Basically, there are two types of illegal immigrants: 1) those who willingly come here; and 2) those who are not given a choice. For those who are not given a choice, there are probably two types: 1) the children of willing adults; and 2) those who were forced into some kind of slave labor (prostitution, perhaps?).
For those who came here willingly, they committed a crime, pure and simple. What to do with them, however, is not simple. And this Part I will discuss only one aspect of the shades of gray they have made by their illegal entry into this country.
First, the children. Many of them are adults now and are caught in a particular kind of limbo. Totally Americanized, they are often fluent in English, devoid of a telltale accent, and have received the benefit of a free public education. They can get a "T" number to pay income taxes, but they cannot get social security cards or driver licenses. And so, getting insurance and doing a number of things responsible adults normally do, are next to impossible.
When I officed in the building next door to the College of Biblical Studies, one of my neighbors was a wonderful young man who happens to live such an existence. He is a married, ambitious, hard-working father. When he tried to "legitimize" himself, he was told he had to return to Mexico and re-enter the country properly. Having been brought here at the age of six, he knows nothing of his home country. Tried as I might, I could not find any information that would help him in any way. That was truly a disappointment. For people like this young man, who is now living a life in the shadows because of the crimes of his parents, there should be some way for him to gain the right to live here without going back to a country of which he knows little.
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