead horse. When you can't think of anything intelligent to say, bring up Germany! We are not confused, it seems that you may be though, since you do not realize that you do have documentation, and that this country does in fact have laws (which is why this country can LEGALLY deport people).
Those, who say "just leave and apply to be a citizen" have no idea what they are talking about. The only way he could apply is by means of the lottery method (a SMALL number of aliens, who apply, but who have no other type of visa they can get, are chosen at random). He would have little chance of getting back in.
I do agree that the law is the law, and no, he should not be allowed to become a lawyer yet. That said, I like the idea that we change the law to allow certain kids, who were came here not of their own doing, but who are exemplary, to apply for citizenship. This is not the type of kid I want to kick out, but rather, the exact opposite.
commonsense, so you are stating that US (and all world governments) should be ruled by religious texts? Ask those living under religion-based government how that works out.
And if we were ruled by religious texts, would you also support that with other issues? I would think you would have to.
commonsense,
So you don't have a birth certificate?
We know he's illegal...............so why hasn't he been deported yet?
Time for the police to DO THEIR JOB!!!!!
jealousy, jealousy. another hispanic lawer? deport him right? thats the way to protect the legal citizens.
"It is remarkable that jealousy of individual property in land often goes along with very exaggerated doctrines of tribal or national property in land."
William Graham Sumner some very smart guy, i think he was a "legal immigrant" :)
i thought USA was all about fighting for the right thing and "democracy" and its sad to hear all you people acting like dictators. only in a dictatorship country i have seen the laws oppress people like this. the same laws that were against women and black are now againts "illegal" immigrants. you don't have a green card? i don't care how many years you have lived here, i don't care you have helped people and you can not contribute to our society because you "broke the law" right?
the conclusion that most of you won't like: if so many nice people are breaking the law, then the law is broken and has to be changed. we all are Gods children and for you to take my freedom away because of a broken law, IT IS NOT FAIR, and it is not American way.
NJ Person - I happen to work in immigration law, which is why I know that the only option for Mr. Godinez would be to marry a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or to have his parents become U.S. citizens or permanent residents, since he has accumulated more than 6 months of unlawful presence (6 months triggers a 3-year bar, 1 year of unawful presence triggers a 10-year bar, waivable only through a U.S. citizen or resident spouse/parent).
Eric - he would be ineligible for a student visa because he has already been in the country unlawfully for more than 6 months.
stoned dog says:
I have no problems with people who want to wrok and pay taxes.
I also have no problem with people who provide jobs deciding whom they wish to hire.
Some opf the people posting here want the federal government to make all hiring decisions. I believe that EMPLOYERS should make their own hiring decisions.
I'll go farther than that. Like the Founding Fathers, commonsense champions the concept of a free public education. Education is far less expensive than ignorance and illiteracy.
I help pay for a lot of people's public educations. You yourself received one, as did both of your parents. This young man received one from the third through twelfth grades, but his parents did not. He cost us less than you plus both of your parents did.
Now he wants to work for a living and pay taxes.
Good for him.
I work for a living and pay taxes, too. I think every family should do the same. You believe otherwise, but you can't justify it other than to say that you "define" him as an "illegal human being".
The Declaration of Independence says that "all men are created equal" and endowed by their Creator with certain "unalienable" rights, including the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The young man deserves those self-same "unalienable" rights.
You mean to say that you do not possess a birth certificate or a Social Security record? Doubtful.
audence123, please point out where I stated that he would have to leave the US. Your argument is all based on him re-entering after he leaves. He does not need to do that. There are many instances of people being able to obtain the visa without going back home. I have two people in my office who are examples of that.
This particular individual that the story is about has made choices. Made choices that are self-serving and show no respect for our country. And it doesn't matter if the laws are "right" or "fair". We all have to abide by them. That is the only way a society actually functions. He has shown a lack of respect, and now states that he is "umapologetic". How is that ok? When I travel abroad, I respect their laws. May not agree with them, but I respect them, as I am a guest.
Again, as I have said before, I am pro-immigration. But there are processes in place, processes that have worked for millions before this man. Why should anyone feel they need to go through the time and expense to get through the process legally, if these cases are allowed through? Seriously, who is going to do it the right way if there are no penalties for doing it the wrong way?
It seems the illegals are of a mindset that if they manage to evade capture and deportation for a long enough time, they should automatically become citizens.
Eric - were those people here unlawfully when they applied for a visa? The only way that they could apply for a visa while here illegally would be if the following conditions were met: 1) they initially entered LEGALLY (as Mr. Godinez did with a tourist visa) 2) they then overstayed a visa 3) they then married a U.S. citizen or resident, which allows their 'unlawful presence' to be waived. Then they can become residents while being in the U.S. illegally without having to leave.
Having been unlawfully present in the U.S. for more than 6 months makes you ineligible to apply for any other kind of visa, such as a student visa or a work visa.
commonsense...you are once again using a quote that does not exist. You placed in QUOTES "illegal human being". At this point, you are lying about it being a quote, which negates every other statement you are making.
And that document you quote was created for the United States of America, and is therefore in reference to our own country. It is not forced on others.
And by stating that this man has to follow rules and laws is not robbing him of the "pursuit" of anything. No where in the document does it state that it is by any means necessary. I think most would agree that there are exceptions to the puruit of life, liberty and hapiness...
audence, one was and one was not. Please explain that. And even if not, if they are forced back, oh well. Those are the laws, and shouwld be respected. We can't all break laws and expect to get away with them...not to mention a better life from the spoils.
For Eric and anyone else who is skeptical, check out the USCIS website.
I find it ironic that someone who openly admits to illegal use of recreational drugs would refer to another human being as "illegal".
I find it ironic that someone would call me a "hypocrite" for believing that other people should have the same legal right to do what I do every day.
I find it ironic that someone would take what we are all SUPPOSED to do (work and pay taxes) and claim that it is a crime if someone else does it.
He's been breaking the law for 16 years ....
great ....
And he wants to represent our laws as a lawyer .... "LOL"
I blame our Government especially the LEFT to flat out and say to this guy and every other illegal who broke our federal law if you want to be a part of this country then get at the back of the line. Were's the President on this? Obama should take his balls out of his pocket and tell this guy to get in line. Where's your leadership Obama? Be a real man and step up to the plate.!!!!!!!!!!
Commonsense..the bible also says obey the laws of the land. It seem in your mindset every illegal immigrant should be granted the same rights as ALL citizens without question?
Who would want to hire this guy as an attorney in the first place? He either doesn't understand the law or was asleep in law school when the subject of," immigration law" came up! He thinks "laws" are merely "rules", rules can be bent or modified in some situations. But you do that with a law and you have broken it, plain and simple. This kid seems intelligent enough although he obviosly got no reinforcement about not breaking laws from his parents,should go the distance and become legal. To put it another way,the black coalition once tried to romance Colin Powell,saying we got to change the"system" in order to make it easier for us. Mr. Powell stopped them dead in their tracks with one sentence. It was," What system are you referring to,the one I came up through"? And for all you " bigot callers",all people of color and women should have always had the right to vote and pursue any career they were able to. But sneaking into this country and demanding justice from are law? Bull$hit !
Eric, I would have to know the specifics of the person's case in order to explain how they could have obtained a visa while unlawfully present in the U.S. Were they unlawfully present for less than 6 months? Were they the victim of domestic violence (qualifying them for residency through VAWA) or the victim of a violent crime (qualifying them for a U-Visa)? Were they from a country such as Haiti that has Temporary Protected Status? Were they from a country such as Nicaragua that is covered under NACARA? Did someone apply for them before 2001, making them eligible under 245-i? There are ways to obtain residency, but they are very complicated and not everyone is eligible, even hard-working, smart people who would truly contribute to our society. The way our immigration laws are set up, it is possible for a high school drop out who has married a U.S. citizen and gotten 3 DUIs to qualify for residency and eventually citizenship, while there is no recourse for someone like Mr. Godinez, who seems to embody many American ideals, at least in terms of achievement/education, etc. I know that I'm probably not convicing many people here, but I just feel the need to point out that it is not simply a matter of taking a citizenship test or paying a fine. Some people, despite being potential contributors to society, qualify for absolutely nothing.
That makes no logical sense whatsover. To please you, I will confine myself to placing the phrase 'illegal human being' in single quotes, which is my way of expressing sarcasm bordering on contempt.
The use of the word "illegal" as an adjective for a person (which appears in so many nativist rants) grammatically implies that it is the human being that is "illegal". That 'definition' is then used as a tautology to claim that the person so-described has no right to exist. "Illegal" is the new n-word. Describing a human being as "illegal" is disgusting.
Common, how do you propose that he pay taxes if he is illegal? He can't, because he is illegal. You cannot go to Mexico for a sustained period of time and work legally. Why should he be able to come here and do the same?
Are you proposing that we do away with immigration laws and let everyone in? You can't cherry pick people to bypass the rules - it's simply not fair to everyone else - so there has to be a blanket mandate.
Feel free to quote it and cite it. I'm all for using the Bible in context.
commonsense, the problem is that if he did start working for somone, he would not be paying taxes (federal, or state) because he has NO SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. How did he get into a college without a social security number or student visa.
Common he is a human you are exagerating big time. If we should allow all illegals that graduate from college to be citizens...then let's go one stop further...all that work...all that graduate from elementary school....where does it end? The U.S. has immigration laws..does it not?
PH-3046605 and Steve-1945721 - you actually can pay taxes when you are illegal. The IRS assigns you what is called an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if you file your taxes without a SS#. Do you actually think the government cares who is legal and who isn't when collecting taxes?
Ahhhh, here comes the DOJ and his band of lawyers to the rescue and another "statement" on Illegal Aliens (Immigrants) obtaining "permanent residency" or "Amnesty" during an Obama campaign stop or a Rose Garden press conference.
As other posters have mentioned.....this guy went through law school but yet has not learned the basic steps for getting American citizenship. Maybe he should do a research paper on what it takes for an American to become a Mexican citizen. He is Illegal....plain and simple and cannot be allowed to practice law withing the United States being in violation of Federal Immigration Laws.
If the Florida Supreme Court rules "amnesty" for this guy, standby for a flood of "other" illegal aliens (immigrants) seeking court proceedings on ANYTHING to flood the courts.
Interesting that the media has failed to report Mr. Obama having his DHS implement "new procedures" for 1,000,000 Illegal Aliens (Immigrants) to obtain "permanent residency" if there is at least ONE member of the family with American citizenship.
BTW, this is just another article to inflame American citizens against one another. Good grief, we have Class Warfare, women's rights, and "justice for Martin" issues, and others, brought to us by the Liberal media.
Remember: "The end justifies the means."
Also remember:
commonsense-your ignorance is amazing. it would be easy to rip you apart (your views, thoughts and ridiculously spewed rhetoric, not a physical threat) but i don't have the time to waste on someone with such myopic views. please take off your blinders and see the real world around you.
never argue with a fool, onlookers may not know the difference.
Acts 5:29
Many of the illegals I have met had the opportunity to become citizens back in the amnesty days of the Reagan and Bush administrations, but they refused to do so because being in this nation illegally afforded them certain privileges that citizenship did not - such as personal responsibility.
Puerto Rico is a prime example. Puerto-ricans have been voting on statehood for decades now, but the majority consistently votes it down because adopting statehood would subject Puerto-ricans to the federal tax system. As it stands now; Puerto-ricans receive unemployment compensation insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and possible Social Security benefits without having to pay a dime to the federal government.
Eric dim bulb,
Isn't it about time for you to get off the computer and get back to that HR work for the world's largest engineering/construction firm? Or are you really living in your mom's basement?
commonsense....
Please use some common sense... I guess unless you are advocating having no borders and allowing everyone into the country without documentation. I guess a nation founded on laws means nothing to you?
First of all, don't let eric watts see that you wrote "he is illegal" because according to eric watts, no one does that and it makes everything else a lie.
But in answer to your question, the IRS will accept tax payments from ANYBODY. And why on Earth would you want paying taxes to be "illegal"?
My point is that all we have to do is ALLOW this kid to work and pay taxes and he will. It's a complete waste of money to persecute the guy and force him to NOT work and NOT pay taxes. How stupid is that?
My way the government MAKES money. The alternative is for the government to SPEND money and get nothing in return. Which makes more sense? Be honest.
@Commonsense:
You must be mentally challenged or just plain thick headed. Since you are one of those, most likely both I'm going to make it easier on you. Here you go: So also to all those that are saying he didn't have the time to apply for legal status, please think, I mean it's not that hard, high school ends at an average age of 18, he had to do law school, but before that he had to attend college, a 4 year degree you are usually at the age of 22 then law school is another 2-3 years depending how good you are, so that would be an average age of 24 to 25. He had 6 to 7 years to apply for legal status. Look at the whole picture, do a little reading, read up on our laws, and don't let your bleeding heart beat your logic to answer for you. It just makes you look really, really, and again REALLY uneducated. Thank-you, that is all, and carry on.
Illegal Immigration Laws
Most Americans know our basic laws regarding illegal immigration. It is illegal to enter the United States without permission. The first time an illegal immigrant is caught in the US it is a misdemeanor civil offense. This is because we want to be able to quickly return illegal aliens to Mexico or Canada, when they are caught at the border without the rigors of a jury trial.
After the first offense, being caught a second time is a felony!
It is also against the law to overstay a visa issued by the US Government and illegal for an employer to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Our volunteers have compiled this list of illegal immigration laws for your review.
It is Illegal To Bring Illegal Aliens Into US under current Laws
It is unlawful for any person to bring aliens into the United States. Fine: $3,000 for each alien (Sec. 273. [8 U.S.C. 1323])
It is Illegal To Harbor Illegal Immigrants
. It is unlawful to bring in or harbor illegal aliens. Fine: $3,000 for each alien. (Sec. 273. [8 U.S.C. 1323] )
It is Illegal To Employ, Recruit, or Refer Illegal Aliens for Jobs
. It is unlawful for a person or other entity- to employ or recruit or refer for a fee an illegal alien in the United States. Commercial advantage or private financial gain offender can be fined under title 18, US code, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both. ...Any person who, during any 12-month period, knowingly hires for employment at least 10 individuals with actual knowledge that the individuals are aliens described in sub paragraph (B) shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both. (Sec. 274A. [8 U.S.C. 1324a] )
It is Illegal To Forge Documents for Illegal Immigrants or violate Identity Theft Laws
. It is unlawful for any person or entity knowingly- to forge documents. Legal documents must be presented when entering the US.
( Sec. 274C. [8 U.S.C. 1324c] )
...Fine: not less than $250 and not more than $2,000 for each document that is the subject of a violation.
...Previous violation: not less than $2,000 and not more than $5,000 for each document that is the subject of a violation.
US Laws Declare it is Illegal To Aid or Abet Illegal Immigrants
. It is unlawful for anyone to aid or assist aliens to enter the United States. Penalty: fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both. ( Sec. 277. [8 U.S.C. 1327] )
LEGAL Immigrants Must Know English, US History, US Laws, and Principles
. No person shall be naturalized as a citizen of the United States who cannot demonstrate: ... An understanding of the English language, including the ability to read, write and and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language.
... A knowledge and understanding of history, and of the principles and form of government, of the United States. ( Sec. 312. [8 U.S.C. 1423] )
Legal Immigrants Must Display Moral Character and No Crime Record
. Requirements as to residence, good moral character, attachment to the principles of the constitution, and favorable disposition to the Untied States. ( Sec. 316. [8 U.S.C. 1427] )
Legal Immigrants Must Be Investigated and Screened for past crimes and terrorism links
. Prior to a person becoming naturalized, or an employee of the service, a personal investigation is required of the individual applying.
( Sec. 335. [8 U.S.C. 1446] )
It is Illegal For Illegal Aliens to Bypass Medical and Physical Exams for illnesses and infectious diseases
. Physical and Mental Examinations are required.
Aliens arriving at ports of the United States will be detained for the purpose of determining whether they are afflicted with any of the diseases or mental or physical defects or disabilities set forth in section 212(a), or whenever the Attorney General has received information showing that any aliens are coming from a country or have embarked at a place where any of such diseases are prevalent or epidemic.
( Sec. 232 [8 U.S.C. 1252] )
Illegal Aliens Deported are ineligible for readmission to US Under Current Laws
. Distressed Aliens:
Any alien who falls into distress or who needs public aid from causes arising prior to his/her entry is desirous of being so removed. Any alien so removed shall be ineligible to apply for or receive a visa or other documentation for readmission, or to apply for admission to the United States except with the prior approval of the Attorney General.
( Sec. 250. [8 U.S.C. 1260] )
It is Illegal for Illegal Immigrants to possess a firearm or ammunition
. It is unlawful for an alien illegally in the United States or an alien admitted to the United States under a non immigrant visa to legally receive or possess firearms and/or ammunition. ( [18 U.S.C. 922(g) and (n), 27 CFR 478.32] )
thanks msnbc for yet another libtard article. we do realize your goals are to fool us into thinking that ALL illegal immigrants are hard working, contributing, law abiding citizens. for once, i would like to see msnbc report on the other side of illegal immigration but that isn't going to happen. the real side, the common side. for every story like this, there are probably 10,000 on the other side of the coin.
as for this article, i will guarantee he did not pay for his education by himself or his family's means. the comment about not being able to get an SS card, etc....is such BS. where i live, you can get a "legitimate" SS card for only $50 and many illegals gain 4 or 5 of them so they can collect benefits under different names. i am willing to go "all in" that this guy (and his family) received housing, food, med care benefits as well as a free education.....something i will never be afforded the luxury of....
Commonsense, Jim, and Dave
The three of you seem to ignoring the point that many are trying to make! It is not that he is Mexican, it is not that he had no choice as a child, it is the fact that he made his way all the way through college, law school and passed the Bar Exam without bothering to change his immigration status. He is willfully breaking immigration laws and yet wishes to be issued a license to practice law in this country. He has proven he has everything it takes to be a lawyer, except a healthy respect for the law. Until his immigration status is changed from undocumented to legal citizen, he has no right to practice law as a licensed lawyer in this country. There is a path for him to follow to gain citizenship, he is just unwilling to follow it as it is not quick nor easy. Granting him a license to practice law without requiring citizenship or at least the proper visa status, is a slap in the face to the millions of immigrants who came to this country legally and have worked just as hard or harder for their place in our society.
This isn't about minorities, this is about ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Please keep your racial rants out of the discussion. We use the word "minorities" like there are people who are less than the rest of us. We are all equal. Some races might be IN THE minority, but as individuals, they are as important as any one else. I hate that phrase.
Flashback: this guy is in the United States ILLEGAL.
To grant him "amnesty" or "permanent residency" which is against Federal Immigration Law proceedings is right and moral ? How stupid is that ?
@ commonsense...LOL quoting the bible for justification of an ILLEGAL act...
YOU WANT the law that says a child that is brought here illegally is STILL ILLEGAL?
It is Illegal To Bring Illegal Aliens Into US under current Laws
It is unlawful for any person to bring aliens into the United States. Fine: $3,000 for each alien (Sec. 273. [8 U.S.C. 1323])
heck let him run for congress then he can break the law like all the other congressmen and he can represent openly the millions of other illegal aliens already here.just dont do what they do in mexico.put him in jail for 6 months for being an illegal alien trying to work{for a first offence 2 years for a second}.beside what this country really needs is more lawyers.theyre so productive
Here ya go Commonsense...
It is Illegal To Bring Illegal Aliens Into US under current Laws
It is unlawful for any person to bring aliens into the United States. Fine: $3,000 for each alien (Sec. 273. [8 U.S.C. 1323])
It is Illegal To Harbor Illegal Immigrants
. It is unlawful to bring in or harbor illegal aliens. Fine: $3,000 for each alien. (Sec. 273. [8 U.S.C. 1323] )
It is Illegal To Employ, Recruit, or Refer Illegal Aliens for Jobs
. It is unlawful for a person or other entity- to employ or recruit or refer for a fee an illegal alien in the United States. Commercial advantage or private financial gain offender can be fined under title 18, US code, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both. ...Any person who, during any 12-month period, knowingly hires for employment at least 10 individuals with actual knowledge that the individuals are aliens described in sub paragraph (B) shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both. (Sec. 274A. [8 U.S.C. 1324a] )
@ TRH86 and Archangel 3:16
How would he have applied for residency? What kind of visa would he have qualified for, considering that he had already accumulated more than 6 months of unlawful presence in the U.S.? He actually did not enter the U.S. illegally - he came in on a tourist visa. His crime was overstaying, and I do not contest that that was an illegal act. But as such, his only way to obtain residency while staying in the U.S. would be through an adjustment of status through a U.S. citizen/resident spouse or parent. If he wanted to, say, apply for a student visa or a work visa (which would not put him on a path to citizenship, just allow him a temporary stay in the U.S.), he would have had to first spend 10 years in Mexico because leaving the country after accumulating more than 1 year of unlawful presence triggers a 10-year bar from reentry. (You cannot apply for these kinds of visas while unlawfully in the U.S. - you have to go to your country of origin).
The rules are simple.
You are either a legal citizen or you are not.
If you are not a legal citizen of this country, you should not be licensed to become a lawyer.
Not being here in this country legally...is breaking the law.
Actually, I advocate letting the free market work. If someone wants to come here, LET THEM. Give them a visa that is valid for a specified period of time. Require them to check in from time to time. Make finding work (on a family basis) a requirement for visa renewal if the intent is to become American or to work seasonally or temporarily. No welfare allowed. (But education for all, as required by the Constitution and supported by anyone who is not a complete idiot). Allow visa renewals from anywhere in the US (travel to a foreign country not required just to renew a visa). After a specified period of time, no work and you have to leave, without prejudice against returning. Commit a REAL crime (as opposed to the 'crime' of working) and you're out.
No quotas against nationality (or "region"), no discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin, no attempts at social engineering by foolish politicians who think that a PhD in creative basket weaving is more 'desirable' than a willingness to work hard.
So regulate and keep track, but don't try to force out Catholics or limit immigration to people with blue eyes and blond hair (nothing against blonds or blue eyes, and nothing against black hair or brown eyes, either).
My way is verifiable and workable and does not require trillions in government outlays. Nor does it require the GOVERNMENT to make hiring decisions for local BUSINESSES.
What we have now does NOT work, never HAS worked, and never WILL work.
commonsense your free trade free market working has resulted in the exporting of over 6 million excellent paying manufacturing jobs since just 2006.so you want to export jobs and import illegal aliens to compete with us for the crappy paying ones.you must be rich.looking for slave labor?or a ive got mine screw you republican
Yes, common, but to get a Visa you have to apply for it! Why do you think it's fair that he does not have to apply for citizenship or Visa? You are advocating that he bypass the rules you just laid out in your post.
I'm all for having him here, but he has to go through the process that you yourself just advocated. I don't understand why you, or anyone else, thinks it's fair for this one person to jump the line ahead of people applying for visas and citizenship legally.
Reposted because Fascist RWingers dont like my comments
These so called christians would tell Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ to leave our country, but they would love to insert a vaginal probe into my wife. These Fascist Right Wingers are Looney Tunes
@(un)commonsense....
Lamar Smith is not, nor ever has been, a member of the Nazi Party or a Nazi sympathizer. The fact that you repeatedly violated Godwin's Law explains why half your posts here have been collapsed.
You have nothing left to you except name calling. Another pathetic La Raza tactic.
audenc123 said, "So he would have to spend 10 years in Mexico, a country he hasn't lived in since he was presumably a small child, before even being able to apply for any other kind of visa.So he would have to spend 10 years in Mexico, a country he hasn't lived in since he was presumably a small child, before even being able to apply for any other kind of visa."
And the problem with that is ....what? He's a criminal & needs to be deported.
We don't need to reform immigration laws, we need to ENFORCE them. It should not be "easy" to become a citizen. If you are applying, you need to EARN it.
the system is broken, a lot have visa that are expired and they know it and do not want to risk not getting it renewed or have the money to get an immigration lawyer.
Why do you think the government can keep track...they are disfunctional and have always been.
the states try to legislate but the feds sue them for that...another example the feds are a loose cannon.
I'm so sick of this idiotic argument that "it wasn't his choice to come here. His parents did it. He grew up here. Let him stay."
If your parents break into a foreclosed home, and the bank doesn't get around to trying to sell it for 20 years, so you grow up in this house. The bank is still going to kick you out when the time comes to sell it. It's theirs, and the fact that you grew up there doesn't mean anything.
... Actually in this idiot liberal society, you could just do some paperwork, and legally steal the house, so that's a bad example....
... So, how about, "your dad robbed banks, and you grew up a rich kid with all the money you could spend. When the cops finally find your dad, they're not going to let you keep the money 'because you didn't rob the bank, so it's not your fault'".
Find any other situation where you're legally allowed to keep the benifits of somebody elses crime.
I don't care who you are, or how you got here. If you didn't do it legally, go home until you can do it right.
No--- He should not be permitted to become a member of the Florida Bar. Absolutely not. He is here ILLEGALLY.
Thank you for citing a specific provision of law. I'll post what the law actually says soon.
The law you cite does not apply to the young man in question, though. It applies to transportation companies.
Kevin, I feel as you do. This guy is the "poster child" so to speak for all of kids who have come here with their parents and done very well. I do think they can be an asset to this country, and in fact might appreciate it more than "native born" citizens.
I like the idea of allowing them to apply for citizenship IF they have been good students and have no (other) legal issues.
They should be given six months after their 18th birthday or graduation from high school (whichever is later) to either enroll in post secondary education OR join the military. There can be a special visa status. If that is successfully completed, they are eligible for full citizenship.
If, after those six months, they do NOT do one of the other ... or they fail to complete one or the other, then they go.
While I have NO problem deporting illegal aliens (however, mass deportation is logistically impossible), I have issue with deporting the young people who are here through no fault of their own, yet SUCCEED! It might be a very small percentage of the total group of illegal immigrants, but that small percentage should have hope for the future too.
A rose, by any other name, is a rose. commonsence, by any other name, is a troll. I recognized his writing.
This fellow Samperio wants to be a lawyer so bad, he can go defend drug cartel members down in Meh-kee-ko where he belongs.
It's time to pack his sh!t up and send him back.
8 U.S.C. § 1323 : US Code - Section 1323: Unlawful bringing of aliens into United States
(a) Persons liable
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person, including any
transportation company, or the owner, master, commanding officer,
agent, charterer, or consignee of any vessel or aircraft, to bring
to the United States from any place outside thereof (other than
from foreign contiguous territory) any alien who does not have a
valid passport and an unexpired visa, if a visa was required under
this chapter or regulations issued thereunder.
(2) It is unlawful for an owner, agent, master, commanding
officer, person in charge, purser, or consignee of a vessel or
aircraft who is bringing an alien (except an alien crewmember) to
the United States to take any consideration to be kept or returned
contingent on whether an alien is admitted to, or ordered removed
from, the United States.
(b) Evidence
If it appears to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that
any alien has been so brought, such person, or transportation
company, or the master, commanding officer, agent, owner,
charterer, or consignee of any such vessel or aircraft, shall pay
to the Commissioner a fine of $3,000 for each alien so brought and,
except in the case of any such alien who is admitted, or permitted
to land temporarily, in addition, an amount equal to that paid by
such alien for his transportation from the initial point of
departure, indicated in his ticket, to the port of arrival, such
latter fine to be delivered by the Commissioner to the alien on
whose account the assessment is made. No vessel or aircraft shall
be granted clearance pending the determination of the liability to
the payment of such fine or while such fine remains unpaid, except
that clearance may be granted prior to the determination of such
question upon the deposit of an amount sufficient to cover such
fine, or of a bond with sufficient surety to secure the payment
thereof approved by the Commissioner.
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/8/12/II/VIII/1323
@wryview
While I disagree with your position, at least it is consistent. What bothers me is people who say things like 'why didn't he just apply to be a citizen' as if he could just fill out an application, pay a fine, and be done with it. I am here trying to point out that it is a very long, difficult process with absolutely no guarantees, and some people do not even qualify regardless of their character or accomplishments. If you could simply apply for permanent residency (an intermediary step before citizenship), there would be very few illegal immigrants.
Commonsense wow you are an extremist in so many ways. What different does it make about which specific statute ? You know there are laws regarding immigration do you not? You are in a huge minority sir. Illegals play a big part in so many skilled labor jobs but your idea of visas is not new by any stretch. Enforcing is the problem and will always be. As long as employers hire and turn a blind eye to fraudulent ID's and issue 1099's they will not be paying taxes. Working the sheriffs dept for years I know this, trying to stop the fake ID biz is next to impossible,..in OK anyway.
Interesting...
So, TRH86, exactly which of these laws did this person break?
Assuming that he does not own a gun or ammunition, that he hasn't bypassed any medical or physical exams for illnesses and infectious diseases, that he is not a terrorist, nor a felon. I'm assuming that he can read, write and speak English (better than most of the posters here), that he's not an identity theif, nor a harborer or transporter of illegals. His title is not even "illegal," but "undocumented."
What bothers me most about this debate is that this guy is a Mexican. Nobody seems to care about white illegals. I'm talking about white Europeans who are here illegally. There are hundreds of thousands of English, Irish, Scottish, even white South African undocumented persons in the United States living here illegally, but nobody ever mentions them. Like it or not, most US citizens are bigots. We as a country do not like brown people. Think about this, the last war we fought against non brown or black people was WWII. That was more than 60 years ago.
Yeah, his mamma was a transportation company who didn't have enough common sense to anchor baby him this side of the border. She was the vessel and widdle Jose was her product.
Yeah Dave, we all live in this world. What a startling revelation.
There are poor people in your area who do not have access to a computer like you do. We should force you to house them, feed them, buy their clothes, pay for their education and healthcare...and a computer.
What?! You don't want them in your house? How dare you! They are people just like you! What right do you have to keep them out?
Think about this for a while and you may start to understand: WE have the RIGHT to hold on to OUR OWN COUNTRY. These people have THEIR OWN COUNTRY. If their country has problems, then they need to stay there to fix it, not come here (illegally) live off us, replace our language and culture with their own and replace our population.
Americans are humans and we have rights too!
And to those people who think that their grandparents' immigration to the U.S. is in any way relevant to present-day discussions of immigration policy - the law has changed so many times since then that stories from even 20 years ago are completely irrelevant.
MSNBC you stink!
This kid did not break into someone else's home.
This kid did not 'steal' someone else's law degree.
This kid did not 'steal' someone else's score on the bar exam.
Our country is a joke now. Why not just open up our borders and go for the one world order. Maybe we can escape our debt that way.
He broke immigration law. That's good enough for me.
Don't like current immigration laws? Then go to Congress and get them changed. You're supposed to be 'right' so you shouldn't have any problem doing that.
His dad did not rob a bank.
He did not rob a bank.
He doesn't want to someone else's money.
He wants to work and pay taxes. Not rob people.
There's no reason not to allow that.
I'm with you Don, but it dont matter. Neither party is willing to enforce our laws. Its over man. We have been defeated. Give up your sovereignty...the immigration laws have absolutely no teeth, nor gums for that matter.
Jon Overbee -
None of the Indians and the Chinese who are working as engineers, software designers and doctors are illegals.
They all came via either an h1-b visa or via an employment based green card and the documentary requirements for both are so stringent that the government has more information on these individuals than even the native born ones.
But since they are not whites they may look like illegals to you .....i guess.....
Any person? You didn't even read the first sentence of that code, did you?
Which one?
Cite the law and quote it or admit your own egregious ignorance.
Go back and read that U.S. Code you just quoted. You only read what you wanted to believe.
That point I made in #1.133 you just decided to gloss over.
~
The first goddam sentence, even.... LOL...
Why shouldn't he stay? He has proven himself to be a productive part of our society. He is probably more worthy of a US citizenship than many American born citizens. We have people in this country who were born here and they do NOTHING to become a productive part of society. They milk the system, sit on their ass all day, do drugs , have babies and look for handouts. I say ship those American born citizens on a slow boat to China that has a big hole in it's hull. We need a law that says either be productive or you gotta leave, born here or not! Being born here doesn't give you the right to take advantage of other hard working Americans.
Liberals cant see the forest for the trees.
I wonder what Commonsense would think when every, wealthy, illegal family pays for their kid to become a lawyer or doctor to simply get citizenship. Instant anchor baby.
Audenc advised us that we dont realize how hard it is to get citizenship. I suppose it would be about as hard as.... PASSING THE BAR!
I find it humorous that people can be so foolish about something that isnt hard to grasp.
I guess we should illegals get away with DUI because mommy and daddy brought them over the border.
I lose respect for my fellow Americans on a daily basis. I give you MSNBC.
This one is easy. An attorney swears to uphold and defend the Constitution and laws of the US and the state where they are sworn in. This person knowingly is continuing to violate immigration law. NO, you may not be licensed, NO you may not go to college, NO you may not stay in the country....
We should not be supporting anyone over the age of 18 who has graduated from high school and is in this country illegally. We should not let them work, not let them go to college, not let them rent, not let them drive, NOTHING. We should make it as miserable as possible for illegal immigrants to be in this country. It should also be a federal crime to knowingly assist an illegal immigrant to break the law. Only by doing that will the problem be solved.
An illegal immigrant who does not work to change their status should go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. And when you are done, you get deported.
It is amazing to me that this guy wants to be a lawyer when he can't even uphold the law. Is there some part of ILLEGAL he doesn't understand. I don't care who brought him over the border, he is NOT am american citizen. I spent years working, paying taxes, obeying all the laws, and this guy wants to be made a citizen just because he has an education. Why didn't he spend as much time trying to become a citizen as he did trying to become a lawyer. He has known all these years that he was not a citizen but he chose to just ignore that fact and now wants to automatically become one. SEND HIM BACK TO MEXICO WHERE HE AND ALL THE OTHERS LIKE HIM BELONG!!!!
Audenc,
You yourself said that he could apply for a special waiver for the 10 year ban. Do you suppose that passing the bar in Florida, and getting national media attention is enough for the government to grant him that waiver?
Obama, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton would be at the airport welcoming the young man back to America. What a PR stunt that would be right before election time.
Maybe he could practice law in Mexico. I hear they need help.
It was said in the article he was always a contributing member of society. I don't think so. Public school Education he and his parents didn't pay for. How many other entitlements did they receive they didn't pay into the system for?
Additionally, why wasn't he.....
not admitted to public school since he was Illegal
not admitted to College since he was Illegal
not been allowed to take the Bar, since he was Ilegal
Our American system is broken. The broken system has let this man pass through with a free ride and no one stopped him and sent him and his parents home. And this is a man who has, admittedly, applied himself and worked hard. What about all those other Illegals who don't apply themselves, (many have broken many other laws along the way) and still received the same free ride this man has? None of you should wonder why AZ is fighting to protect their citizens. They are on the down side of this story and govt. doesn't care. America has run out of money, in part, because we have given Illegals buckets of money they should never have received. Fix the system! Send the Illegals home and reign in the out of control govt.
Reposted because Fascist RWingers dont like my comments
These so called christians would tell Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ to leave our country, but they would love to insert a vaginal probe into my wife. These Fascist Right Wingers are Looney Tunes
audence, you keep stating that he has to leave for ten years before applying for citizenship. While true now for this man, he was here well before he turned 18 in which case Sec 212a9Biii (GENERAL CLASSES OF ALIENS INELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE VISAS AND INELIGIBLE FOR ADMISSION; WAIVERS OF INADMISSIBILLITY) of 8U.S.C.1182 states that
in which case, if he would have been slightly more ambitious in wanting to work here and become a resident he could have applied for becoming a legal citizen before turning 18. I understand the wait list for citizenship is long, but under 204A1Di(II) "Any individual described in subclause (I) is eligible for deferred action and work authorization." Subclause (I) simply states that he could have applied before turning 18. While waiting for citizenship, he could have worked here. He can't just hope that he can bypass all our laws simply because he accomplished the very difficult tasks of finishing law school and passing the bar.
They already are. Didn't they have those birth clinics out in Kalifornika where they flew wealthy Chinese in just so they could be anchor babied there?
Another reason why the law needs to be changed.
how many reading this article have a friend or son/ daughter who applied to law school and were not admitted? i wonder just how much financial aid he received and if he gained entry under minority quota system. he took a place belonging to a us citizen. Maybe he should use his law degree in mexico teaching potential illegals how to immigrate legally.
You want to take two words out of context as though they represent the entire statute? Keep in mind that this is a statute about TRANSPORTING people. The law applies to any person that transports aliens.
But let's play your game. Are you accusing a nine-year old child of transporting his parents to the United States over a decade ago? That's quite a stretch of the imagination.
But if you ARE, and if you believe this is a serious CRIMINAL offense, can you prove it beyond a reasonable doubt? Didn't think so.
Or are you saying that someone ELSE transported the nine-year old child, in which case that transporter (not the child) must pay a $3,000 fine if you can prove that they did it?
I have been arguing these points for 20 years...forget it! Its over! Reagan wouldnt do anything about it,,,the Bush's, Clinton, O'bamalama...none of them will touch it. Romney cant wait to pander to them...its over guys.
If illegal immigrants (this gentleman knew he was in the US illegally for many years) were to be allowed to live and work in the US without due process, essentially being forgiven for breaking the law, what does this say for those who have taken all proper channels to be legal? Should we not, then, just release other law-breakers from jail? Should we not just overlook fraud, breaking and entering, selling drugs, or other civil offenses? Someone please tell me; which other laws should we be allowed to break? Either enforce the laws in place or change them.
I swear to uphold the *cough* and the *cough cough* of the United States of America.
Wink wink nod nod.
Damm straight. He'll be the first one putting up a Mezzikin flag and telling everybody what a great place it was where he came from, but let's see him put his money where his mouth is.
Let's see him help "his people" while the Mariachi band plays quietly in the background and the smell of fresh beans are in the air...
lol...
What's one thing got to do with another. If your son did not have the grades or other qualifications the university he applied to was looking for, he is free to work on his credentials and apply to another school.
Blaming someone else for your son's failures lacks character.
commonsense - You said "There is NO PROCESS by which a child in his position can become a "legal" human being." Why are you referring to him as a non human being? Actually he is a legal human being, he's just an illegal alien.
Jews were illegal in Nazi Germany.
I guess you're on Hitler's side.
@IndianaEngineer
Yes, unlawful presence under the age of 18 does not count. But he would have to have someone apply for residency for him when he is under 18, i.e. a U.S. citizen parent, resident, or step-parent. An immediate relative has to petition for you to gain residency. It's not like applying to college or for a loan at the bank - someone has to petition for you, and they have to be an immediate relative.
@America Today-Anthony
He could only apply for a special waiver if he marries a U.S. citizen or resident, or if one of his parents becomes a U.S. citizen or resident. This means that scumbag with a criminal record who marries a U.S. citizen can qualify for permanent residency (although the waiver could be denied based on disretionary factors), while someone with a law degree and a clean record who never gets married cannot. I think that the mistake many people make is assuming that our immigration law is rational and perfect, and simply needs to be enforced.
I do not support illegal immigration. But the law is not a static thing - it can be changed, and needs to be, desperately. We need to make it so that people who have clean records and have pursued higher education and will contribute to our society can qualify for residency without having to be related or married to a U.S. citizen or resident. Yes, Mr. Godinez is here illegally, but that choice was made for him. In my opinion, there should be a path for him to become a resident that does not require him to marry.
Everyone posting here needs to set aside their biases - there is only one point relevent here...
Every non-citizen needs a work permit (green card) to work anywhere in the USA. If this guy does not have it - he cannot work here (and illegal immigrants do not have green cards). This is the law. It applies to Thai, Asian Indians, Chinese, British, and all others in this country.
Why should any exception be made for him? I went to graduate school with several Koreans, and they were extremely smart. But if they could not find a company to sponsor them for an H1 visa - they were not allowed to work in the USA (and congress applies a limit to H1 visas). This law also applies to Mexicans. It doesn't matter if he has lived here for years (as one of my Korean friends had).
The real question is whether we are a country of laws - whether everyone not born in this country is treated equally, or are some people (this guy) treated "more equally" than others...
he broke the law!!!!!!if any americans were in his country or other countries, would they allow us to break their laws. as a usa citizen, i'am proud to be an american...a legal american....and respect the law of my country. in international trips, i respect their laws, with my usa passport. if we brake the law, what happens? do we march arm in arm tothe capitol? get out...and enter my country, legally, don't think you played the system!
@commonsense
This has nothing to do with Nazi Germany.
This has to do with someone who is in this country without a visa to be here. That is a violation of the law. You cannot come to the US from Mexico (or most other countries) without a VISA! If you get that Visa, and you stay beyond the expiration date, you are again, BREAKING THE LAW.
How about 50 or 60 people come stay in your house without your permission. They are human after all, and what right do you have to tell them to leave? So what if you didn't give them permission to live in your home.
Bullsh!t. You conveniently left that out because you want us to believe the law only applied to transportation companies and corporations. Stop being disingenuous.
Good. After I exposed that 'little point' for you.
Do you have dyslexia or what? Got things backwards?
Where did I say a nine year old transported his parents to the United States over a decade ago? You're being disingenuous again.
I don't have to. ICE will show up at his door and enforce the law as it's currently written.
You wanna blame his parents for that, that's fine. But he's gonna pay too.
I really don't give a sh!t about the $3,000 fine. He doesn't come under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution because he wasn't born here.
Did his parents get him a visa to come here?
Did he apply for citizenship when he became an adult like he was supposed to?
Why didn't his parents follow the law and do that for him when he was an infant?
Why didn't they stand in line like everybody else?
I got married to my wife that was here on a visa from Brazil some 17 years ago. The visa was only good for 90 days. We got married before she was to leave and applied right away for her to stay before the visa was up. A year and a half later INS finally got to our case, by that time she was pregrant with our daughter. We had about enough time under the law for her to have our child and leave and got to brazil for 90 days. It took several hundred dollars of paper work and two trips to Brazil for me to get everything set so she was home in the 90 days. Now comes this turd who parents were not paying taxes for his education and since he finished at top of his class college was probably even free. I have a question are the going to refund me all the money for the plane trips and paper work I did plus the interest all those years ago to do what was right?
What is really a joke about the whole thing is saying it is civil rights. Civil meaning citizen. He has no rights here and he should be deported. If he had any moral ok as a child he wqas illeaglly brought here. When he was a teen he didn't say anything to anyone about his illegal parents still not saying anythng. He is suppose to be a lawyer and that means upholding the laws of this country why isn't he leaving and doing whats right and getting his sorry parents out with him. I noticed no one even is mentioning they are still here and still breaking the law. I live in Alabam and we passed strong laws the U.S. doesn't like Guess what, Alabama unemployement rate is 1% below the national average. Before the laws all you saw were mexicians building houses well now it is white and black guys that were born here. Sure the contractor wants to hire them pay cash and no taxes. The poultry people said they would never find workers but filled 125 jobs in one day after they got rid of the illegals.
My family goes back before there was a U.S> We have been here before 1750 and I jumped thru the hoop to get my wife here. He just wants everything that this country has handed to him keep handing. I got no use for him and his family. They all need to be deported. He has been knowly breaking the law for 7 or 8 years. He might make a good lawyer since he knows how to break the law and get awa with it. The woan that wrote all the religious crap. Will Christ said render unto God what is God's and render unto to Caeser what is Caeser. It means you have to give the state its dues too. This illegals do not.
FINALLY!
Someone admits it!
Not only is he a legal human being, he was created in the image of God, and endowed by his Creator with certain "unalienable" rights, among them Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
The Pursuit of Happiness means nothing unless it means working at ones chosen profession and enjoying the fruits of ones own labors.
Various commonsense.... bullsh!t
No, he happened to have the wrong skin color and couldn't afford it. It's called reverse discrimination.
Godwin's Law. Marked for being inflammatory and slanderous.
Commonsense...the bible also clearly states that you need to follow the law of the land as well. These physicians and engineers you are referring to are not here illegally.
commonsense has no common sense. Its a waste of time explaining something to someone who doesnt have the common sense to understand it.
Just coming to this country illegally and raping the legal american tax payer of all the free tax dollars these illegals get, which includes his free public education and most likely free public housing, food stamps and can't forget the free medical they got and are still getting off our backs, isn't enough for this or any other illegal. Now they want to be here legally illegal and get a job as a lawyer. What the hell is happening in this country!?
What bothers me is that the court will probably let him get his license and practice law here. When in fact the ICE now knows where an illeagl is and should just go arrest and deport him before his case makes it to the court room. That would make a statement!!!
I think it's time that we legal americans start taking a stand and doing like the illegals and liberals do and start marching on washington and rallying like they do. It's also time to stop being affraid of being called racists. It's just a word that has been so over used it has lost it's meanng and means nothing anymore. It's just a tool they use because they know we will not want to be seen as such. Which most of us aren't anyway.
He's an illegal alien who's going back, in spite of your ridiculous hyperbole
Good. Then he can lawyer up down in Meh-kk-ko and share the fruits of his own labor down there.
@commonsense
Are you still arguing that being in the country illegally isn't illegal?!
Title 8 USC S/S 1325 (a)
You have to have permission to be in the US.
You can't enter the US except through an official port of entry, where you are to be inspected and admitted by permission only with proper documentation.
you have one fatal flaw in all your dialog here.
YOU keep referring to this guy as an AMERICAN and the rights of AMERICANS .......HE IS NOT AN AMERICAN. so stop with all the comparisons to AMERICANS.
Well he certainly doesn't seem to be changing any minds around here. But I'm having fun with him all the same.
Who knows, he might even be illegal himself which may explain his rigorous defense here.
commonsense whaat do you mean he is a legal human bean?
being sorry
Oh I've been called that many times. It's the only thing they have left since they can't argue anything else.
He couldn't take the oath of admission to the bar anyhow.
How can yo affirm that you will support and defend the Constitution when you are not a legal citizen? How do you plan on bearing true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of our country when you have no claim to citizenship?
I appreciate that this gentleman has worked his way up. He's educated (and God knows, the USA can use a few more of those type of people based off of some of the comments on this and other boards). He seems to be of good moral character and hard working.
That doesn't excuse the fact that he's here illegally.
I'm angry about this whole discussion for multiple reasons. My Grandmother was originally from Poland. When Hitler invaded, she was thrown into a prison camp in and was - blessedly - one of the too few who managed to survive and escape. She came to America and was so very proud of her citizenship status. For her, citizenship meant something more than just "living here" and "being able to scrabble together a decent life".
When I hear about "illegal immigrants" here, it makes me mad. To hear these "illegal immigrants" talk, citizenship is something they have a right to by the very nature of "being here". My Grandmother would tell you that citizenship was a privlege and a responsibility. The entitlement mentality of illegals is part of the reason I find their desires odious.
But I digress. Back to the story. It's heartwarming. I'm very glad for this young man.
When he shows up, he needs to be escorted to a plane and sent back to his country of origin along with the paperwork necessary to be admitted as a citizen. If he doesn't want to do that - or is too good to go through that process, he has the education necessary to be an attorney is his country of origin.
The fact that Florida is even considering admitting this gentleman makes me absolutely furious.
BOTTOMLINE: In any other country there wouldn't even be a debate!!!! YOu would be required to apply for citizenship. SO why the melodrama? There is no principle of the matter. Citizens need to be legally documented regardless of where they were born. It isn't different in any other country so why should the US be an exception? We are supposed to be a melting pot, so why are we accepting the fact that ONE race and ONE nationality is being catered to over another??? That isn't fair and equal either!!!
If this were a refugee from Africa we would be helping him fast track his citizenship, not trying to change the laws to suit his agenda. People from Central and South American shouldn't have special treatment. PERIOD!
Tired of Stupidity-946705
He couldn't take the oath of admission to the bar anyhow.
Exactly Lolly! No one is affording Americans the right to go to any country we want and work. We have to abide by the laws of the country we want to work in.
Even employees who are placed on assignment by their company to work for the (same) company in another country have to apply for a Visa. Even if you travel often to another country on business, and that business goes beyond meetings into real, actual work, you risk running afoul of immigration laws in some countries. And, believe me, that foreign country will stick it to you as soon as they can - and there won't be any debate whatsoever about it.
Why other foreign nationals expect the U.S. to be more lenient than 99% of the countries out there is beyond me.
lolly
thank you for boiling all this down to the truth.
To be an American citizen you are born here of legal citizens or you go to the process by our laws to become a citizen.
BTW this guy is just rubbing it in our faces!
JAIL HIM and DEPORT
Actually, it has a lot to do with NAZI Germany.
Arizona SB 1070 and Alabama HB 56 (two of the more egregious and unConstitutional anti-immigrant and Latino persecution 'laws') were both written by KKKurt KKKobach while he was in the employ of F.A.I.R., and organization founded by NAZI admirer, John Tanton. John Tanton has written publicly that he wants the United States to adopt the same "genetics policies" (his words, not mine) as NAZI Germany, beginning with immigration. That is why he founded F.A.I.R. and why in its early days F.A.I.R was partly funded by neo-NAZI organizations in the United States.
SB 1070 was then introduced to the Arizona Senate by Russell Pearce, who won his seat (he has since be recalled) by actively campaigning arm-in-arm with neo-NAZI J. T. Ready. And now, bands of neo-NAZIs armed with assault weapons patrol the Arizona desert wearing swastikas and hoping for immigrant prey.
Nearly every single one of the anti-immigrant talking points spelled out above can be traced back to one of the organizations founded by NAZI-admirer John Tanton.
In the 1930s, the NAZIs passed laws that 'legally' defined Jews as 'illegals'. Then they passed 'laws' making it 'illegal' for Jews to work for a living. Then they passed 'laws' making it 'illegal' to hire Jews. Then they passed 'laws' making it 'illegal' for Jews to obtain an education. Or to live among 'citizens'. Then they built prisons to detain the Jews prior to deportation. *(Arizona has an exclusive contract with the Corrections Corporation to build, maintain, staff, and operate all prisons used to house immigrants pending deporation proceedings in Arizona). Finally, someone said, "wouldn't it be cheaper to kill them all at once rather than deport them?"
Does anybody know if his parents have been deported yet? Since he came forward, it seems reasonable to assume that INS must now know who and where they are......
Because the libtards have made it that way, that's why. It's not enough for little brown people to be treated equally. They have to be treated specially. They have to have special rights and all you majority little white people are supposed to be on some kind of little white guilt trip because of something your little white ancestors did 150 years ago.
Well as far as I'm concerned, two wrongs do not make a right. They never have and they never will.
jim-359951, you're suspended for a week for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
...
sez me u whacko, you're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
audenc, I applaud you on knowing your stuff. It takes me a lot of reading to find the laws and codes to find where you come up with the clauses that prevent citizenship (although I finally did find them). I agree, there should be a path for citizenship for someone in this situation, but the way he is going about it is not the way. Although, this could cause legislation to be put into motion to help people like him.
Oh, how very virtuous of you.
I hope that process wasn't too much of a strain on you.
So this kid's 'crime' is that he didn't choose the right parents.
No wonder you hate him.
Sad. You really are desperate, aren't you.
The only thing left for you now is to call everybody who doesn't agree with you a nazi. What are you waiting for? I'm sure they'll all feel bad and go on a perpetual guilt trip about themselves because you said that.
lol... :D
I don't hate the guy. He just needs to stand in line like everybody else.
You're not gonna break down in tears over this conversation, are you?
more lol...
This problem of illegals flooding the country has been happening for so long now that problem has become so enormous and such a hot button topic, the government wants to do what it does best in regard to the situation, which is nothing. As a nation, we'd be better served to round up as many of these illegals as possible and give them a one way ride out of the country. With these people, if you give them an inch, they take a mile. Many years ago, I worked for a subcontractor to what was then known as the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization. Part of the job was to input data from visas and other documents about the status of those who had been granted visas to enter the country. The enormous amount of people who had "overstayed" their alotted timeframe or whose whereabouts were "unknown" was simply staggering. And I'm talking the early 1980's. It was astounding to us working there that this type of thing was happening and in such numbers. We were a small contingent of workers in that particular job---maybe 20 of us or so but each of us handled hundreds of documents per day. I should point out that these documents comprised an approximate 10-15 year timeframe. And mind you, these were only the people who had been granted visas! Our elected officials should have made that a priority then as it isn't likely that they did not know what was happening. The gates were left wide open and the criminals came right on in. I consider myself to be a liberal democrat , then and now, so I gues I am a minority faction of my chosen party when I say that these criminals must be sent packing. The world is a far, far different place than it was, even in the relatively short span of time since I worked that job described previously. Illegals are a very serious threat to the country in many ways. What kind of country is this that lets criminals (by circumventing the laws of the country) come here and attempt to exert their will on the citizens? We need to stop this nonsense of letting these people come here to have babies, why are they getting medical treatment when millions of American citizens go without? I would like to see as many as possible, rounded up and sent back to wherever! I'd be more than willing and happy to contribute monetarily for such a thing to happen. All you have to do is look to California, Arizona and south Florida to see what is in store for the rest of the nation if this nonsense isn't stopped. Since the elected officials will not act, I suppose the concerned citizens will need to to so. Soon, the illegals will have more rights than actual citizens. And don't think they don't know it!
Another comment thread where I'm constantly amazed how little people know about their own immigration laws.
If he leaves, he will be banned from re-entry for ten years because of the massive overstay of his visa. Even then, he has to still get a waiver to get back in, and even if he got the waiver, there has to be some sort of immigration category that he qualifies for, which from the sounds of it he doesn't, although possibly he could get TN-2 if he became a lawyer.
Basically if he leaves, he can't get back in again in a nutshell.
This "they should do it legally" argument is totally bogus because there is pretty much no legal way of doing it, if there were they would be doing it legally!
Look at the DHS yearbook for who is granted permanent residency - about a million a year, of which 691,000 get it through marriage to a US citizen or having a relative who is a US citizen who sponsors them. Only 148,000 get it through employment, and that is not easy to qualify for. (The rest are mainly the diversity lottery which Mexicans never qualify for or refugees, once again Mexicans are excluded).
By comparison, Canada with 1/9th the population lets in about 160,000 people per annum as permanent residents who got it through employment. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/facts2011-preliminary/01.asp
Yes, in total numbers Canada lets in more people for employment-based reasons than the US does, forget about per capita!
This thread is disturbing. Especially regarding the lack of common sense. A law is what it is. Anything contrary to it is breaking it. How more simple can it get? If you can refer to yourself as an "illegal" you are apparently breaking some sort of law and therefore a criminal. When did it become fashionable to support criminals?
Everyone that says he had no choice because he was brought here illegally as a child really needs to wake up. The guy went to school and obviously is intelligent enough to know who to research and find a way to accomplish his goals. Why is it that becoming a legal citizen was never one of them? People choose to remain illegal, they choose to enter our country illegally, so there should be accountability for everyone's actions or else what is the point of having any laws if they wont ever be enforced everytime someone has some touching story behind "Why" they committed a crime. Most criminals are the way they are because of some touching story that reveals it was not really thier fault if you back track enough, (touched as a child, abused, ignored, you name it) but does that excuse the crime they eventually commit? If a man breaks into my house and kidnaps my child and later some doctor reveals it was because he was abused as a child or couldn't have kids of his own am I going to sit down and forgive the crime he committed? Of course not but, the trend in this country is for all these people to ignore laws that are in place for a reason every time someone cries about the reason why. Where are we headed people?
Thank God that MY parents and grandparents had the class to accept YOUR grandmother as an equal and welcome her to America (even though she was officially categorized as "illegal" in her home country).
Had those who welcomed her been like YOU, your grandmother would have been shipped back to the Nazis, and you would never have been born.
Your anti-immigrant stance is a disgrace to your grandmother's memory. You should be proud of HER and ashamed of yourself.
commonsense::: Wait a minute there! You said something about "other Americans"? His parents are wetbacks. He has lived here for 16 years and taken advantage of schooling in this country. Why the dingdang hasn't he become an American citizen? Maybe he feels like he is better than others in the same situation. Well, he ISN'T. Ship him bsck to the country of his birth and let him do it the right way.
Other people do it the right way-- and he's no better than they are.
And if you tried the same thing now, it would cost thousands of dollars and might take up to 10 years.
Seriously, do you think you should HAVE to have the permission of the federal government to marry someone? Have a child?
Whatever happened to the Land of the Free?
And how is the stupidity you had to go through the fault of this kid? Why should he be punished?
Because it's not allowed. Pay attention.
It SHOULD be allowed, but it's not.
What really surprises me is why you use sugarcoated words like 'dingdong' when at the same time you use really horrible and vile language to describe human beings who are among God's own creations.
By the way, plug for Hostess, Ding Dongs are very tasty.
commonsense...., you're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor. Lumping someone with Hitler because they disagree with you is bad discussion.
commonsense, I find one thing about your posts very comforting...
... From the low number of votes you get compared to everybody else, I'm fairly confident that means that only a few people believe your wrong headed ideas.
This guy KNOWS hes here illegally, i'd like to see his actual tests from his Ethics Class. Just How did he pass that class?
Susie,
Perhaps a little less offensive term would be more appropriate........
Wonder what he'll do with his law degree if our government decides illegally legalize him ?
It is the duty of an attorney to do all of the following:
(a) To support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state.
That's the first line of the oath he will have to recite if he wants to become a real American Lawyer. I know he came here, not by choice, but he was educated enough to know the difference between being an illegal alien and an immigrant working to become a US citizen. He was placed into to the public education system, by his parents, and they knowingly broke the laws. He continued his education with the same law breaking papers that his parents had purchased for him. How else did he apply for scholarships, gain entrance into a law school, get a drivers license, and so on and so forth, if not for fake papers? An American woman getting married cannot legally change her name unless she shows her birth certificate, marriage license, old ss card, drivers license and sometimes medical records without the proper paperwork. An American citizen cannot legally enroll their child into school without proper documentation of said child. Try enrolling your American teen into college and marvel at the paperwork of proof that you must have to satisfy the school. If you know anyone from India/Canada/Brittan or anywhere else that is here on a school Visa, they will tell you the degree of difficulty to get one and keep it. Yet, they do get one.
As for certain people on here comparing this story to the plight of the Jews, or arrogantly tossing around the Native Americans being real Americans and how the rest of the people born here are not really American. Well, both of these arguments are ridiculous and rather disturbing.
First, whenever an poster is losing a battle, he will automatically cite the Nazi/Hitler reference, this is done to bring guilt, shame, and certainly to belittle the other side of the argument into submission. Of course, the argument in question is not about Hitler/Jews/Nazi's or even Germany, so it does not apply. Certainly, no one (in America) is rounding up Mexicans and placing them in camps or ovens. Mexico's plight is due to their own government corruption, and their self created home-bred gangsters, maybe the Mexican government should allow it's lawful citizens to carry guns to fight the thugs and the corrupt cops.
Second, as a Native American, I do not harbor any resentment towards white, black, brown, yellow, or any other shade of skin colored people for coming to America and having children in America. This is the way the world works, nothing lasts forever, and we (Native Americans) knew you were all coming before you even sailed over here. It was only a matter of time. We weren't doing much anyway, and some of my relatives love, love, love, their casino money on the reservation land in Arizona. The 'nature loving/loin cloth wearing/hunting' romantic Native American hasn't been around for years. We are just like normal Americans now, indeed mixed with other cultures and even typing on a computer. Imagine that, I'm not living in a mud house grinding corn. I now give non Native Americans premission to stop feeling guilty about something that went down many many years ago. Feel better? Of course, if you really feel bad, you can always send me a check or paypal me. ;)
So, here is my question: How exactly did this guy get by the rigorous burden of proof required to just attend school and live in America out in the open? There is more to this story than the media is feeding us. This is certainly a propaganda piece. Behind every "Oz" story, there is certainly a little man behind the curtain. When you discover the little man, you'll uncover the truth as to why this is making headlines.
Oh, and commonsense, I feel that you protest WAY WAY TO MUCH...what's really got you spiting fire water over this? Are you the young man in question? Or related to him in some way? Are you in America without proper paperwork? I'm thinking you have more than a tomahawk to grind by the tone of your posts.
Thank you Tyler! Bout time to shut him down, tired of his inuendo about Nazis and so on.
Florida's State Bar Oath:
I do solemnly swear:
I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida;
I will maintain the respect due to courts of justice and judicial officers;
I will not counsel or maintain any suit or proceedings which shall appear to me to be unjust, nor any defense except such as I believe to be honestly debatable under the law of the land;
I will employ for the purpose of maintaining the causes confided to me such means only as are consistent with truth and honor, and will never seek to mislead the judge or jury by any artifice or false statement of fact or law;
I will maintain the confidence and preserve inviolate the secrets of my clients, and will accept no compensation in connection with their business except from them or with their knowledge and approval;
I will abstain from all offensive personality and advance no fact prejudicial to the honor or reputation of a party or witness, unless required by the justice of the cause with which I am charged;
I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed, or delay anyone's cause for lucre or malice.
So help me God."
Although it is true that overstaying a visa is not a criminal offense it is a civil offense. If you overstay your visa for more than 180 days you will face removal proceedings to be deported from the United States. Additionally, if if you overstay for one year or greater you will be inadmissible for ten years.
Lets get the facts right ,Almost all American citizens are immigrant excepts the Native Red Indians.
Political affection has cause alots blaming on these people,the lations,black,chinese etc..
Did any of you realized that we have many foreign-born,local born,currently serving in US MILITARY that are not American citizens.They fought and died for the Country while you jerks sitting in front of computer calling them "Illegal Aliens" .
Its nice of you people calling these warriors, illegal aliens.My Advice, did take a look on mirror yourself !
"Jerks" think they come from the Moon? Who do you' think you're?
unless You feels the warrant of having the image of the elephant nose is the must
This is United States of America...god damn!
LIBBIES don't see anything wrong with crossing into and staying here illegally !!!
Commonsense is the worlds biggest troll.
Seriously, A person posts a list of immigration laws and you attack the one about transportation? Really?
He is a human being. He is howeverer residing in the US illegally. Why has he not been deported? If I went out in the street tomorrow and did a line of cocaine on TV I would be arrested. Why the double standard?
That what is the problem" LIES" with red-neck conservative when they can't argue the facts !
Hey Jack... Native American Indians are no more native than any European.. they migrated here like everyone else.
I don' think that it would be illegal to certify this gentleman as having the ability and chatacter to practice law in the State of Florida and this should be done since he is obviously qualified. I do think he would have a hard time deriving income from that practice without he or others running afoul of the law.
If the gentleman is not an American then tell me who he is, he certainly isn't a Mexican, having lived in the U.S. since he was a child.
It is the lack of enforcement of our laws that has created this situation and to begin to enforce them now, with respect to this genleman, would be unjust.
Although he's violating our immigration laws, he wants to work in immigration law. Pretty ironic. Sort of like the lunatics being allowed to run the asylum.
I'd hire him, just to piss off all the nazi dip@!$%#s.
I have read some crazy comments out here and I just want to inform people of some misconceptions.
1. You don't need to Social Security # to pay taxes. The way things work is you apply for a Tax Identification Number and report your income. Millions of immigrants do this, I am not going to say they all do it, but many do. Moreover, they report their income and do not receive the same credits we do, which in essence means that they actually pay more taxes than we do.
2. They, like us pay for sales taxes, I don't think you guys have any doubts about that.
3. I understand that schools are somewhat supported from property taxes, which they also pay, because they have to live somewhere right?
4. They United States only grants visas to people with money to come here and invest, which means the only option for poor people is to do it the way they did it.
5. He is not asking to be allowed to practice law while being illegal, he wants this government to provide him with a process to become a legal resident in order to pratice law.
6. Someone mentioned that he chose not to seek citizenship from this country because he didn't want to lose his Mexican citizenship. I am of Mexican descent and most of my family have dual citizenship. Many of them have chosen to keep both of them, others only their American one, and others have chosen to keep their Mexican one only. My sister's children are American born citizens, but she chose to apply for their Mexican citizenship as well, being that she posseses both.
7. Some one also said there is another way to become a citizen, I have studied the immigration system and have not come across any other way to become a citizen, other than being rich and marrying someone who is a citizen, but I will look it up and if I find it I will let you all know.
>>can become a "legal" human being.<<
Since when is being an American the same as being human?? We passed immigration laws in this country in the middle of the 19th century, as there was enough population at that time do be self sufficient. We did this to control the number of new entrants in order to stabilize the economic status\input of the current population. That has not changed.
Having illegals enter willy-nilly throws the ballance way off for current citizens economic needs. They should go home and do it right; then: Welcome!!
There are currently 13 million unemployed Citizens, and 12 million employed illegals. You do the math. Get rid of all illegals and we can have our employment back.
Have him get a 'Green Card' (legally), and I'm fine with it, but until then, how can he claim to 'represent' the law when he's breaking it?
commonsense.... "He broke immigration law.............Which one?"
You're joking, right? Didn't he admit that he entered the country illegally? Isn't that what this case is all about?
I think you are not reading the news. His family entered legally but they overstayed their visas and that's immigration violation. Entering illegally is different that over staying their legal visit of this country. Read your immigration law to overcome your ignorance.
Um, once you lose that legal status, you are "illegal". No matter if you got here on a plane, train, or crawled.
He overstayed his visa for more than 180 days he faces removal proceedings to be deported from the United States. Additionally, because he overstayed for greater thann a year that he is inadmissible for ten years. But you know that Mr Obama and Janet Napolitano will give him a pass just like they did for Obama's illegal alien relatives.
Give me a break....
They aren't called ILLEGAL immigrants because they are observing all our laws. I don't understand why he isn't in jail and getting deported as we speak.
@Dex...absolutely....he is nothing more than an educated ILLEGAL....and does not DESERVE any special teatment.
“It makes me feel that we’re living in a … historical moment. I really think the last time something like this happened was when African Americans and women were admitted to the bar,” he told msnbc.com. “I think if we win this, it’ll be another historical civil rights mark.”
WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!! This is not a historical moment and it is offensive to compare this to the civil rights and women's rights movements! This is a man who has accomplished quite a bit and I can respect that, but he is still an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. He should be deported IMMEDIATELY! If he wants to practice law in the US he should apply for citizenship legally. I am sure the fact that he is educated and wants to practice law could certainly help him gain citizenship as it shows he will be a contributing member of society.
How can anyone respect a lawyer who is continuously breaking the law himself!?
It's not another "historical civill rights mark." African Americans and women were here LEGALLY; this man is in the country ILLEGALLY. He has the civil right to obtain his citizenship legally. I agree with the other poster, he's had ample opportunity to become a legal citizen.
At this rate we may as well unlock every prison cell and release every inmate, because the laws of this country aren't meant to be followed.
I wish this hard-working, dedicated and accomplished young man great success in his life. But as a member of the "legal community" he should be getting his citizenship and making things right and set an example for the rest of the illegal immigrants.
it's One in Ten Million here..he made it thru the Curly Gates undetected, Now, he may get; That License To Steal !!!..Nothing Surprises Me anymore, The Law may not be the Devil, but the Devil can be in Law !!!..i definitely witnessed that, many Times Over in Life and i'm sure many have........
He has already broken the RULES and breached the ethics necessary for one to be a lawyer for he has failed to comply with the citizenship laws of this nation by failing to gain legal status as a citizen.
Hence he is not fit to be a lawyer in this nation UNTIL HE GAINS LEGAL CITIZENSHIP like many have before him! He cannot represent the law when he himself is here illegally.
BTW: Colorado Legislature this is partially why so many are against lower college tuition for illegal immigrants and their children. They may be educated by our tax dollars but they are still here illegally and hence will not be able to get a job! Hence a waste of governmental funds that would be better spent on helping all American students gain access to college afford-ably!
While I appreciate the legal immigration process is long, I cannot believe that somewhere along the line, while he was doing so well in high school, then accepted to law school, SOMEONE did not think about getting his immigration status sorted out. I would bet my car payment this man thought about it more than once. Difficult? Of course, but if you are such a standout, long process though it may be, do it while you are enjoying the educational benefits of being here. I know at one time the applications to law school had categories for citizenship, where born, when, etc. It's not discriminatory, it's just the application. Did he lie on this area? If he is allowed to practice law, while breaking it for decades, shame shame on the Courts. He is here illegally, and cannot be allowed to protect the law while breaking it. This ain't rocket science.... This is nothing more than an end-run around the law under the guise of "well, I passed the bar and am a lawyer." Phooey
If an illegal immigrant has an IQ of 140 and becomes a brain surgeon, is it in our best interest to lose a talented doctor because of a technicality he had no control over?
It really says a lot about a society when we're more concerned about someone's legal immigration status than their potential to contribute to society. We have nothing to gain and everything to lose by preventing illegal immigrants from climbing up the rungs of society. What's more important to you- your moral sense of fairness or gaining a brain surgeon, a lawyer, a physicist, etc.? I would be ecstatic if every illegal immigrant had the intelligence, potential, and drive to contribute to society like this guy. To hinder the ones that do senseless.
These illegals are CONSTANTLY trying to link their activities to the civil rights movement in this country. I'm black, I am a citizen as were my parents and grandparents and I am damned sick and tired of these illegal aliens pretending there is a correlation between them being here illegally and a legitimate right to claim civil rights. It is specious, disingenuous and disgusting! The telling point is, the criminals do not even have a leg of their own to stand on, they have to glom onto a legitimate claim in order to make theirs seem as valid. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what is known as a PARASITE. Do you understand what happens if parasites are allowed to infect and fester. If you don't, you will soon.
Noah R.... that he is a qualified attorney is not the issue, in the least little bit. It's his immigration status. Obviously, having more qualified professionals is great, but the whole point is he is an attorney for crying out loud, rolling along illegally and then does an OOPS, I am illegal but passed the bar. This is wrong on so many levels I cannot begin to list them. If this man is granted citizenship because he passed the bar, but made NO attempt to legitimize his status in the last 18 years, you will see a mass upheavel of those who are as opposed to this scenario as I am. He is, as Sandie above points out, a criminal. A criminal who is now fighting to be a noncriminal because he passed the bar. Priceless.
Noah,
Then by your own argument, can we send back the ones causing criminal mischief, sitting in jail cells for murder and rape, or have IQ's less than 75? We really don't need them anyway. Maybe we should set-up an exchange program with other countries, their smart ones (that want to come here), for their dumb ones (that we have locked up).
The current administration wouldn't hear of deporting him- probably pay off his school loans and give him keys to a new house and car
President Obama infact DEPORTED many those illegal boarder crossing !We are now discussing about those already are born and raise in USA for many Years still withoot green card,infact,they could have stay here much longer than any of those idot commenters here.
Learn to impart the knowledge first,then read the Line of argument,before spit anyword !
Thats why "NEVER" over estimated the Power Stupidity at the Poll.
Lesson learned.
I especially liked the article pointing out that "he and his family came on a tourist visa and "overstayed." I mean, REALLY! Overstayed as if they all were here an extra 2 or 3 weeks!! They, like many other illegals, took advantage of the civility of this country by obtaining a visa under false pretenses as they knew very well that they were never going back to whatever hole they came from. Parasites, the lot of them!
Neither legal or illegal immigrants are qualified for school loans.. so your post has no value.
Jack,
No. If they were born here they are citizens and there is nothing to discuss.
First and foremost for all of the ignorant around here is, U.S. citizenship is not handed by this country just like a hot pancake to anyone, period. Secondly, most of you who are citizens in this country never take a second and study your own immigration law. Then, you just blurt out your opinion which are full of ignorance. Any illegal who would go out and return to their country of origin cannot just simply apply in the U.S. Embassy a visa or whatever to get back inside this country. There is a 10 year moratorium of any foreigners’ right to ask for even a visa to visit the United State of America again, if a previous immigration violation of any form has been committed like this one. Just like his parent’s case that they come over here legally and overstayed their visas. Does all of you out here are aware of that? I bet no
one knows about it and noe one also understand the hardship for any illegal who will follow your
advises. Then, most of you are suggesting for him to return to Mexico and ask for his citizenship. Are you nuts? It can’t and will never happen because that’s what your country’s immigration law is all about. He will lose all and any available form of immigration benefits afforded to any foreigners in this country. He has a better chance of fighting his legality while he is here inside the country. Again, because that is written under your constitution and your own immigration law it is not a criminal or civil case either. It is an immigration violation and again for your information ignorant; your own country spent your tax money to create an immigration court with tax paid immigration judge to administer each individual case. This is a bench case no jury at all. The only difference against criminal cases is according to your country’s constitution if a suspect cannot afford a lawyer the court will appoint one. Which is the public defender paid by your tax money., In this case any illegal are not given the same rights. It is the sole responsibility of an illegal to hire its own legal representation and pay for it. It is a must also that it is an immigration lawyer not a criminal or civil lawyer. Since, this is not a criminal or civil case or violations, clear? If you are an illegal and you will present to the immigration judge a criminal or civil lawyer it will be
thrown out of the court. They don’t have a space or business in the immigration court, do you understand ignorant citizen? Hopefully, you get something better now instead of just made a conclusion without basis. Hellooooo!
He is guilty of a crime. he is in the USA illegaly. NO he cannot be a lawyer in this country. DEPORT
No. Hell no. Never. Establish a way for the children of illegals to become citizens, then become a lawyer. I realize the lefties want this sort of thing to encourage love and understanding and inclusion, but establish this kind of precedent and soon the border might as well not exist.
Ever hear of the DREAM ACT? Something you conservatives voted down.... Just the usual case of blame the left for not having, yet voting down the very thing that would have solved this situation... pathetic
@Neal in Denver - I'm a leftie but I very much agree with your sentence "Establish a way for the children of illegals to become citizens, then become a lawyer" . Here in California, a watered-down Dream Act was passed so that the children of undocumenteds can pay in-state tuition and apply for financial aid. My thinking is that process is backwards...what happens to these highly educated (and probably highly in-debt) indivduals when they graduate university and cannot get a position? This story highlights what I've been thinking all along.
The US needs to pass the Dream Act - the kids affected will have to have graduated from high school and spent two years, either in college or the armed forces. It isn't as if all the disenfranchised gang-bangers that usually come to mind are going to be given blanket amnesty. These individuals will have earned the right to a path for legal status.
Sam...not a "conservative", but don't adree with the Dream Act. There are librals out there who were against it and conservatives who were for it. So stop trying to pit one side against another.
And please let me know how you know what someone's political associations are based solely on a public post.
Eric60watts. I will you should be deported instead. it was wrong to give you the legal right to stay in this country. I am 100% positive that this illegal immigrant will be a much better citizen than you. Shouldn't you be working instead of giving legal advice ???? people like you are a waste and it costing our society billions in waste wages.
the guy passed the bar exam and you people are giving legal advice as to which laws and what ways he should have gone to gain citizenship ??? if there was a legal and right way for him to get the green card, he would have done it. He and other millions of illegal immigrants are not that stupid but the options do not favor them in any way.
why don't you people admit that you are threatened by illegal immigrants? you are threatened by people who work hard because you like to be a lazy a.... and now you are threatened because most immigrants are finishing colleges. this is the land of the free?
To those of you who keep touting the so-called "Dream Act" as the solution to this problem, when I first HEARD of the Dream Act, I thought it made sense. Of course, no one, in pushing for the Dream Act, EVER mentions all the little "bombs'' included in it, which is what makes it anathema to me--NAMELY that the Dream Act not ONLY allows kids brought here illegally to get IN-STATE tuition (which NONE of MY kids were allowed, even though all THREE attended schools out of our home state, and all THREE had to pay out-or-state fees.
Nope, HIDDEN in the agenda of the "Dream Act" is the fact that it says that anyone who even APPLIES and is accepted to it CANNOT be deported, no matter WHAT they do. It allows their PARENTS (the POS's who PUT those kids into the position they are in) to STAY here. It allows the "dream" kids, who are supposedly such an asset, and who supposedly have FLUENCY in English, FOUR YEARS to complete two years of College, and it gives them a green card--which enables them to compete with AMERICANS for jobs, which the 'dream' kid will win, since THEY don't have to go to school full time.
Also hidden is the provision that a "dream" *KID* can be up to 29 years old, and STILL get all that. NEVER MIND that they have been an ADULT for over a third of their lives, and still violating the law. (And if they are 29 years old, unless they are the biggest slugs out there, they have been working illegally somewhere.)
So--nope, NO Dream Act.
Now, if someone would like to pass some law that would allow the child of an illegal who was brought here as a minor, to, upon graduation, APPLY (with reasonable criteria being met, such as grades and no criminal record (not even Juvie) for a VISA, SEPARATE from their parents, which would enable them to, in the same time frame as a LEGAL immigrant here is required to take, apply for citizenship, then I might be in favor of that.
BUT--and this is a BIG "but"--NOT if it allows the kid's parents to stay here OR to ever legally apply for citizenship without going back to their home country, applying for LEGAL immigration (WITH the 10 year waiting period.) And the 'dream kid' would NOT be able to 'sponsor' any other person to come/stay here either, not even siblings, who should ALSO know that they alone can EARN that status.
But of course, the pro-illegal folks don't really want the 'Dream Act' for just the Dream kids--they want it because in its current state, it provides AMNESTY to a huge group of illegals, whose careless disregard for their children AS WELL AS US LAW is what got them into this situation in the first place.
One would think that before an individual could become an immigration lawyer, he would first have to learn how to immigrate legally into this country.
So sad to see the extinction of common sense...
First and foremost for all of the ignorant around here is, U.S. ctizenship is not handed by this country just like a hot pancake to anyone,
period. Secondly, most of you who are citizens in this country never take a second and study your own immigration law. Then, you just blurt out your opinion which are full of ignorance. Any illegal who would go out and return to their country of origin cannot just simply apply in the U.S. Embassy a visa or whatever form to get back inside this country. There is a 10 year moratorium of any foreigners’ right to ask for even a visa to visit the United State of America again, if a previous imigration violation of any form has been committed like this one. Just like his parent’s case that they come over here legally and overstayed their visas. Does all of you out here are aware of that? I bet no one knows about it and no one also understand the hardship they will be facing for any illegal who will follow your advises. Then, most of you are suggesting for him is to return to Mexico and ask for his citizenship. Are you nuts? It can’t and will never happen because that’s what your country’s immigration law is all about. He will lose all and any available form of immigration benefits afforded to any foreigners in this country. He has a better chance of fighting his legality while he is here inside the country. Again, because that is written under your constitution and your own immigration law it is not a criminal or civil case either. It is an immigration violation and again for your information ignorant; your own country spent your tax money to create an immigration court with tax paid
immigration judge to administer each individual case. This is a bench case no jury at all. The only difference against criminal cases is according to your country’s constitution if a suspect cannot afford a lawyer the court will appoint one. Which is the public defender paid by your tax money. In this case any illegal are not given the same right. It is the sole responsibility of the illegal to hire its own legal representation and pay for it. It is a must also that it is an immigration lawyer not a criminal or civil lawyer. Since, this is not a criminal or civil case or violations, clear? If you are an illegal and you will present to the immigration judge a criminal or civil lawyer it will be
thrown out of the court. They don’t have a space or business in the immigration court, do you understand ignorant citizen? Hopefully, you get something better. By the way, the contributor here who is stating immigration law is right on that one. But claiming about felony I don't know where was that idea come from. If it is a felony it will be tried in a criminal court, period. What's the use of immigration court if he is right? He is dead wrong!
now instead of just made a conclusion without basis. Hellooooo!
I thought illegal immigrants were only taking the jobs that Americans don't want to do.
He probably doesn't understand the legalities of applying for citizenship.
Maybe he should take a few legal courses in common sense, so he might be able to understand what's required of him, apparently college hasn't helped him yet.
It is a good thing that he is unafraid, so he can put on a brave face when he's deported !
Why can't he just become a legal US citizen, rather than continuing to live illegally?
Like it or not laws exist and nobody is above the law. Why to give him a reward with a something so valuable like American citizenship , everybody have to go through a process that takes at least 10 years, 5 years waiting abroad and 5 years as a legal immigrant to apply to citizenship. If he don't like this process and he preffer jump over the fence, when are thousand of legel inmigrats waiting in their country to come here legally and work hard or go to college and be citizens also. That is wrong.
He got his education at the tax payers expense. He is here illegally plain and simple. Go back to your country and enter the USA legally. The illegals are a DRAIN on society.
I agree that he should go through proper channels to become a legal US citizen, but if you read the article, it states his education was funded through PRIVATE scholarships and working where he could. What tax payer funds were involved?
How did he get his education at tax payers expense? The article states that he received private scholarships. He might have arrived illegally with his parents at age 9, but now there is no process for him to become legal in this country. We need to define a way that these children can become productive citizens.
I still have a problem with that. I'm assuming, hopefully correctly, that at least some of the private scholarships were open to everyone. This means that honest, American Citizens, were denied access to a scholarship over an illegal immigrant. That isn't right at all.
Like DJ has said, his college was paid through Private Scholarships, not tax payers money. Even though he is here illegally, it is sad to see illegals try to excel more than their legal counterparts in life. Maybe we should trade all our lazy people for those that want to excel in life. If we do that, this country will be a better place.
"How did he get his education at tax payers expense?" -- Wellll, if he went to public schools prior to college, who do you think paid for those grammar school, middle school, and high school years? I'll give you a hint .... TAXPAYERS, that's who!
Apparently, this young man didn't pay attention during his law school classes. He missed the definitions of ILLEGAL and CRIMINAL.
Would that depend on if he went to a public elementary, Jr. High School, or High School. I mean you do know that we do pay for those institutions. Or maybe you don't then I can understand why the education crisis is so big. You are paying for something you don't know about and therefore aren't pushing for them to become better. Anyway, public schooling is more than just state college. That he got private funding for college the more power to him. Having lived abroad for most of my adult life I know that I have to honor the rules of the country I live in. I know parents will do almost anything for their kids but you know you've broken rules and somewhere along the line consequences are bound to be exacted.
I feel sorry for him because most of the problem comes from irresponsibility on the parents part. They didn't seem to make any plans for his return. If he wants to come over legally he needs to fill out the forms, go through the process like everyone else. He might not get in but that is this country's right to accept or denied entry. Anyway for people who think he can't find away to come in legally, all he has to do is work for an international country that wants his skill in dealing with the U.S. law system. If he was good enough to think out of the box to get funding for college he needs to keep applying that skill to get what he wants.
Which seems like it really is legal residence. "Go through the proper channels young man."
NJ Person - I happen to work in immigration law, which is why I know that the only option for Mr. Godinez would be to marry a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or to have his parents become U.S. citizens or permanent residents, since he has accumulated more than 6 months of unlawful presence (6 months triggers a 3-year bar, 1 year of unawful presence triggers a 10-year bar, waivable only through a U.S. citizen or resident spouse/parent).
Eric - he would be ineligible for a student visa because he has already been in the country unlawfully for more than 6 months.
I also want to remind everyone that while it is true that illegal aliens can attend public schools, they do not get in-state tution at colleges (with a few exceptions such as Illinois, and that law was only passed in 2011), and they cannot receive public benefits. Many of them pay taxes. They often work with other people's social security numbers.
NJ Person,
Just a thought: so now that "we" have already paid for his education, wouldn't it make more sense to make him a contributing member of society by granting him the right to work here and pay taxes? Or are we too spiteful a nation as to cut off our noses to piss off our face?
audence..."They often work with other people's social security numbers"...which is ALSO a crime. And these are the people we want here?
Oh good, another reason why we should not encourage illegal immigration. Thanks, you just hurt your own arguments. LOL, eric beat me to it.
@eric60watts and Headshaker005
I didn't say that it wasn't a crime, just that they often do pay taxes. Plus, you can file taxes without a social security number - the IRS assigns you an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Also, as recently as the 90s, it was possible to go to the Social Security Administration and get a social security number without having any legal status, allowing some people to work and pay taxes while here illegally.
That right there highlights how assinine our Government is. They encourage illegal immigrants to work here on slave wages and in poor conditions (i.e. slavery). They hurt our economy because we must fund their education and any hospital/emergency room visits all the while hurting our own citizens who need the work. You are part of the problem too audenc123 if you want to see more of the same by allowing these same individuals to be granted citizenship simply because they are here. We should be punishing their employers and deporting them back to their countries until such time they receive legal status.
E4ven if the guy got married to a US gal, that does not place him here legally!
He he wishes to be a Lawyer then he must abide by our laws and follow through and gain his legal citizenship rather than hang on to the coattails of a potential bride that could divorce him!
@Headshaker005
I agree that businesses willing to hire illegal aliens only encourage more illegal immigration, and this is something that is often overlooked. These undocumented aliens would not be here if they were not able to find work. But they get hired by everyone - small business, fast food restaurants, factories, farms, absoultely every single restaurant located in a major metropolitan area, etc. A few of them are probably pulling the wool over their employers' eyes about their legal status, but most of the time the employers are simply turning a blind eye.
I disagree, however, that the solution is to deport the 11 million illegal immigrants in this country. 90% of restaurants and factories in this country would instantly shut down. And somehow I doubt McDonalds would start paying its kitchen staff a living wage. The factories would move off-shore.
audence--your statement that many illegals pay taxes using someone else's SS #? In fact, most of the ones who FILE taxes do so in the expectation of getting money BACK at the end of the year. The only taxes they pay, for the most part, are SS and unemployment. And the SS can ONLY be claimed by THEM. I know that because, as a person who KNOWS that someone else is using my SS number, I jokingly asked the clerk in the SS office if that would increase MY benefits, and she said NO.
She Also said NO when I asked if I could request that they investigate the person using my Social, and she ALSO said no when I asked if she would tell me that person's NAME. (I was going to report them to the IRS!)
So the CRIMINAL is protected, but I am not.
That makes no sense audence. Why do we want to keep factories/restaraunts from closing down when they aren't helping the American economy to begin with. They are paying slave wages to an undocumented workforce which doesn't help the unemployment rates since that only focuses on legal residents. They may pay taxes but because they are mostly considered low income, they receive a majority of that back and then some for any children they have. If they don't own property and don't pay property tax, we're actually paying more for them to stick around because we cover any education they or their dependents receive. We pay for any medical bills they cannot cover, etc. We pay for any benefits their children receive if they are born on American soil which should have never been allowed in the first place. Bottom line, an undocumented workforce ends up costing America more than if we were to fine the companies that hire them in order to expense their one way trip back to wherever it was they legally resided. If they have children over the age of 18 who were born on American soil, they have the option of staying as residents of the US. If they have children born on American soil under the age of 18 they must either stay with a legal resident or return back to their parent's home country until they have reached the age of 18. Then they can come back to reside in the States if they so wish.
@Headshaker005 - you really think that deporting 11 million people would have no negative impact on the economy? Every meat processing plant in the state of Iowa would instantly shut down. So would many construction firms, fast food restaurants, farms, etc.
Many illegal immigrants do own homes. The rest rent - and then their landlords use that money to pay property taxes.
I agree that having milions of illegal aliens is not a good thing for the economy or the country as a whole. There is a negative impact on our (overcrowded) public schools and on our hospital system. But we disagree about how to solve the problem. We should be encouraging people like Mr. Godinez to make their lives here. He probably came from absolutely nothing and still managed to work his way through law school, something that most native-born Americans fail to accomplish. I think we need to provide people like him a path to residency.
Illegals are able to claim their children on a tax form EVEN IF THEY NEVER PAID INCOME TAX. Most of them receive a $2,000 tax refund.
Americans are stupid....this invasion won't stop as long as we give them free money, education and health care.
Get these f'ing invaders out of MY country !!!
Agreed, Jeff. Some of these scholarships ask you if you are an American citizen. What did he put down? If he said yes, he lied.
Happened to me when I was 18. Went to open a checking account for the first time and found out a guy's (I'm female) name appeared next to my ss#. My mother went bat@!$%# because on their computer system, you name automatically pops up next to your ss#. So an idiot put the ss# in, saw my name, and asked the guy if he knew me and that guy said yes. Boom! He was able to use my ss#. Didn't ask for any type of proof or anything about me. The only good thing was when this was found out, the bank I went to was on my side and actually helped me. Meantime, this guy had cost numerous people thousands of dollars (someone in Kentucky or Kansas was $40,000.00 in debt thanks to him).
I think his first steps should be to become and American citizen. He should NOT be allowed to become a lawyer until then. I applaud his hard work in school and passing the bar. However, if he was so smart does he not know he must be an American citizen first? But again he might be a great lawyer already trying to find loopholes to get his way.
Jw101, How they will do that? Do you think the tax preparer is an idiot? You can’t claim any dependents without a valid social security number. An illegal kid does not have valid social security number that’s why they are called illegal! Another ignorant here.
why not...make it a terrorist act to enter this country illegally...failure to protect our borders from a foreign invasion...impeachment charges should have been filed long ago...
Because Congress isn't THAT smart.
I believe in honest and legal immigration. My mother came over as an immigrant. Spent the years and the work to become a citizen. My father's father came over from Ireland, legally, followed the rules and laws and by doing so showed respect to the country he wanted to call home.
This man states that he is "unapologetic". Is that the sort of person we actually want to become a lawyer in our country?
I am not stating that he is not a great person, and would make great contributions to our society. However, I believe he should be subject to the same regulations that everyone else is. He should go back to his homeland and apply for worker's status from scratch. Lawyers should be there to uphold the laws of the land. It is up to the judicial system to make changes to those laws.
Go ahead, start the bashing.
I immigrated at 14 with my family, LEGALLY. I worked my ass off to learn English in two months so I could attend freshman year of high school, I have loans for undergraduate school, my masters, and law school. I got my legal citizenship at 20.
This stuff pisses me off. I'll be paying off my loans probably til my dying day, and this guy had a free ride and has the balls to complain it's not fair he's not a legal US Citizen when he has made zero effort to become one and every opportunity afforded to him is inherent to the fact he's illegal and therefore didn't have to pay a penny?
Ridiculous. So happy I went the legal way and get to foot the bill for this @!$%#.
Good for you Emanuelle, you did it the right way..the way it should be done. Yor're in America, live by America's rules.
How this guy got this far, eludes me. But if here's here illegally, he needs to get in line, and wait like everyone else does to become a citizen.
Thank you Emanuelle. I hope everyone reads your post. You did it the right way and there are other who are trying to do the same. Why should this guy jump the line? If he's so smart, he should be able to figure out how to become legal.
Emmanuelle: You are fortunate that your parents immigrated here legally. I'm sure you had no part in making that happen when you were age 14: your parents did it for you.
This guy had no way to become a citizen once his visa expired and he was out of legal status, except to return to Mexico alone as a child and apply from there.
He didn't "get a free ride", he worked hard in school, was an outstanding student and received scholarships which didn't require US citizenship. His only fault lies in choosing the wrong type of parents, while you chose the right ones. We are so proud of you for your wise choice.
My parents did it for me, so? I got my citizensihp on my own. This guy has had more than enough time to make himself legal, he hasn't. He'd rather go to court. Onus is on him, not his illegal parents.
Play a violin....we don't care. NO ONE gets to pick their parents but you can ALWAYS chose to do the right thing, such as obey laws.
Go back home and try again
....you don't belong here and you and your parents haven't earned citizenship.
Robert: He DID get a free ride. Ever heard of public school? What pays for that, do you think? TAXES THAT HE AND HIS PARENTS DON'T PAY! Even if he went to a private middle/high school, they still receive government funds!! Why do I pay taxes for an illegal immigrant to go to school?
I find it ridiculous that when my nephew was born, the only people in the hospital that day to actually pay were my brother and sister-in-law. Why? The rest were illegal immigrants!
I wonder why America is broke...?
Robert, here in Georgia on our annual property tax bills the portion of our taxes that is going to PUBLIC education is specifically listed. Personally 56% of my property taxes go to pay for public education, to which there is a large percentage of illegal immgrants in my county. Yes I have a problem with ILLEGAL immigration and fully support LEGAL immigration.
You know what! Forget the Mayan calendar! The end of the world is when someone would come to this country - legal or otherwise - and WANT to be a lawyer. Oh, my god!! My opinion is that he should be thrown out of the country for his career choice! Hey, buddy - here's some advice...NOBODY likes lawyers (not even other lawyers). Stay in the country, be a contributing citizen, but do it in a career that helps - and that is not as another lawyer. Who would fight for this? BOOOO, HIISSS. And you know what? Dont get mad at me - if you have EVER dealt with a lawyer, then you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Contribute, do good, be happy - not exactly lawyer traits BUT things that we need as a country in our citizens. Dont hate, dont fight, dont grab - yeah, lawyers arent about that. But, a democracy where we should all be allowed to live is. The fight should be about ALL of us helping this guy do something good with his life. Peace out!
My stepfather came to this country, legally, and became a U.S. citizen. A number of years ago, we tried to get his mother over here, on a medical visa, so she could see some eye doctors (she was going blind). We went through over a year of paperwork, back and forth, and money sent to the government and were denied because they didn't like the idea that my stepfather's brother would have to come with her on the flight to America (the plan was the he would come with her, to help her, and then take the next plane back to his country. He wasn't going to stay. Nor would her stay be permanent). They also did not like the other option which was my stepfather was going to travel to his country and bring her back.
Around this time, I read in the newspaper of an illegal immigrant who had a nice house, a nice job, and just recently, got laser eye surgery.
An illegal immigrant was able to get his eyes fixed, but someone who tried to come her legally was denied. Now, she is blind. Where's the justice in that?
commonsense
If he were the type of person we would want practicing law in our country he would have gone about getting citizenship before trying to practice law. He could have joined the armed forces. Lots of non citizens do and become citizens as or after they serve. THe money for him to go to college and law school and I'd bet money this is just a set funded by Laraza or some other illegal advocate group to get sympathy for illegals and get a precident in the law to help thier cause. He says he is illega and unapologetic, that says enough for me. I would not want him practicing law anywhere in our country. WE have plenty of lawyers without scruples now.
already illegals get free medical free schooling u name it they get it ....this is why everything is getting so expensive specially medical !!! they live off the system and every american pays for it .....like one mexican said on national tv why would any american go to mexico there notihing for u there and hes right...u would not get anything from their govt u cant even by land there!!!!so the same should b here !!!!
Only in America can you see such an outrageous article. So much for our sovereign nation.
Every illegal immigrant that is allowed to stay in our country is a slap in the face to all the Veterans that fought overseas while their homeland was invaded.
he should'nt be allowed to work. he damn sure should'nt be allowed to force any kind of change to our laws or system. he's an illegal alien, should he not be deported like yesterday? what the hell is this country comming to?
No different then the illegals suing the farmer in Arizona for ten million dollars who pulled a gun on them crossing his land. They sued saying their rights had been violated. Illegals sue all the time for "rights" they dont possess, and even our own govt supports the "rights" of all workers, legal and ILLegal. Shakes head....
I don't understand why all these illegals who have made themselves publicly known are not deported immediately? Politicians that allow this need to be gotten rid of.
I feel sorry for this illegal but. We know where he is, pick him up immediately and deport him. Private scholarships??? This needs to be investigated, How many private scholarships have the American Citizen been given. Can't work for compensation??? How the hell is he and his family eating, where are they sleeping. He is a MASTER CRIMINAL and has broken all our laws!!! DEPORT IMMEDIATELY. If they don't have to obey the laws of this country then neither do we!!
Why didn't INS send Obama's illegal relatives home?????
OR, at the very least, if they were not going to deport them, WHY didn't Obama pick up the cost of their living here, rather than allowing the public 'dole' to pay for them?
It figures that Florida, cesspool of the U.S. would even consider this case.
Visit Miami to get a preview of the 3rd world scum that will soon be moving into your areas. FLA was a beautiful state, now it is filled with criminal illegals that have nothing to lose. Iron bars on the windows, billboards in Spanish, the place is a s-hole.
Why do you hate the free market so much?
Why do you hate successful people? Are you a liberal who hates Mitt Romney because of his Swiss bank accounts?
This guy is a more productive citizen than you, and probably more talented as well.
Why do you conservatives hate success and the free market so much? I don't get it.
Yet, he still breaks the law. At the age of 18, he should of manned up and took responsibility for himself. You can't blame your parents after the age of 18; he knew he was illegally here.
And, no, I am not a conservative or a liberal.
Lawyer are supposed to know the law. With that said, they should KNOW BETTER when it comes to breaking a law.
RealWorldProgressive
Just a pawn for one of the illegal representative outfits that paid for him to go to school so they could try to get the law to give him a pass and start on the road to get all illegals what they want. Don't be fooled by this long term ploy by Loraza or whatever group gave him his "private scholarship". Probably the same or similar bunch that paid for Obama to go to law school where he only learned how to disragard the Constitution.
If it meant enough to him to be here - and I'm sure it does - he could always join the military and earn his citizenship that way.
Amen Cbad, JAG can always use a few good lawyers, and then the rest of his family would get priority citizenship after applying and waiting I believe 2 years.
Send him home. He can be a lawyer in Mexico. We have enough lawyers here. And who paid for his college here?? And he wants to work in Immigration Law? That means he will try to keep More Illegals in this country. Send him home.
How can the bar approve someone they know is breaking the law? No matter how we try and PC coat it, this kid is still in the U.S. illegally.
Why doesn't he try and legally register for a green card? Obviously he is not trying to hide the fact that he is here illegally.
Did the bar know of his status before they approved of him?
He should be a lawyer in Mexico.
Once again, it's great he was able to get an education and he has done well by applying himself to school.........
BUT the fact remains HE IS HERE ILLEGALLY, STOP SKIRTING THIS ISSUE WITH ALL THESE FEEL GOOD STORIES OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
HE IS HERE ILLEGALLY.
Give the same opportunities to the legal immigrants and I'm fine with that.
we continue HANDOUTS TO THESE ILLEGALS AND IT DILUTES WHAT IT REALLY MENAS TO BE AMERICAN.
You want citizenship then DO THE RIGHT THING. FOLLOW OUR LAWS.
STOP THIS CRAP.
While I agree completely with your sentiments, there is no reason to post the exact same comment twice.
What I wonder is how they can get through all that schooling without his citizen status being an issue. Kids that are citizens can't go to school if they are missing 1 required immunization, yet, this young man passed law school. How do we let it get that far in the first place? Shouldn't they be citizens to attend school? Or at least some kind of school/work visa. Sure, let him be a lawyer, AFTER he becomes a citizen. If we made it mandatory to become a citizen if you are getting any kind of government assistance or enrolling in school, this might not be a problem for the future. I am discouraged however, that non - citizens seem more entitled to services that most regular citizens can't get. Everything we do is so dang back assward that it's going to take a long time to fix.
Illegal alien? WFT Send him home
The bigots and immigrants would have us believe that this guy is barred from studying or practicing law on hereditary grounds, because his PARENTS are unacceptable to them.
A thousand years ago, a boy learned his trade at his father's knee. Before there was organized education, that was a good system. A thousand years later, we can do better.
Give the kid the same chance everyone else has!
He has already had his chance. He got a free education through high school without his parents paying a dime into the system. If he wants the same chance as everyone else, then he needs to become legal and pay the same price that everyone born in this country pays.
He admits freely that he has known of his illegal status for a long time. It took me less than 5 minutes to locate online the information needed to become a US Citizen. At the Age of 18, he could have filled out all the necessary forms and applied for US Citizenship. Instead, he applied for a waiver because he couldnt prove his immigration status. That right there is cause for concern. He cannot get a driver's livense or a social security number because he is illegal, as he states. He doesnt have a green card. But hey, who cares he is illegal. I am white, I have to prove my citizenship every time I get a new job. Just because he is Mexican, he should not be given an exemption to our laws. Why even have citizenship requirements, or immigration requirements if we are just going to give exemptions to people and allow them to work and live in this country without making them follow the immigration laws and requirements??
common what?
bigotry about the LAW? the LAW says he is here ILLEGALLY, that is a fact. it has nothing to do with hereditary grounds, unless you mean that it is a part of their heritage to skirt the law, because is seems to be a part of their culture just like pinatas and tacos.
do not jump up and call me a bigot because I make statements of fact.
lets ask the real question on everyones mind; what would mexican music be if the germans never invented polka?
Hey why not?
Here's how it works: 1) go back to Mexico, 2) apply for citizenship and finally 3) pass the bar exam and proceed to clog up the court system trying to help other illegal immigrants avoid our laws
you are rediculous. its not about some kid who worked hard to get an education. he is a foreign national who has not officially denounced his current citizenship nor tried to legally become a citizen of or country in fact he has hidden out for years and has broken our laws to achieve what he has. and now want to practice law in our country no doubt to help other foreign nationals achieve the same. this is a gov take over. what you are asking doesnt prevent 500,000 from moving here tomorrow and out vote our laws to make you illegal and put you in jail confinscate all you own and destroy the foundational system of america as we know it. he is not an american nor does he want to become one why in the hell does deserve to be here?
robbopaloobop,
What a devious mind you had...why be so mean? he was 7 years old when he came with his parents to this Country, his parents sacrifice themselves to put him true school, shame on you! and you all call yourselves Americans? The Land of opportunity for those that cannot achieve anything on their Countrys, either because of poverty, or because of they have thieves for government, why not deport those that commint real crimes? such as thieves, murders, rapists... and for decent hard working people they should get the "Green Card", do you people knows what the Green Card is???? it means they are legally in the Country, and to be a Citizen, a person must wait 5 years to appply for Naturalization. It seems to me that these people and their son, are honest, hard working people and do deserve a chance to become "Legal Immigrant", so, lets give them the "Green Card".....
Commensense, 1 question for you. Are you legal or illegal???????????????????
Commonsense,
I've had plenty Soldiers I've worked with become legal residents. There are ways for him to make it happen. He has simply chosen not to work with the system. He thinks he is better than the system. Why don't we just open our boarders then? Let everyone who wants to be in America come. Let them rob our welfare and public systems until there's nothing left for those who actually pay into them.
Honestly, don't you see that happening? Ridiculous.
he is NOT AMERICAN
Well why should a lawyer have to obey the law? That would certainly set a precedent wouldn't it...
Washington is filled with attoney's. Most of them fail to follow the laws they write. Why should we expect illegal immigrants to follow them if the law writers don't follow them either.
Hmm... I suppose he should be treated like an American in Mexico would be... All property should be confiscated, and he should be deported immediately and be barred from ever entering the country again.
We cannot grant Mexicans here any better treatment than an American would recieve in Mexico.
I don't know if being a Felon bars one from being a lawyer. Bill Clinton is a fine example, except he is still disbarred.
Why have any laws if we will not enforce them? I would say since he was here illegally he needs to pay a fine, perhaps $5000/yr will cover the taxpayers costs of having him here. Pay the fine and call it even. Otherwise DEPORT him immediately.
Why not become a legal immigrant, they work so hard to push a issue and they could be legal in less time.
And why hasn't he been deported yet? He is breaking thee law but wants to become a lawyer to protect the law????
Am I missing something here?
HDeter-more importantly, WHY is there no mention of his parent's status in the article? If ANYONE deserves to be deported it is THEM.
Excuses, excuses, excuses why the law of the land doesn't apply to "me". If certain people could have their way, we'd have an undocumented resident elected as president of the United States.
No wait? We do...
How do you know that we don't have one?. obama's lawyer Alexandra M hill admitted in the N.J./obama court hearing that obama's birth certificate is a forgery!, and said that he should be allowed to remain on the ballot becouse of his political popularity???. The judge didn't buy it, and has refered the case for trial.
I've got some fantastic beachfront condos for sale in Kansas; excellent jungle view...give me a call.
Sadley it seems this intelligent, hard working young man is caught 'in the middle'. I'm thinking to apply for citizenship, would have ment to inform on his parents, causing the risk of having all family members deported.... He chose not to. I'm conflicted as I am angry at those who chose the illegal path are now receiving many expensive services and benefits from our government... from my taxes... AND YET in the back of my mind.... why not give this hard working man a break... Lets see.. he becomes a citizen.. he can pay his share of taxes, as lawyers usually do well financially. Did he borrow money for his college....??? if so, lets let him pay us back.... Try to work this out for the benefit of both... Where is Soloman when you need him? Certainly he's not in DC or Florida
It seems to me that the warm and fuzzy progressive liberals on this blog have forgotten that the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Rule of Law were purposefully written by our Founders for WE the People - aka - American Citizens with provisions to accommodate Legal aliens and residents who wish to come to the USA. Indeed, from 1965 to 1986, and in several subsequent years, the Democrats, specifically Teddy Kennedy, authored and passed immigration legislation that watered down the 86 Bill to the point that we now have a nation of balkanized immigrant communities of many ethnic backgrounds, none of which are "loyal" to the USA and most of which are more like colonies than communities. See LA, Dearborn, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, etc.
This is not a difficult question. The waiver or the exception should not be granted. Individuals who owe their allegiance to another nation, as do those mentioned in the article, cannot be allowed to tear down the very institutions and the Rule of Law that apply to everyone else, simply because they view United States Citizenship as an obstacle to their being granted a Law License. This is the most ridiculous argument I have ever heard and one that defies the very purpose and intent of our Constitution. And, it is most certainly not an issue of Civil Rights. These peoiple are admitted law breakers and are using political and media means to further their cause, rather than the legal means that are the remedy for all who seek citizenship. They want to be Lawyers, yet they want to have a Court or a Congress to bend, twist, or break the law to allow them to practice law with no allegiance implied to the USA - knowing full well that they are not citizens of the USA, but rather citizens of Mexico - as the Mexican Constitution states in Article 30 of its national document?
The founders did not say that being a Republic would be easy. Indeed, Franklin declared that we would have a Republic....if we could keep it. In this and many other cases, relative to our immigration strategy, we should perhaps prepare for the carnage that unenforced immigration laws have brought us and will continue to bring, or we should resign ourselves to a nation of divided loyalties, allegiances, languages and cultures. Like Babylon, the USA is quickly descending into a nation filled with multicultural competition and, it is this practice that will destroy America, just as surely as it destroyed Greece, Rome and other past Republics and, just as it is destroying Great Britain, Australia and Europe right now. If there are American Citizens who believe that "warm and fuzzy" are the answers, then remember that what you sow, your children will certainly have to reap. Just stop for a moment and decide if what you are seeing and allowing today, out of misplaced compassion - is going to be any better tomorrow with that tomorrow being your children's future.
Michael of the snow bird's table.
I keep having this reaccuring and overwhelming vision....america, if once established.....and then overwhelmed by an closed system like the spanish soveriegnty in mexico, would the new legally established immegrant/emmigrant give me, a northern european, welsh, the tolerance necessary to become a citizen of spain through the american counsilate. NKJV James 5:4
This whole story sets my blood boiling. I work 40 hours a week at one job, I sent myself through college and I am starting my own business all on my own blood, sweat and tears. What makes this man think he deserves for our system to "overlook" his citizenship and "let" him become a lawyer? I agree with everyone else, he needs to be deported, sent back to Mexico along with every other illegal in this country and if he is so desperate to come back to this great Country then he can do it legally like others do every day. I am tired of apologizing for being born here yet even being born here seems to give me less rights than the illegals and foreigners who come here. Does anyone else find it interesting that other Countries have very strict immigration policies yet we let every Tom, Dick and Harry or I should say every Jose, Jesus and Javier come over with out papers? We don't look down upon those other Countries for the way the treat illegals so why is America so scared to turn people away and not allow them to enter a court of law with this type of case. This kid should never, ever have been allowed to even enter law school let alone a court of law. Who paid for this schooling? I sure hope that he didn't get a scholorship or student loans because last time I checked you needed a social security number for both. I am sure that the great Americans will end of footing the bill for his schooling and of course his time in court.
SEND HIM BACK NOW AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ILLEGAL! I'm sick of these issues when there are starving AMERICAN children and other problems in this Country.
What did we expect the outcome to be when he was admitted to elementary school with no visa and no citizenship? Is there some rule that upon turning 18 or completing the grade you are in on your 18th birthday that you are to be deported? Once we accept that initial application in grade school have we not already set a precedent to grandfather the child in as legal immigrant?
No time for citizenship?
This is exploitation. And for him, an apparently educated man, to talk about how this compares to African American women being allowed to practice law? Why do all educated people think relating to the "black struggle" somehow applies.
His isn't a citizen of this country. Plain and simple. Maybe he should run back home to Mexico and take his education and try to help his country out. We already have enough blood sucking legal parasites here anyways.
Lawyers....remember a time when you could represent yourself? Guess what legal loophole they have been working on closing. Do you know some courts require a law license to file certain documents with the court?
I have to agree that he is not a citizen and Hell no he should not be allowed to become a Attorney. I am a Citizen born and raised here and I could only get enought funding to put me through only 2 years of college and I still have to pay that back. I would like to be a doctor but the funding isnt there for me. If we cant help our own citizens then hell no we are not going to help someone that is not a citizen.
How can you morally, ethically, or legally practice law, if you are in-fact breaking the law while doing so? I don't know about you, but I don't think I would hire a lawyer that was breaking the law.
Everyone has a right to BECOME a citizen, so if you want it, do what it takes to do so. If he has spent so much time/money on tests and schooling, then why has he not taken the time to become a citizen? It makes no sense to try to bypass the system that you have been studying about and want to become a part of if you do not in-fact go by the LAW that is currently written.
Breaking the law is breaking the law, no matter which law it is that you are breaking, or who you are.
Do the LAWFULL thing and take the steps that every other imigrant that wants citizenship must take to become an American. The BEST country has requirements, meet them, or don't. Your call, our laws.
Until the law is changed, follow the law. After you are a citizen, then you can work on changing the law.
The man is a criminal. That is what illegal means. He should know that because of his training. How many other laws has he ignored during his illegal stay here in the US? The man should be deported. This would show him that breaking the law has consequences. I'm sick of people treating our legal system like it's some kind of smorgasbord, just pick the laws you want to obey. Actual citizens are having a tough time of it now because of the economy and yet a criminal gets funding for an education. That money should have gone to an actual law abiding citizen instead of a criminal.
I
understand his struggle to well. My situation wasn't as bad though. At least my
parents got a green- card after they overstayed their work visas. That got me a
social security number and a path to citizenship. This young man however does
not seem to even have a social security number which tells me that his parents
seriously wronged him by not investigating paths to naturalization.
The
United States was the only country I ever knew. The only memories of my home
country I have is from a vacation I took there when I was thirteen. I can't
even understand the accent of the people who live there. This is why I feel
that the children of illegal immigrants are the real victims in all of this. To
get deported back to a land you don't even have memories of is a frightening,
heartbreaking thing.
My
parents were not proactive about straightening out my legal status. When I
turned 18 I found myself in a similar situation to this young man. I wanted to be part of the great American
experiment but I couldn't because my parents never finished the naturalization
process. The one federal institution that did not turn
me down was the US ARMY. They take anyone with a social security number. They
had no problems with me dying for Americans and hell, this country gave me
everything anyway so I felt I owed it a lot. Like my old 1st SGT said,
"they gave us food, they gave us boots and it was greeeat!" Anyway,
that decision actually slowed down instead of speeding up my path to naturalization.
They had to investigate my reasons for joining the Army since I was still not a
citizen of the United States. My sister who applied at the same time I did got
her citizenship a full 2 years before me because of the investigation.
The
moral of all of this is that the children should not be treated the same as the
parent. Why? Because we as American tax payers already invest so much in them
that we should be able to claim them as ours. It's illegal to deny anyone
k-12th grade schooling regardless of citizenship status. How much do you think
it costs to put a child of an illegal though school. What about school lunches
for poor kids or aid for the family. You already pay soooo much. The kids
become Americanized where as the parent might never be. To the kids the US of A is all they know. Let's
just pretend the guy just got off the boat at Elise Island. Put him through the
process as if he had a social security number and if all checks out let him get
on with being a productive American. We
need more of those don't we?
Oh, Boo Hoo! The moral of this story is if you are here ilegally you are breaking the law. Criminals can not be admitted to the BAR and if a lawyer is convicted of a crome he (or she) loses their license to practice law. Why? Because under our system of Jurisprudence all Lawyers are Officers of the Court.
Som if he's here illegally he should leave and apply for a visa. I do not care how hard that is. It is our law.
It is ironic that he wants to be a lawyer, yet shows no respect for our laws. He is not an American citizen. Apparently he has extended all of his efforts to using our education system not our immigration system. There is already a system in place that has a LEGAL path to citizenship, should he choose to use it. Obviously, he has decided on a short cut, just like his parents did.
He is illegal by choice. He needs to man-up and do whatever is needed in order to become legal even if that means 'outing' his parents or leaving the country to then come back in as a legal. Anything short of that and he does not, I repeat does not deserve to be a lawyer, it is just too jurist prudently hypocritical!
Seems to me that Mexico could use a good lawyer or two.
Go back to Mexico, the last thing this country needs is another scum bag lawyer. If you want to do something productive for society, don't become a lawyer, become a male prostitute instead. You do want to retain some dignity don't you?
First I would like to point out one of Jose's quotes in the above article that does not help his case on a literall and factual stand point.
“It makes me feel that we’re living in a … historical moment. I really think the last time something like this happened was when African Americans and women were admitted to the bar,” he told msnbc.com. “I think if we win this, it’ll be another historical civil rights mark.”
First of all comparing granting African American's civil rights who were uprooted from their homeland and brought to America against their will and enslaved for over 400 years to provide free labor which allowed America to become the powerhouse it is today with granting an illegal immigrant the right to practice as an attorney who are expected to understand this nation's laws and interpret it for others does not make any sense nor is it a good comparison. The same applys to granting Women the right to vote and beocme attorneys. Afterall the law Jose speaks of only applies to African Americans and Women that were already legal citizens of the United States when they were granted such rights. Hey Commonsense can you see how there is little to no sense in Jose's comparison of the two?
Another thing I would lke to point out in Jose's quote which in my opinion makes him look like a poor candidate to become an attorney even if he were a citizen is his use of the word "civil". Here is the definition:
Definition of CIVIL
a : of or relating to citizens
b : of or relating to the state or its citizenry <civil strife>
Hey Common sense can you see the problem with using "Civil Rights" as thre basis for granting illegal immigrants the same rights. There is one very important item missing......being a citizen!!!! To be granted "civil rights" one must be a citizen. Don't confuse civil rights with humanitarian rights the two are very different and the U.S. treats illegal immigrnats with more humanitariun rights than almost any other country in this world. If you don't believe me go to China and demand that governemnt grant you all the entitlements and rights they give their citizens and compare it to the free plane ride the U.S. gives illegal immiagrants back home courtesy of tax payer dollars even when the illegal is guilty of comitting a crime most of the time they just get sent back home unless the crime is murder and even then sometimes they still back home only to come back later.
In conclusion, I deeply commend and admire Jose for all of his accomplishments that he has achieved desite not being able to use "ALL" (I point out "ALL" because he attended public school which is paid by legal citizens tax dollars and it just simple math that for every illegal person recieving free aid that is money being diverted away from a legal citizen) the social entitlements the U.S. tax dollars fund for its citizens such as student loans, government grants, scholarships, etc... If anything it makes me more harsh on this nations citizens who complain there is nothing out there for them and the U.S. government is not doing enough for them etc... Look at what Jose was able to acomplish by using very little of our nations social entitlements. My solution would not to be allow non-citizens of any country to practice law but to allow Jose and people in a simialr position as Jose who can prove they were brought here against their will (this applies to people being brought here as children by family) and have committed no crimes to be granted an avenue to obtain a Green Card quickly while they apply and are granted full citizenship. I see not problem with that. Besides does Mexico not have attorneys? From the looks of current news from there the demand for attorneys there might be far greater than the demand for attorneys here.
so let me get this straight i was born here, i pay taxes here (for 50 years) i go to court , i read the magistrate the statute pertinent to the case , the magistrate ignores the law , and tells me the court has no more time for this case , yet someone who is a criminal , his parents are criminals , just by being here , clearly were not paying taxes or not doing it legally got a free education off american tax dollars , this guy get to the state supreme court , when where he should be is in the process of being deported.
That's pretty much it guardian... We pay and pay like little sheep and the government gives our lives to anyone they can convince to vote them into office. Right now, it's illegals. They will do whatever it takes to legalize them so they will be voted in.
I applaud the fact that he has managed to accomplish so much with his life. However with everything he has done it seems that applying for a Green Card. There has to be a way for him to acheive that goal as I know people that have done so without having the education that he has or the law background from his studies to do so.
I find fault on both sides here. On one hand, why did his teachers not report him and his parents to the authorities if he had truly overstayed his visa? If they knew he was illegal, that should've been obvious (he knew no English at the time, so why didn't anyone notice that and do an investigation?).
On another, this guy didn't have the courage to admit his own guilt and do the right thing.
But then there are complexities that make the situation more difficult. At what point did he know enough English to figure out his illegal immigrant status? The article does not say (for good reason, I imagine - the birthers who want Obama to burn on a cross and replace him with Lord Sovereign Romney would nitpick all the details if we had 'em).
How long was his family's visa valid? Again, the article does not say.
But a good worry of mine is the fact that MSNBC makes it really well known that this guy - along with every illegal immigrant they report on - is a Mexican. Now know this: In Mexico right now, the Drug Cartels and their wars make it very difficult for any Mexican to live, much less live successfully.
Now, based on that last tidbit, answer this: If we sent him back, what are the chances that, without the proper government connections, he would live to get back here legally? And no, I'm not referring to American Gov connections - everyone knows the Mexican government is just as corrupt, if not more so, than our own. They just don't exactly have race issues to deal with.
To those arguing that they wasted their tax money on this illegal, let me ask you: if he dies, that money won't be paid back into the system. Essentially, you just blew that tax money on a guy who just got shot (by his own people, nonetheless) and won't be coming back. Tell me, do you think of your own riches that highly that you won't possibly save the life of a guy who's actually willing to pay taxes, work hard, and be contributing to society like every other "legal" American? I guarantee you, based on the article, he'd be more than willing to do that.
If you won't banish him because he's Mexican, you'll banish him because he's a lawyer. If not that, then because he's ten times smarter than your white trash Christian ass will ever be.
Admit it - he has the power to make America a better place, you just don't want him here because he'd prevent you from milking the very same system you so fondly accuse him of milking, spending all that money on expensive sports cars, fine mansions, wining and dining, and etc.
You would never admit your own sins to us unless it benefit you, but the reality of the situation is, you really don't want an intelligent human being surpassing you and living the dream you desire, all because of your pride, envy, and greed.
way too long