When a Georgia woman recently beat deportation in federal court and gained an order that her Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals application be restored, it may not have been the victory the political left wanted. In fact, the process and outcome serve as an example that President Donald Trump’s “tough but compassionate” immigration policies actually work for everyone.
Dreamer Jessica Colotl was brought to the U.S. illegally by her Mexican parents when she was 11 years old. In 2010, the so-called Dreamer was arrested for driving without a license, a misdemeanor. But police added lying to her charges when she gave a wrong home address. That felony landed her in jail for 37 days awaiting deportation. The then-college student gained national attention when classmates and the school’s president went to bat for her.
A judge gave her a diversion sentence that avoided a felony conviction after community service. She applied and received DACA status in 2013 and 2015, but was denied by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2017.
Getting Tough on Criminals
Under the Trump administration, ICE has been directed to crack down on criminals who are in the country illegally. Agents have been swift and decisive in rounding up MS-13 gang members, and investigations have led ICE to the doorsteps of thousands of felons. During the president’s first 100 days, ICE arrested 41,300 illegal immigrants and 2,700 already had been convicted of violent offenses ranging from rape to kidnapping to murder.
All told, 75 percent of ICE’s arrests already had a felony rap sheet. That number excludes the fact that entering the country illegally is itself a felony.
President Trump’s immigration policies restore the rule of law at every level. Sanctuary cities have been put on notice that they may be disqualified from federal grants and undocumented immigrants are not eligible for taxpayer-funded benefits. While the focus of ICE enforcement has been geared toward criminal elements, the administration has been crystal clear that anyone not lawfully in the country may be subject to deportation.
Border crossings have reportedly plummeted by as much as 64 percent, and many have voluntarily left the U.S. since Trump’s tough policies went into effect.
Giving Good People a Chance
Despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s widely televised tears, Trump has balanced tremendous understanding for people who were brought to America as children with the rule of law.
“We’re going to show great heart,” Trump once said. “DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me, I will tell you. To me, it’s one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids. In many cases, not in all cases. And some of the cases, having DACA and they’re gang members, and they’re drug dealers too. But you have some absolutely, incredible kids, I would say mostly.”
In 2017, nearly 110,000 DACA applications have been renewed, and more than 17,000 new applicants have enjoyed Dreamer status. The vast majority were processed after President Trump took office. Despite his fiery rhetoric on the campaign trail, the DACA program has remained untouched – and Colotl’s court win highlights that fact.
“Compassionate Conservatism”
Colotl, now a 28-year-old legal assistant, was denied DACA status because the felony charge popped on during her application processing. When she arrived in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the government acknowledged that Colotl was not a felon by virtue of her successful diversion program.
Adhering to the Trump administration’s policy, government lawyers presented no argument that Colotl should be deported. Judge Mark H. Cohen ordered her DACA application reinstated. The process worked, and left-leaning groups that hailed her case as a win over the current administration may want to check their powder.
The Colotl case reflects the type of “compassionate conservatism” that Former President George W. Bush touted. He sought policies that supported traditional family and community values, with an eye toward economically disadvantaged people and countries. On the conservative side, such policies demanded “accountability and results,” he said.
President Trump requires accountability to law and order that differs from Obama administration. For example, criminal convictions disqualify DACA applications and status. The Obama Administration was quick to end-run that issue by doling out temporary amnesty, and allowing violent felons to maintain Dreamer status. In some cases, this lack of accountability allowed gang members to operate with impunity as Trump pointed out.
After decades of debate about illegal immigration, the Washington outsider appears to strike a tough-but-fair balance that allows good people who arrived in the U.S. as children a pathway to citizenship while dispelling criminals.
~ Liberty Planet
