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It's really very simple. Congress makes the laws and the executive branch enforces them. If Congress wants people to be allowed to remain here on temporary visas, they should pass legislation to make the visas permanent. Otherwise, I expect my government to enforce the law. That means every illegal Mexican, Guatemalan, Saudi Arabian, and, yes, hard-working person from Poland needs to be deported. Change the laws, fine. But enforce the ones that are on the books.

They were filing for permanent residency, and to their knowledge were doing everything legally through the system,"

Although the temporary visas expired, if the family is actively "in the system" for obtaining permanent residency, it may be an INS error to immediately deport them. This may be another case of the right hand (enforcement) not knowing what the left hand (the legal granting of immigration benefits)is doing. There was no overt wrong-doing warranting deportation if they were legally seeking permanent residency. Any immigration experts out there to shed some legal light on this situation?