San Antonio's opinion on Veliz...

[miche111e]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

Maybe if she had tried to gain citizenship before she was arrested I might have some sympathy for her; but the truth is she was caught breaking several laws and as such, she should be deported just as anyone else under the same circumstances would be!

I can totally see your point; I just can't imagine if I were 18 years old and had lived here for XX years, that I would go to the authorities and say, "hi, I'm here illegally, please send me back to Mexico where I can start paperwork". I am NOT saying it's ok, I'm just being honest in that if I were a young adult I would be scared as heck to be sent back to some strange country.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by miche111e

I can totally see your point; I just can't imagine if I were 18 years old and had lived here for XX years, that I would go to the authorities and say, "hi, I'm here illegally, please send me back to Mexico where I can start paperwork". I am NOT saying it's ok, I'm just being honest in that if I were a young adult I would be scared as heck to be sent back to some strange country.

Trust me, I fully understand that it would be a tough thing to do; but she knew she was here illegally and when it comes down to it, it was just a matter of time before she was caught!

Also, she obviously chose to hide the fact that she was here illegally, I guess only hoping that she could live her life without ever being caught. But it was bound to happen sooner or later, she would have to get a job one day or something that would require proof of citizenship.

It just irritates me how she knowingly broke the rules but now expects to be the exception after she gets caught. Sure, had she gone to the authorities earlier and told them her situation, she might have been deported then; but at least she would have been abiding by the laws of the country she claims she wants to be a citizen of.

Plus, the driving without a license and most likely insurance just shows she has broken other laws for her own benefit (applying for a license would have identified that she was illegally here). This isn't a "one time" occurrence, she has probably done other illegal things to avoid being caught, and now that that has happened, she expects forgiveness just because she prefers it here.

So obviously she gets no sympathy from me. The whole scholarship thing doesn't bother me as much as at least she earned it through academic excellence; but there is a very valid point about her eligibility and if she technically shouldn't have received it then she did deny another student who was eligible from getting it. Once again, she most likely lied to cover herself.

Inasmuch as I agree that she has prospered here, she did so under false pretenses once she became and adult and therefore the decision to send her back to her home country is fully justified. The bottom line is no matter how many good things she did, she still knowingly broke several laws and therefore she must be held accountable.

[miche111e]

I agree, especially about driving w/o a license and insurance. All I am saying is that I'm not sure I would have done anything differently had I been in her situation. I was fortunate to be born to an American citizen (albeit overseas). I can appreciate how people want to live here in America. I want them to follow the law and come here legally, but I've never been in such a desperate situation to make a better life for my family, you know? So while I don't like the situation, I just can't get as angry about it as some people here get over stuff like this. I think the government needs to have stiffer penalties for people who hire illegal aliens. If they couldn't make a living here, they would stay in their own countries more. But as long as the grass is greener (and people keep hiring them), they're going to keep coming.

[majormadmax]

miche111e

Again, I fully concur. I am in the same boat (no pun intended) you were, I was born overseas but to American parents (I would guess you were a military brat as well). I also spent nearly half of my military career overseas, and have been to some places that have really made me happy that my family and I have such great lives as Americans. And I also understand that there are a lot of people who would love to become US citizens (I met many over my travels). To be honest, I don't blame her for what she did, I would have most likely done the same thing had I been in her shoes. But she took a chance and got caught, and now she is being held accountable. That is the way the system is suppose to work, from illegal immigration to every other law we have on the books.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not angry for what she did, but what she wants or expects. She believes she should be exempted from having to go through the same process that every other immigrant has to accomplish because she has lived here for 15 years. What she forgets to realize is that she was here illegally, and for five years of that period she was an adult who could have taken action to legalize her status but failed to do so. Not only that, she broke other laws such as driving without a license and most likely insurance. And it isn't like she skirted the law to help others, it was all to her own benefit. As such, she deserves no special consideration.

The US military is full of immigrants who are serving this country in order to get their citizenship, and many of them are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those people are setting the example of what this country should expect from those who want to be citizens. I think it should be a requirement that all immigrants serve in some social-benefiting capacity, if not in the military than as volunteer firefighters or some other program. But heck, I will go as far as to say I think everyone who wants to become a US citizen--to include people born here--should be required to do that before they are granted citizenship. This country was born by sacrifice, but it seems to have gotten lost in the drive for self-interest, and that is Veliz' only focus in this media campaign to allow her to stay her despite all her admitted violations of the law.

I am done with this topic, I think I've made my point several times over and my thoughts are well known. I am still interested in hearing how this plays out...

[miche111e]

My husband said the same thing -- she should join the military. And I suppose she could have gotten married as well. Ah well, too late for that now!

[HisLilSecret]

I don't think the marriage thing works, either. One couple I know have been married for over 15 years. He, as it turns out, was here illegally and was deported. This was a man who was employed, supported his family, was very involved in his church, etc. Then from one day to the next, he was gone.

Another couple I know of was married for over five years and, again, the husband got deported when they went down to Mexico to take care of his paperwork. They refused to allow him re-entry. I don't know how marriage prevents deportation in most situations, but it didn't work in these two cases.

[miche111e]

Hmm. I have no idea how that is supposed to work!