Extreme ID Charges Against Immigrant to Be Heard in Supreme Court
October 27, 2008
Does this sound like the best way to solve our immigration problems?
Hunt down those who are using fake IDs to work; distort the charges by accusing them not of having fake documents but of "aggravated identity theft"; coerce each individual into pleading guilty to lesser offenses; toss them in jail; and, after they've served jail time on the taxpayer's dime, deport them?
To us, it sounds ineffective. Time-consuming. A wee bit costly. A tad extreme.
Soon, though, we'll get to hear what the Supreme Court thinks.
The highest court in the land has decided to hear the case of Ignacio Carlos Flores-Figueroa, a Mexican citizen who found himself behind bars after he was convicted of "aggravated identity theft." According to Flores-Figueroa's lawyers, he made up a Social Security number so he could get a job at a steel plant in East Moline, Ill. He was sentenced to more than six years in prison.
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