Thread: ICE allows illegal immigrant student to stay

KATE BRUMBACK, Associated Press

Updated 05:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal authorities on Tuesday agreed to allow an illegal immigrant college student whose case fueled a broader debate on illegal immigration in Georgia to remain in the country for another year.

Jessica Colotl, now 22, was arrested on charges of driving without a license following a traffic stop last spring. She was turned over to immigration authorities and nearly deported. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a year ago deferred action on her case for a year to allow her to finish her studies at Kennesaw State University. That delay was to expire Thursday, but ICE has once again deferred action on her case.

"ICE uses discretion on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate, and has the authority to grant a deferral of removal action based on the merits of an individual's case and a review of specific facts," an agency spokeswoman said in an email.

Colotl's lawyer Charles Kuck recently filed for an extension of her deferred status and said he was pleasantly surprised that ICE acted so quickly.

"We so much appreciate ICE's professionalism and compassion in this matter," Kuck said. "They have been exemplary to deal with."

Colotl is set to graduate next week from Kennesaw State University and hopes to work for a year before applying to law school.

Prompted in part by outcry over Colotl's case, the Georgia university system last fall adopted a policy that bars its schools from accepting illegal immigrants if they've rejected academically qualified applicants in the prior two years.


Read more: http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/I ... z1LLKjnljI

NO ENFORCEMENT CREDIBILITY! THUS THE WORLD SWARMS IN ON OUR NATION ILLEGALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

W

Colotl is set to graduate next week from Kennesaw State University and hopes to work for a year before applying to law school.

We don't need anymore OBL lawyers. We have enough already. It should be illegal for someone with allegiance to a foreign country to become or even think of becoming a lawyer in the USA!

Colotl is set to graduate next week from Kennesaw State University and hopes to work for a year before applying to law school.

Most newly graduated law students are currently seeking employment; however, have failed to locate law enforcement positions, and have employed low wage jobs. Some says they do not earn enough money to pay off C.J. /L.E. education loans.

Colotl is set to graduate next week from Kennesaw State University and hopes to work for a year before applying to law school.

So not only did ICE defer her deportation for a second time, it also sounds like they've issued her a visa or permit to work here!

"ICE uses discretion on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate, and has the authority to grant a deferral of removal action based on the merits of an individual's case and a review of specific facts," an agency spokeswoman said in an email.

Is this so-called "discretion" authorized in our immigration laws passed by Congress? If not, ICE would be breaking the law.

Breaking law OK, if it's law liberals don't like


May 06, 2011 12:00 AM


Jessica Colotl, in many ways, is exactly the kind of person we wish we had more of in this country. She's bright, ambitious, a good student and interested in civic affairs.

"I am no different than any other American," she told the Atlanta newspaper this week.

Maybe not, except for one little thing: Ms. Colotl has spent most of her life in this country illegally, and arrogantly thinks the laws that apply to everyone else - and especially those that apply to foreign nationals who want to become citizens of this country - shouldn't apply to her.

Ms. Colotl, you'll recall, is the Kennesaw State University student who was arrested last spring for a minor traffic violation on campus, then lied to police about her residency status in this country. As it turns out, she was brought here as a young child from Mexico by her illegal alien parents, grew up in metro Atlanta and now is more American than Mexican. After her arrest, and after becoming a cause cel bre in liberal circles, she was granted a one-year "humanitarian" extension in this country to finish her studies.

That leave was to have expired on Thursday. But not to worry: The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency granted her another one-year extension. Why? Good question. She has now completed her degree at KSU and plans to graduate next week. There is no longer a valid reason for such an extension.

Ahh, but there are political ones. Ms. Colotl, as we mentioned, is now a cause cel bre, a victim of those backward souls who think our laws are meant to be enforced - and enforced equally, not selectively. And oh, by the way, President Obama last Friday threw his backing behind another attempt to pass the DREAM amnesty act, which is tailor-made for cases like Colotl's, but which as written contains gaping loopholes that a huge percentage of the millions of illegals in this country could dance through.

Ms. Colotl has no interest in applying for citizenship by the usual route, the one taken by the millions of others who desire to become U.S. citizens. She and her supporters think she deserves to jump to the head of the line and be granted citizenship solely by virtue of her lengthy presence here.

In the wake of her latest extension, Ms. Colotl said she hopes to work for a year and then go to law school. Left unsaid is how, as a high-profile illegal immigrant, she expects to find legal employment. Perhaps Obama and ICE have "greased the skids" for her. Perhaps her latest one-year reprieve allows such employment. And don't be surprised to see Colotl continue to be showered with deportation deferments for as long as Obama is in office.

Few would have complained if ICE had granted Ms. Colotl a second deferment of a few weeks in order to receive her diploma at the KSU graduation ceremonies. But the latest ICE decision sends an unmistakable signal that it's OK to break the law - if it's one that the president and most liberals don't like.

Only in the United States can you be a political celebrity, a harsh critic of the law and an illegal alien all at once.

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