Know Your Rights/Conozca Sus Derechos

If you really want to stir up the pot, bring up the topic of illegal immigrants who break the law (like drunk driving, theft, dealing drugs, etc.). Man, do folks get pissed about that. It's an open invitation to talk about how bad things are with the immigration issue. I guess my problem with that is, they make it sound as though we'd be living in Mayberry if illegal immigrants weren't living here and committing crimes.

We all want criminals off the streets. And I'm all for deporting felons. But the truth and the beauty of this country is, if you live in the United States, you have rights. It's not my intention to defend criminals, save for their right to due process. What is important to me is that residents in the community are treated fairly and know their rights. We all know that poem, First They Came..., let's make sure that's not the road we're headed down when we speak of groups of people.

This PDF file is where I got the name of this week's post. It's an interesting read, and "... is intended to provide an overview of the rights an immigrant (whether here legally or not) or even a citizen may exercise if confronted by an immigration official."

"Some of these rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, and others have been developed through case law and statutes. Each state may have differing laws regarding some of these rights, and this packet should be adapted accordingly. A significant variation worthy of noting is the right to remain silent; although constitutionally guaranteed by the 5th Amendment, some states have adopted statutes requiring anyone stopped by state and federal officials to provide his or her name."

I got that (above) off of this site: www.ilrc.org
"The ILRC is a national resource center that provides trainings, materials and advocacy to advance immigrant rights."