Immigrants provided the labor for the rich white men in America.
Immigrants are serving in the US military. They are doing the back breaking jobs that others will not do.
They pay taxes....sales taxes....gas taxes...real estate taxes...local fees, etc
In 2022, immigrant households paid $579.1 billion in total taxes, with undocumented immigrants contributing $35.1 billion. They also contribute significantly to various industries and fuel economic growth through their labor and spending.
Due to the extremely slow judicial system, there are those who are
showing up in court and following the rules, and more waiting to get before a judge for their visa, green card, work permit, amnesty claim, or citizenship application.
Many have been in the US for years, some for decades, and have become part of their local communities and major contributors to their neighborhoods.....and have no other criminal record.
Many, like the OP/author of this discussion, enjoy pointing out that because one is here illegally they are automatically a hardened criminal in the same vein as a murderer, rapist, human traffiker, and drug dealer, and that they must be deported immediately to places like El Salvador.
I have zero issues with those convicted of terrible crimes be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. You see, these folks went through the Constitutional guarantee of due process. They were charged with a crime, they were allowed a lawyer, evidence was presented, that evidence was considered and a judgement was rendered based upon that evidence, and a decision....innocent or guilty....was decided by a judge or a jury.
Every one of them received due process.
Entering the US illegally is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and/or jail time. It is not a felony.
Examples of Misdemeanors:
Petty theft: Shoplifting items of low value.
Simple assault/battery: Minor physical altercations without serious injury.
Vandalism: Damaging property, such as graffiti.
Disorderly conduct: Disrupting public peace.
Trespassing: Entering private property without permission.
Reckless driving: Driving in a dangerous manner.
Driving under the influence (DUI): Operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Drug possession: Possession of small amounts of controlled substances.
Indecent exposure: Publicly exposing one's genitals.
Consequences of Misdemeanor Convictions:
Fines.
Jail time.
Community service.
Probation.
Loss of certain rights or privileges.
Difficulty obtaining employment, housing, or loans.
Impact on immigration status for non-citizens.
The Trump administration may be focusing on the 'worst of the worst' but they have a quota of 3k per week as their deportation goal. In order to meet that goal they are sweeping up people of all ages. Masked men in unmarked cars, with no identification, are kidnapping people and taking them away. Each of these individuals are guaranteed their Constitutional right of due process. This is not N. Korea or Russia or China or Nazi Germany. Not yet anyway.
It takes hard work to uncover the 'worst of the worst.' It's much easier to target anyone who they think may be an illegal immigrant.
We have a Constitution and the rule of law. Trump is ignoring the 'due process' part.
Arresting a man who is cutting grass at a restaurant and has sons serving in the US Marines, people picking strawberries in the fields in CA... a student picked up from a street corner, a woman who has been in the country for decades in Louisiana, day laborers standing near a Home Depot, a student on his way to soccer practice, a Canadian man that died in ICE custody, a woman working in a restaurant in MO for years, a young Iranian woman in TX who was about to be married...these are not the 'worst of the worst.'
It's interesting that none of these being caught up in this dragnet seem to be of European decent....aka white people.
There. I have said it. This is an attempt to remove from the country as many who are not white, as possible.
You can not justify this.
If you want to deport these people, you must give them their due process and their day in court. So you had best allocate the money for more judges to handle the work load.
Anything short of this is fascism/dictatorship.
