WHAT PART OF "ILLEGAL" DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND??? There is always one schmuck that needs to
recycle that bumper sticker quote in the comments section of an immigration
article. And it has to be in CAPS!! And it has to have multiple question marks
and perhaps a couple exclamation points.
If it’s not in CAPS and does not have the multiple punctuations, then
the point is not made. So, let me be
that schmuck today and pose that question to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu,
the Arizona State Militia, Russell Pearce, gubernatorial candidate Frank Riggs
and congressional candidate/newest member of the Village People, Adam
Kwasman: WHAT PART OF "ILLEGAL" DON’T YOU
UNDERSTAND??!?!?
This lesson is for all those law-abiding folks that came to
protest that fictional bus carrying unaccompanied migrant youths (aka UAC’s) to
Oracle, Arizona on Tuesday. The minors
are being held by the U.S. government pursuant to the Trafficking
Victims Protections Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The TVPRA instructs our government to
transfer the custody of unaccompanied minors to the custody of Health and Human
Services (HHS). Once in the custody of
HHS, the minors are processed for possible removal from the United States which
includes evaluation of whether the minor can remain in the U.S. in some form of
lawful status. It is the LAW that
was originally signed by President George W. Bush in 2008.
If law-abiding U.S. citizens don’t like the TVPRA or its unintended
consequences, lobby to get it amended.
Feel free to peacefully assemble and protest, but don’t block the bus
from going to its intended destination (a la the protesters in Murrieta,
California). According to an article
by Stephen Lemons in the Phoenix New Times, Oracle resident Robert Skiba was
originally tipped off to this busload of migrant youths and Mr. Skiba told Mr.
Lemons:
"We're
going to engage in peaceful assembly and if these buses with
these
people from Central America come in, we're going to stop it.
we're
going to turn them around and send them back, just like they
did
in Murrieta, California."
Sheriff Babeu even posted
on his Facebook page that the “children should be returned to their home
country - not to Oracle, Arizona paid for by American taxpayers.” But, that’s not how it works in the good ‘ol
United States, if there is a law we are supposed to follow it. Right Mr. Sheriff? Mr. Law Enforcer?
So, if you are following closely, you will realize that the
minors that turned themselves into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are
not breaking the law. In fact, they may
not even be “illegal”. But, what about
the protesters? Would their attempts to
stop the bus and send it back be breaking the law? It turns out that if you read the Arizona
Revised Statute, not only would these protesters be breaking the law, there are
several possible statutes that they could have been violating including:
13-2402.
Obstructing governmental operations, which is a class 1 misdemeanor;
13-2906.
Obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare, which is a class 3
misdemeanor; and
13-2908.
Criminal nuisance, which is a class 3 misdemeanor.
Perhaps there are other laws that they could have violated
in the process, but those are just a few examples. So, the irony of this situation is that the
minors on the bus would not be the law breakers, the bus blockers would have
been! Would Sheriff Babeu, who allegedly
conspired in the planning of this protest and who always preaches
the rule of law, have arrested the bus blockers?
There is no doubt our immigration laws are currently a mess
and are in dire need for reform. If you
asked Mr. Kwasman, Mr. Pearce and others if they support the comprehensive
immigration reform bill that’s before congress they would undoubtedly respond
“no”. They will tell you that we need to
enforce the laws on our books right now! That if we enforce our laws and seal
our border with a triple border fence, drones and man-eating alligators in a
moat, we might solve our immigration problems.
But, the irony of all this is that the moment they realize they don't like one of our current immigration-related laws (the TVPRA) they scream for
reform and encourage illegal activity against immigrants.
To that I ask them: WHAT PART OF "ILLEGAL" DON’T YOU
UNDERSTAND?
