I have noticed (based on this and other threads) that you tend to ignore what the law has to say and just make stuff up to support your position; doesn't seem to matter whether it is true or not.
Yeah, that's ********. Not only is that factually incorrect (go ahead, come up with the links), but it's irrelevant to this discussion since we're discussing proper punishment, rather than the existence of some law.
But it does amuse me that people who have very little experience working with the law become insanely technical about it. My guess is that if you were found in violation of some statute that you thought was absurd, you wouldn't walk into a police station and declare, "I CONFESS." You'd hire someone like me to make sure you weren't screwed because of something stupid.
You may be shocked to learn this, but laws are written by people. People make mistakes and do dumb **** on purpose, thinking it was a good idea. A lot of these errors find their way into the legal code. A lot of laws don't work as intended or have unanticipated consequences.
This is why there are judges. If it were a black and white issue, we could just have a rule book and declare yes/no for any situation that came up. Unfortunately/Fortunately (depending on your perspective) we deal with these things on a case by case basis, taking into to full consideration all relevant facts. And yet people still get unfortunately screwed on dumb technicalities.
It's not a perfect system, why treat it as though it is?
I am not the one who is hiding, that would be Vargas until recently. Ask him to obey the law? Obviously he is unwilling to do that.
Sure, then punish him appropriately. Kicking successful, productive people out of the country based on a victimless crime that actually benefited the nation is a really, really stupid thing to do.
In what way is sending a person back to the Philippines to his family draconian? The Philippines is not "hell on Earth". It is his county of citizenship and there is no reason he cannot go back and apply to re-enter like anyone else who follows the rules.
His life is here. He's been an American since he was 12. You terminate his professional life, his private relationships, and force him to go to a country where the only person he knows is his mother. He essentially knows a handful more people in the Philippines than you and I (and it appears you might be friends with more).
This is an absurd punishment for the crime of being a productive member of our economy.
I have relatives from the Philippines that were able to enter the USA legally. They did not consider their home a draconian thing to be left behind. They left, they traveled back and forth, and they did what they pleased because they did it legally. They can do these things because they choose to obey the law instead of breaking it.
Yes, that's probably because they grew up in the Philippines. They had connections there, Vargas does not. I also notice that you're comparing someone with the choice of travel to a person you're forcing out of the country.
People do tend to feel unpunished when they get to do what they want.
Vargas is not a victim. He could have done the right thing and returned to the Philippines when he was 16. He chooses not to and may now find it difficult to continue to pursue the activities he desires.
Look, that's just dumb. His family went to great lengths to get him over here, and you're honestly demanding that a 16 year old violate the wishes and sacrifices of his loved ones to obey a stupid American technicality?
This is a recipe for a retarded society. If people can produce, they should be welcome in America.
