<p>That poor girl and her family. I understand it was wrong for her parents to sneak her in the country illegally, but after all she’s gone through, she has to return to El Salvador. My heart goes out to that girl (who I personally know) who made the community a better place. I wish her the best of luck when she reapplies for citizenship.</p>
<p>It is a problem and there is absolutely no easy solution. Let her go back to El Salvador, get a degree and apply to enter the country legitimately. Someone should advise her on the fields to study (becoming a math teacher might be one) that will make it easier to return.</p>
<p>I’m an immigrant myself, from the Soviet Union.</p>
<p>I do not know enough about El Salvador, but I do agree that this is an unfortunate situation. However, it’s also tricky. Were she be allowed to stay after illegally living in the United States, this would open a whole new door to the issue of illegal immigration. There are plenty of people who are waiting to legally enter the United States, I’m sure they would be a little unhappy with that result.</p>
<p>Is she even allowed to return? My understanding from the article is that once she is sent from the United States, she can never come back. Could somebody clarify this?</p>
<p>Her grandmother knew she was sending the girl off on an illegal journey. At 12, the girl was also aware that sneaking across the border was illegal. Her parents knew that sneaking her across the border was illegal.</p>
<p>“So she should be punished for what her parents chose for her? How about her parents be punished and she be able to stay?” </p>
<p>Her parents left her behind for years. They illegally snuck across the border and broke the law. They were rewarded for breaking the law by later being granted citizenship. They tried the same illegal route for the girl and it didn’t work. Don’t think for one minute that this family didn’t understand the law when they set out with this plan.</p>
<p>Since there are doctors, lawyers and businessmen who function quite well in El Salvador I think that it is the ultimate of stupidity to assume that El Salvador doesn’t have an educational system. It may not be our educational system, it may not educate as many people who want the education…but it is there.</p>
<p>I’m puzzled - her mother gained US citizenship. A US citizen can petition to bringr his/her children legally into the country. Instead, her parents chose to smuggle her across the US border. I bet there is more to the story.</p>
<p>It can’t afford to educate and provide healthcare to every Tom, Dick and Harry across the border. That’s because some tend to be bums. That’s basically the reason why we tend to regulate immigration in the first place: we want productive citizens.</p>
<p>However, if the girl has already proven herself to make good use of state resources, what’s the problem?</p>
<p>Okay her parents broke the law. But the girl has proven the law wrong: you can be an undocumented migrant and be an academically successful and productive citizen. Does America want to reap the return on what they already invested? Or do they want to throw the opportunity away?</p>
<p>Lots of illegal alien students are good students who are in similar situations, they just haven’t been caught. But they can’t apply for financial aide, many times they can’t get in state tuition at their home universities, and in GA, they can’t qualify for the HOPE. </p>
<p>Well hopefully the DREAM Act gets passed soon.</p>
<p>Personally I think consequentialist ethics is fine for situations like this. Immigration jurisprudence is not about justice: it is about social utility.</p>
<p>Galo, we dont regulate immigration, as this story is just one of many illustrations. I’ve never said every illegal immigrant is not capable of college. My guess – no finaid in El Salvador.</p>
<p>Galo – I see you apparently live in Maine – not one of the states that has borne a tremendous cost of illegal immigration. And yes, it is not at the federal level, but at the state level that the health, education and other costs of even non-criminal illegal aliens are borne. Why don’t we look at the laws of Mexicos and how they deal with illegal immigrants – for an example.</p>
<p>Maybe that is the law’s perception in your mind – but every other country on the face of the earth limits immigration. The US historically did too, and has had laws on the book limiting immigration. The US can not afford this. And the federal govt pushes the costs on states – particularly California and NY. </p>
<p>Coming from Maine – I find it annoying. Perhaps if you pressed for the Federal govt to pay all K-12 education costs of illegal aliens and all medical costs (and yes, they use the ER and dont pay) of illegal aliens and any uninsured accident costs and incarceration costs of same I would think you might be trying to be fair.</p>