Francisco Martinez Flores, a Mexican citizen who entered the US illegally at the age of 3, was a Marine with the 1st Tank Battalion who died in Iraq.
He had applied for and received a green card before he was allowed to sign up for the US military - the US military ensures that all foreign citizens that apply for admission to the armed forces first get all their paperwork completed for a residency application before they are inducted.
So who is the one introducing emotionalism into this?
My point was to defuse emotionalism: to point out there are people who come here illegally who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country. They are not all drug dealers, or violent felons, or revanchist ideologues.
How many "illegal immigrants from Mexico" are in our prisons?
Quite a few. Yet proportionally a far smaller number than native-born African-Americans.
Not all negative cultural dynamics emanate from without our borders.
So he was legal.
My point was to defuse emotionalism: to point out there are people who come here illegally who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country. They are not all drug dealers, or violent felons, or revanchist ideologues.
That doesn't make their illegal entry any less of a crime. The person you mentioned was only 3 at the time, so I don't hold him legally responsible for his entry, which is probably why the USG changed his legal status. Willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the US is not a criterion to enter this country legally.
Quite a few [prison population. Yet proportionally a far smaller number than native-born African-Americans.
Typical racist reasoning. Put down another minority group to make a point. The number of illegal aliens in prison is disproportinate to their numbers. One third of California's penal system is filled with illegals and about one-quarter of the Federal system. And just by being here, all illegal aliens have committed an illegal act. They are all criminals, at least the adults. I would also posit that most are guilty of identity theft and not paying their taxes.
Not all negative cultural dynamics emanate from without our borders.
Agreed. But do we need to import more problems from abroad by not securing our borders? How many American citizens' lives have been affected adversely by illegal aliens who have committed violent crimes against them or been involved in car accidents because of their negligence?