More happy government news (is there any other kind?), this time courtesy of TalkLeft. It appears that immigrants in the process of becoming citizens are being sent letters asking them to report to the INS for paperwork reasons. When they go down to the office, expecting to fill out forms, process some paperwork, or pick up their green card, they are instead suddenly handcuffed, detained, and deported.
JUAN JIMENEZ, who came to the US when he was 13, visited Federal Plaza several times to complete the paperwork, get the fingerprints, and pass the test required for U.S. citizenship. But earlier this month — days after his 19th birthday — agents shackled him. The next day at sunrise, he called home from JFK to say, “They’re sending me to the Dominican Republic.”
Weeks before, HOWARD FACEY, married to a U.S. citizen and the father of 4 American-born children, received a government notice to come to Federal Plaza. When he reported for what he thought was a visit to pick up his greencard, he was detained and swiftly deported to Jamaica.
These aren’t terrorists trying to sneak around. They’re not even illegal immigrants trying to duck the INS in order to stay in the country. These are people who are doing their best to navigate the webs of red tape in order to live and work here in the US, and as they try to follow the rules, they are suddenly whisked away.
Let’s hope that there’s more to what’s going on than what’s being reported so far (or that it’s a mistake or even a hoax), but I have to admit, stories like this don’t really surprise me much anymore. Unnerve, upset, and scare me, yes — but surprise me? Nope.