ICE self-deportation program gets ‘icey’ response

From August 6, 2008

For a limited time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will allow unlawfully present immigrants to self-deport who have squeaky clean records. One commentator points out that Americans should want the dregs of illegal aliens given incentives to leave before anyone else.

One of the leaders of an anti-immigrant group was on TV the other night saying the self-deportation scheme is the dumbest thing in the world. He pointed out that the unlawfully present immigrant who self-deports through this program gets absolutely nothing. He wondered if maybe a law should be passed to cut time bars in half for those taking advantage of the program. I’d say that the program would be a good one if the time bars for those with clean records were one year rather than the three and 10 year bars currently in effect. That would be a great incentive to get undocumented persons to leave and then attempt to reenter legally in the future.