Fleeing gangs is no reason for amnesty; Salvadorans should f
Fleeing gangs is no reason for amnesty; Salvadorans should fight for El Salvador
Andy Arnold
August 4, 12:02 PM
1 comment
Forget about any danger posed by soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice John Paul Stevens brought the case of three illegals from El Salvador to the Supremes last month. The court gave the Obama administration an opportunity to add fleeing gang recruitment to asylum grounds.
Pablo, Rene and Silvia Mira left El Salvador in 2004, illegally crossing the border to live with their mother in Minnesota, according to an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Arrested by immigration agents shortly after entering the United States, the Miras argued they were fleeing recruitment by the Mara Salvatrucha (MS)-13 gang.
Traditional definitions of asylum include protection for people fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality and political beliefs. If people claiming to be members of social groups that are targeted for reprisals by criminals in their homelands are included on the asylum list, how is the Department of Homeland Security expected to protect the United States. Who better fits the description than rogue criminals gone astray of syndicates?
Once upon a time, young people like the Miras, and many of the other illegals running from El Salvador, would stay and fight for change in their homeland. That is what America should encourage. This and combatting MS 13 in the United States.
Instead, MS-13 operates in at least 42 states and the District of Columbia and has about 6,000-10,000 members nationwide, according to the FBI. The criminal imports include Dennis L. Gil Bernardez who authorities say headed up MS 13 in the Washington area and faces up to 160 years in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of trying to kill rival gang members. Jose M. Aguilar Orantes was also found guilty. He faces 95 years behind bars.
www.examiner.com
