We can thank Democratic Governors Jerry Brown and Andrew Cuomo for paving the way to a very Merry Christmas for convicted immigrants facing deportation. Under the jailhouse Christmas tree, these criminals found nothing less than a brand new, shiny pardon. Not only is the slate wiped clean for these convicts, but it also means they get to stay right here in the good old U.S.A. Talk about pure insanity.
Give me your criminals and convicts yearning to breathe free
In a bold and somewhat questionable legal maneuver, Governor Brown issued 132 “get out of jail free” cards to prisoners awaiting deportation. Lest his Californian counterpart be alone, New York’s Governor Cuomo stepped up to the plate and pardoned 18 immigrants convicted of various crimes for the express purpose of keeping them in the country.
And where would these two get such an insane idea? Why our esteemed academia, of course.
Back in April, the Daily Beast published an article by Andrew Novak, an Assistant professor of Criminology, Law, and Society at George Mason University, recommending the use of the pardon to get around immigration law. The good Professor called it “a novel and so-far unrealized capacity to stop President Donald Trump from deporting undocumented immigrants: the power of the pardon.”
Who knows if Mr. Novak was the first to champion this innovative methodology to skirt the law, but this is likely just the beginning of a wave of pardons to keep the criminally convicted immigrant in our midst. This despite Novak admitting, “The constitutionality of this system is unclear.”
But by the time the constitutionality of this is challenged, hundreds – perhaps thousands – of convicted immigrants, some of whom are dangerously violent, will have been given their walking papers.
You don’t have to go far to wonder why Messrs. Brown and Cuomo would use the pardon pen in such an indiscreet manner. Professor Novak inspired them while at the same time appealing to their political aspirations:
But where the pardon power can be used to prevent unjust deportations, it should be. Using the pardon power to protect undocumented migrants and their families could be a new litmus test for Democratic governors with presidential aspirations.
Are we looking at the face of the next Democratic presidential ticket? Can you see the lawn signs already?
I’m with Andrew & Jerry
And can you imagine the vote they will get from the immigrant community? Would it be too much to say 100%? And finally, can this be considered a blatant political move for these fine Governors? For a rather lost and aimless party, this just may be the ticket (pun intended) for the future of the Democratic party.
But one must ask – at what price? Are we a better country for placing these convicted immigrants back in the neighborhoods, villages, cities, and towns of America that they once terrorized?
Someone, somewhere once said, “We refuse to see how bad something is until it completely destroys us.” One must wonder if this statement holds the power of prophesy as these brash Democratic Governors have determined to work their way around federal immigration law. Whether this is legal or not remains to be seen, but perhaps even more troubling is that this type of behavior by two of America’s most powerful Governors reeks of naked political ambition and a careless disregard for the safety of their constituents.
Maybe this really is the perfect Democratic ticket.
