◼ Lament of a Legal Alien - MANMEET SINGH/Wall St. Journal via RIGHTWINGNEWS.COM
My desire to come to the United States was born out of ambition, not desperation. I stood in every line there was, beginning at the U.S. Embassy in my native India and then here, filled out every form that needed to be filled out, and made copies and certified copies of all the documents that were needed to prove that I was who I said I was.
At every point I was warned that if I lied or falsified information or tried to find work other than the job I was authorized to do in the U.S. there would be serious consequences. In particular I was warned about the rather grave repercussions if I chose to stay here illegally....
I have been here for seven years and have been married to a U.S. citizen for a little over three years. The reason I am still on a visa is that I signed a clause with the U.S. government that said that I would work in a medically underserved area for a total of three years after my medical-residency training here, and that I wouldn't be able to wiggle out of this commitment even if I married a U.S. citizen. My wife and I often joke that if I came here illegally and married her then I would at least have had a green card by now....
People in my situation also probably represent the most law-abiding segment of the population. Any skirmish with the law—even one not involving violence—can result in loss of working privileges and possible deportation. A recent New York Times NYT +0.08% article about how legal immigrants' applications are being stalled because the officials who process files are overwhelmed with applications for deportation deferrals was a stinging slap in the face to all of those who chose to do the right thing and get here by following the rules.
