Front Page NYT Article

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

Here I agree, but allowing someone to break the laws without repercussion is not the way. Without consequence there is no rule.

this seems to be the sticking point (but it is making for a very interesting conversation here).

Who should the consequences be given to? Through no action or decision of his own you have a minor living in the US, with no parent or guardian, no relative, no supervision. At some point his visa (if he had one to begin with) expires. At that point there is no legal way for him to stay here.

What should he do? What choice does he have? Legally he has no options: he will be deported if he follows the immigration laws. I believe that even if he did have a visa he still could not stay here as a minor without a legal guardian. It was a no-win situation, and he had nothing to lose by staying here.

When a person has nothing they are in survival mode. What consequences can you possibly call down on someone who has nothing to lose?

The fact that Amadou has done so well under these circumstances, will graduate from HS and has been accepted into college is absolutely amazing. This is why we have courts and judges, and our laws are not cut and dry. If someone had been in a no-win situation, and their actions and character has been shown to be exceptional, then we do make exceptions.