Heart breaking... but.... so what?

There's an article in the Lazy C this morning, where the headline is "Ariz. detective quits after learning her immigration status - She was born in Mexico, not in the U.S."

And I indicated that it's heart-breaking, to be sure... but so what?

The article is below, so the reader can peruse it themselves.  But all of that begs the question: why hasn't she been deported?

Here's the thing: the moment it was discovered she was an illegal alien, she should have been treated like any other illegal alien and, well, undergone deportation.

See, here's the thing: the CLAIM is that she was lied to about her illegal alien parents giving birth to her here.

There's no way to know that.  And even if true, so what?

But let's take it a step further, a step not discussed: is this woman supposed to receive any special consideration because her parents allegedly lied to her?

Of course not.

Harsh?

Absolutely.  But if she is given that special consideration floating just under the surface of this article... then anyone else similarly situated can pull up the "I was lied to" defense as a reason to stay.

That wouldn't give her a job back in law enforcement.  For now, at least, you still have to be a citizen to be a cop.  But you're SUPPOSED to be a citizen to be a lawyer as well, and California is chipping away at that common sense requirement, so watch out.

Meanwhile, arrest this woman for taking advantage of all the privileges of citizenship, convict her, use the lie as mitigation if you must, but do not give her any right to be here that any other illegal alien convicted felon would have.

We are, allegedly, a nation of laws, although under the current regime, that doesn't seem to mean as much as it used to, given their cavalier disregard for those they find inconvenient.

And as a nation of laws, all of this, while a great made for TV movie script that would bring a tear to the eye, justifies nothing in the way of treating this woman like any other illegal: in short, arrest her, try her, convict her, cut her loose and deport her.

If her kids are an issue, then they certainly can feel free to join her in Mexico.

Whether this family is broken up is their decision.

Ariz. detective quits after learning her immigration status

She was born in Mexico, not in the U.S.

By Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times
Published: December 15, 2013, 6:00 AM

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TUCSON, Ariz. — Her mother had lied to her most of her life, until a few months ago.

That's when Carmen Figueroa, a veteran detective with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, became a foreigner in her own land — or what she thought was her own land.

The 42-year-old got her driver's license in California, married in Texas and moved to Arizona, where she worked her way up the law enforcement ranks. Then it unraveled. On Monday, she resigned from her job to avoid being fired; she had suddenly found herself trapped between U.S. immigration policy and the freedom she had known when she thought she was a U.S. citizen.

She is not the first to go through this experience. Immigration experts say Figueroa's case is an indication of a growing phenomenon of people who find themselves butting against immigration laws because their parents had shielded them from the truth.

"I only have nice things to say about her," Figueroa's neighbor Pam Stempson said.

"It's a shame."

Figueroa now knows she was born in Mexico. The birth certificate that her parents gave her is in question. The story of her being born in Texas? Not true. She had been brought to the U.S. as a child but didn't know that until recently. Figueroa had sworn under penalty of perjury that she was a U.S. citizen when she applied to the force, agency spokesman Bart Graves said.

On Friday, Figueroa's husband said the family wasn't ready to speak. He said they were waiting for their attorney to give approval.

Figueroa's status came under scrutiny after her brother, who is in the U.S. military but was not identified by name, applied for a passport with the State Department and was told that he was not a citizen.

Graves said that in June, Figueroa heard from the State Department as well, and learned that she too was not a citizen, but apparently did not immediately disclose that to her supervisors.

Federal officials, who had launched an investigation into the matter, notified the Arizona Department of Public Safety in August of Figueroa's immigration status. When supervisors confronted her, she acknowledged that her mother had recently confirmed it.

State officials put Figueroa on administrative leave in September while federal officials wrapped up their criminal investigation. In October, Figueroa learned that no federal criminal charges would be filed. The state's administrative review followed, and that ended in a recommendation for her dismissal. Instead, she resigned.

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