Katherine blogged about the Claudio Nunez sob story ... here are my thoughts
[getting on soapbox]
Yes - its sad that she will be separated from her family. But she's had more than ample time to file papers with INS ... and would most likely have speedy service (say less than 4 years) since she has US citizen children. Yes its a lengthy process ... and yes it costs money ... but nothing in life is free.
We jumped through all the hoops, paid all the fees, and got to hang out in immigration offices for several years. It took over four years for Steve to get his greencard. We had to file for *advanced parole* during those years to allow Steve to leave the US and go to England to visit his family. But we filed the paperwork. We paid the fees. We did the interviews. And then we waited for the giant sloth that is INS to do their jobs. And eventually ... they did. Steve now has a shiny greencard.
Mrs. Nunez could have done the same thing ... and because she didn't ... now she expects our government (and the media is lapping this up - they love the sob stories) to bend the law for her. We shouldn't have to bend the law. She had FOUR AND A HALF YEARS to get her act together and file for her greencard. She would have gotten it faster than my husband did because she has children. They count for more than spouses!
There has to be a line ... where you say - ok - here is the law - and it's not unreasonable. All people have to do is their part. She would have *DEFINITELY* been given a greencard since she has children ... so its not like she even had to worry about being denied.
Why does someone deserve mercy for ignoring the law and crossing their fingers that they can get away with it? Although mercy isn't something that is *deserved* by its very nature ...
ARGH! Her poor children!
Perhaps everyone should have to go to an immigration office at least once. Seeing who is there ... and what goes on ... makes you understand why we need to have tougher immigration laws.
Perhaps Mrs. Nunez doesn't need to be deported ... maybe she just needs to pay a huge fine and have to start the greencard process at the very beginning ... and in four years she could have her very own greencard! In the meantime - they'll get her a work visa - and her life will get back to normal. That would be mercy.
Who should be given the right to decide who should and shouldn't be deported? Case by case basis isn't really feasible ... when you think of the hundreds of thousands of applications flowing through INS all the time. I don't know what the answer is. But I'm just not going to feel too sorry for a woman who knew exactly what she was NOT doing ...
[getting off soapbox. preparing to be tarred and feathered because I don't have a bleeding heart]
I digress. Sooo - back to meeting our pastor who has just returned from the state capitol that is just a few blocks away. (He's the chaplain this month.) He tells us we won't believe what just happened. Isaac Hayes was there, and right after he was introduced by one of our congressmen, proceedings were "put on hold" and as my friend put it, the formerly respectable congressman (and a few others joined in) started rapping the Shaft theme. He said they were doing the rapping sounds with their mouths -- and I think they even had some background music playing. 
