Obama loves deportation so much he's even started deporting U.S. citizens
knowmore.washingtonpost.com
knowmore.washingtonpost.com
...minor child...
> was deported because that false name was from someone in Colombia.
My mother-in-law is a US citizen whose actual name is shared by lots of people in Mexico (and probably quite a few in Spain. And probably a number in other spanish-speaking countries. Its a common name...)
Does that mean if police pick her up for whatever reason, and she gives her actual name, she should be deported?
Or, maybe, should deportation have a slightly higher threshold than "the name you've given happens to match the name of at least one citizen of a foreign country, so we are going to deport you to that country on that basis."
But the treatment of foreign nationals in the U.S. (bona fide, or suspected) is so pitiful, across the board, that the issue still merits attention even if our attention is distracted somewhat by the occasional buried lead.
The bigger point is that the way this country treats foreign nationals, actual or perceived, reflects on all of us, not just on whoever happens to be Chief Executive at the moment.
EDIT: "actual or perceived"
Except that the notable feature of this case is that it is not about the way that this country treats foreign nationals.
This woman was arrested for shoplifting and provided a fake name to the police.
The police do a look-up and determine that the woman with this name is not a US citizen and is actually a citizen of Colombia. Therefore, they decide to deport this woman who decided to use the name of a person from Colombia.
Sounds like the system is working as it should!
Minor child, actually.
> The police do a look-up and determine that the woman with this name is not a US citizen and is actually a citizen of Colombia. Therefore, they decide to deport this woman who decided to use the name of a person from Colombia.
Sounds like the problem here is treating name as if they are unique identifiers. Having a name, true or false, that happens to match the name of a citizen of a particular foreign country does not even come close to meeting any reasonable standard of proof that a person is not a US citizen, much less that they are, in fact, a citizen of the particular foreign country.
They didn't "determine" that she was a citizen of Colombia. They just took what she said, and basically said to themselves, in so many words: "Well, she is brown-skinned, you know. Plus she was caught shoplifting -- typical wetback. Meanwhile, we're facing a lot of pressure from upstairs to cut down on the number of illegal entires. So what the heck, let's deport her!"
For more info on her story, see:
http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/01/how_did_jakadrien_turner_a_us_citizen_get_deported.htmlFrom your link: "Turner lived in Colombia for nearly a year, working at a call center until her grandmother’s furious search for her led to the girl’s release and return to the U.S."
She apparently was so traumatized by the deportation that she had no other choice but to start a new life until her Grandmother came looking for her. There is obviously more to this story than meets the eyes.
The basic issue is that a U.S. citizen (and a minor) was not only denied due process, but treated in a way that defies general standards of decency, as well as basic common sense. It also smacks of racism and xenophobia.
Whether this young woman actually shoplifted or not, whether she told a fib or not afterwards and what she had to do in Colombia to fricken survive after such an ordeal are all of secondary importance, in comparison.