Letter to | the Editor

To the Editor:
In response to the editor’s question, “How would you rule?” from his On the Side column from Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, the Supreme Court has already weighed in on the matter.
In May, 2009, the Court unanimously ruled in Flores-Figueroa v. United States that a federal identity theft law may not be used against many undocumented workers who used false Social Security numbers to get jobs.
The case isn’t exactly the same as the one the editor cites, but that’s how I would rule, too, and here’s why: Using fake identification numbers is a practice that many of the estimated 8 million undocumented workers use since they have no way to legally work in the United States. A small portion of those workers intentionally steal the identity of another person – but the majority do not want to break the law any more than they “have to” to get by. You will find undocumented immigrants to be very law-abiding people because they are scared to be in contact with law enforcement. Yes, employers often look the other way since many of them would not be able to operate without that labor force. Sorry, that’s just the way it is. It’s a major predicament in our country that immigration reform could alleviate, but that unfortunately won’t be addressed any time soon since the incoming administration is against it.
President Obama’s executive order known as “DACA” allows a “smidge” of legal status to immigrants whose parents brought them here illegally when they were young. What those immigrants did to get by before then, as long as it isn’t a federal crime or a felony, should be forgiven. The federal government is in agreement – even Justice Alito, and I imagine they would rule the same in this case.
Jennifer Horner, director
SW IA Latino Resource Center, Red Oak