Thread: Illegal Immigrants Can Now Defend the Laws They Break

by SAPNA RAMPERSAUD July 18, 2017 2:30 PM

California and New York will become the first states to allow illegal immigrants to practice law and be sworn in as lawyers. In so doing, they will grant the privilege of upholding the law and defending the U.S. Constitution to people who have intentionally violated the rules, and who have no right whatsoever to be here.

One such lawyer is Lizbeth Mateo. Born in Mexico, Mateo and her family illegally crossed the border when she was 14 and have been residing in California ever since. In 2013, Mateo returned to Mexico knowing she had no legal visa to come back and, as part of what became known as the Bring Them Home Campaign, returned to the U.S. border with eight other children and demanded unauthorized reentry into the U.S. — which she was granted. Having graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law and working jobs that required the use of a stolen social security number, Mateo now spends her time as an immigration lawyer “preparing legal strategies to help undocumented immigrants stay in the country” — all while flaunting her own undocumented status.

This example illustrates the extent to which certain states both accept and encourage illegal immigration. Mateo is praised for being a “leader” and a “bold advocate” but should instead be described as what she is: a lawbreaker. Mateo has taken an oath of office to uphold the Constitution, but breaks federal law every day. Square that circle.

How radical is this development? Consider that even the Obama administration opposed the possibility of illegal immigrants practicing law. Specifically, the White House objected to Sergio C. Garcia, who attempted to get high court approval for his law license after passing the bar. In a brief from the Justice Department, the administration stated that “federal law prohibits giving a public benefit, such as a bar license, to an ‘unlawfully present alien’” since the relevant statue was “plainly designed to preclude undocumented aliens from receiving commercial and professional licenses issued by states and the federal government.”

This country has undoubtedly moved left since President Obama took office, but to reach a point at which unauthorized aliens can practice and uphold the very laws they routinely break represents a profound illustration of the lack of respect we have come to exhibit for our system and the principles it ostensibly undergirds.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...ornia-new-york

Mike McPhate JULY 18, 2017

The lawyer advertising his services on a Spanish radio station claimed he could fix even the most complicated immigration problems. So Luis Angel Reyes Savalza’s parents called him, their frustration evident in their voices as they asked him: Why can’t you do that?

“Nothing is that simple with immigration,” he told them. Mr. Reyes Savalza became an immigration lawyer in San Francisco largely because of his own family’s entanglement with the system: As a child, he crossed the Mexican border illegally with his parents.

Today, he represents clients who are at risk of deportation.

One of them, Lizbeth Mateo, just became a lawyer herself. Ms. Mateo and Mr. Reyes Savalza are the beneficiaries of a California law that allows undocumented immigrants to be admitted to the state bar.

Although they are officers of the court, they continue to face their own obstacles with immigration law.

I spent several weeks with both lawyers, talking with them about their role in the Trump era and their entry into the legal world. While they’ve been widely supported in California — one of the highest ranking Democrats in the state presided over Ms. Mateo’s swearing-in ceremony — critics say they should not be practicing law at all and should be deported themselves.

Mr. Reyes Savalza’s parents have begun to build a house in Mexico, just in case they are sent back. Along with his brothers, he is helping his parents cobble together thousands of dollars to pay for a home that they hope to never live in.

Ms. Mateo’s own status is even more precarious: The government has rejected her application for an Obama-era program that allows young people to legally stay and work in the country. Even as Mr. Reyes Savalza continues to work on her case, Ms. Mateo, who is based in Pasadena, is now focusing on opening a private practice to help other immigrants like her.

At a backyard party to celebrate her admission to the bar, there was no sign of anger or danger. Ms. Mateo’s friends and family laughed over plates of tortas, her parents smiled as they danced in the driveway. But their futures here are still at risk.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/u...s-lawyers.html

California needs to be throttled!

Remove Jerry Brown from office and throw these Mayor's in jail.

Illegal Aliens...who BROKE the Law to come here...should NOT be practicing Law in this country.

Track them down and deport them.