Two years ago, a Mexican national killed a husband and wife in a drunk-driving accident in Tennessee. Two months ago, a devoted mother died in another drunk-driving accident by an illegal immigrant in Texas. Both these tragic cases shared tragic similarities. Both offenders had lengthy criminal records, including convictions on two or more felonies! The individuals were not incarcerated at the time of their crimes. If they were, the victims would still be alive. Was this the failure of legislation or the failure of justice system; or both?

When these accidents occurred, the two men responsible should have been in jail. They were on paper for being habitual driving offenders. Their licenses were either suspended or revoked. Like in other DUI cases, the drivers should not have been operating vehicles. In addition to the multiple, minor traffic offenses, both men had two or more felony convictions, not charges, but convictions. You must then ask this question. What crime does an illegal immigrant have to commit just to be deported? You would think a felony would mean an automatic send off.

This writer does defend the right for illegal immigrants to come here to work and begin their roads to citizenship. There are Mexicans, Salvadorans, Nicaraguans, Cubans, Hondurans, Yucatans, Peruvians and Colombians who desire to be productive, American citizens.  They obey the laws and respect the customs. 

This writer does however believe there are illegal immigrants who should go back. These are the criminals, derelicts, drug traffickers, murderers and gang members who profit from this country. They commit their offenses here and hide in their anonymity. They purposely refuse to apply for citizenship so as to keep their criminal pasts silent. Others work law-biding jobs in public and do their crimes in secret. Some are parasites in their own communities and, they rely on those communities to shield them from American justice.

The immigration discussion isn’t just for Hispanics. American law enforcement has problems with Russian and Albanian mobsters.  West Coast agencies are battling Asian gangsters. With both dilemmas, the criminals find solace in their ethnic communities.  Citizens living there are fearful and suspicious of INS and police.  Unknowingly, they give their brethren power over them.

Currently, there is a culture in African-American neighborhoods to “stop snitching”. The stop snitching code keeps criminals from being arrested from the petty to more serious crimes, even murder.  Similar codes of no snitching exist in immigrant communities as well.  That is why ethnic criminals tend to persecute their own people.  There is little to fear from being identified and arrested.

Anyone has a right to come here to be happy and productive. Being happy and productive does no harm. It is not getting into a car and truck after getting drunk. It is not crawling into someone’s window to burglarize their home or attack their person. It is not terrorizing your neighborhood with drive-by shootings. 

If you have the disrespect to endanger the lives of your neighbors, you must deal with being deported after serving out your five years, ten years or twenty-five-year prison term. If you selfishly forfeit someone’s well-being or life, you forfeit your chance of living in America. An American citizen should not be a multiple offender.