Jessica Colotl

Well, it's been a little while. Yes, it is time for another immigration post.

I've talked about this case before (Immigration: "Messed-up system", Thursday, May 27, 2010). And now we get the latest news on the Jessica Colotl case.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"Jury finds Kennesaw State student Colotl guilty on one of two charges"
http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/jury-finds-kennesaw-state-737348.html

From WSB Radio:
"Split Verdict in Colotl Case"
http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2010/11/jessica-colotl-in-court-today.html

Both stories bury the lead, in my opinion. They talk about how Colotl was convicted on 1 of 2 traffic charges. But the bigger news is that immediately after conviction Colotl was turned over to federal immigration officials.

And then what happened? "But after 37 days of being held in several immigration detention centers, Colotl was granted a yearlong deportation deferment to finish her studies."

That's right, Colotl is clearly in this country illegally. And immigrations officials are doing ... nothing. Colotl could choose to get her degree and then disappear. Or just disappear now. Probably unlikely, but the point is that she could--and we (yes, including me) don't care.

And bravo to us. I think people who work hard to better themselves should be welcome here. You see, the fact that most people think it's okay that she stays and finishes her degree reveals that the foundation of our immigration laws is a fraud. We know deep inside that we would do the same thing if we were in Colotl's shoes.

Immigration laws do not address the root cause of the problem. Many people come here for the wrong reasons (from our overly generous welfare state). That is what we should be addressing.

In case you forgot, here are my thoughts on immigration and what we should be doing about it.

June 14, 2010
Address the root cause of illegal immigration

September 16, 2010
Immigration is a benefit