It remains true that: A nation which cannot control its borders, cannot control its destiny.
The Constitution gives control of immigration and naturalization to Congress. Congress has passed sufficient laws. But Congress (through inadequate funding) and the President (through inadequate commitment to enforcement) are not carrying out those laws.
Congressman Billybob
I bet you’ll find out that it was not Congress or even (gasp!) the President who was “responsible,” but the State of New Jersey or possibly even the city of Newark itself. You are aware, I hope, that there are many cities and states where the police and court system are basically ordered to (a) not enquire about immigration status; (b) not pursue cases against illegal aliens because this might “reveal” their immigration status or force their deportation or interfere with their welfare and medical benefits; and (c) basically make no effort to identify and remove dangerous illegal aliens because it might “prejudice” immigration authorities against them. I know because I have family members in law enforcement who work in one of these cities.
Some local jurisdictions are finally beginning to pass laws putting an end to this, and I suggest that people stop screaming “it’s all Bush’s fault” (it’s not) and start lighting a fire under their local governments. That’s where the problem lies. The Feds can pass all the laws they want, but unless local jurisdictions enforce them and support them with their own laws, Federal law will continue to be meaningless.
There was no reason this man should have been in the country in the first place, and certainly no reason he should have been allowed to stay here with the record he accumulated during his time here. They had him. They knew who he was, what he had done, and where he was. So why wasn’t he deported?