12 thoughts on “The Monday Memo”

1. um … so the guy has been here for 10 years on an expired visitor visa?

   Was arrested at a downtown senior living home where he worked?

   Work visa? H-1B (max 5 years) L-1 Visa (max 6 years) O-1 Visa (max 3 years – extended 1 year at a time for extraordinary abilities)

   Not real sure this guy would have ever qualified for the O-1, TN, E-1 or E-2 Visas tho’ because … he’s not from Mexico, he’s not a big money investor, and, his extraordinary status would have had him working at SpaceX or the Manhattan Project or something similar making stacks of cash instead of a regular ole run-o-the-mill nursing home.

   Hard to know for sure really given how totally unreliable main stream news media is these days.

   If I had to guess, I’m sure the guy gave it the old college try. He most likely got a work visa initially, started his paperwork early on and then let his I-129 expire whilst working with out employer sponsorship.

   I’m certainly not an immigration expert by any stretch but I do have good friends who have gone through the process (Ukraine and Mexico) – Becoming an American Citizen can be a real ball-buster but people do make it thru to become bona fide American Citizens and we welcome them all home with open arms.

   This whole business of ICE running around capturing folks for deportation has been really sort of blown out of proportion these days IMO – Clinton deported 12.5 million through out the course of his two terms as President and I don’t ever remember a big fuss over it.

   Not a big fuss here either – the guy either has his paperwork in order and they’ll let him go, or he doesn’t have his paperwork in order and he’ll get shipped off across the pond.

   • I pretty much agree with you. From my experience people who overstay their visa and are caught do not normally get to stay in the USA. I’ve seem some be banned for 10 years or more. Of course, each situation is different. Thanks for your input. -JmB

   • The vast vast majority of Clinton deportations were simple “returns” where guys caught at the border just “voluntarily” turned around and went home without legal proceedings. Less than a million were formal removals.

     He wasn’t aggressively sending back to dangerous countries asylum seekers this country had previously welcomed, he didn’t set up a national system of concentration camps for immigrants or send them off to unknown countries or foreign megaprisons, and he didn’t have roving squads of brownshirts terrorizing American cities chasing down non-dangerous immigrants. Except maybe occasional workplace raids.

     Somehow Clinton managed to do all those deportations without the public brutality and cruelty of the current administration. And he didn’t demonize human beings as garbage or claim they were dangerous criminals every one. So yeah no big fuss because Clinton didn’t intentionally try to make an unChristian cruel spectacle of it. Probably the same reason no big fuss when GW Bush and Obama and Biden deported so many.

     • The Clinton administration was sort of trying to fix what the Reagan Administration screwed up.

       Clinton’s policies led to an increase in deportations, particularly targeting Illegal Aliens with criminal records. Many argued at the time that these measures contributed to a system that allowed for mass detention and family separations, which were described at the time as unjust and harmful.

       Illegal Aliens that were captured w/in 100 miles of the border were promptly sent back w/out any legal recourse – others that were caught in the interior were given the opportunity to see a judge.

       Very few were allowed to remain upon after seeing a judge.

       ICE stormed residences and work places during that period just like ICE is doing now .. weapons drawn and individuals perp walked across the front lawn just like they are now.

       ICE developed the habit of not announcing themselves on raids during the Clinton Administration. The practice continues to this day. (Immigration enforcement would announce themselves in the 70’s)

       I cite the Clinton Administration here because from Reagan ’till now, it was Clinton that deported the most.

       It was during the 1990’s that we saw immigration enforcement really ramp up.

       Tho’ the policy was fairly specific w/regard to criminal aliens (ones who committed heinous crimes in the interior) .. other Illegal Aliens who’s only crime was to cross the border were being rounded up and deported as well.

       Those who were upset that Clinton was deporting those who simply crossed the border illegally decided to change the language w/regard to these people.

       Replacing the term Illegal Alien with Undocumented Immigrant was done deliberately in order to obfuscate the fact that a crime was committed.

       An immigrant is one who immigrates and comes to a country for the purpose of permanent residence; with government authorization.

       An Illegal Alien is a person who is within the boundaries of a country without that government’s authorization; a national of another country who has entered or stayed without permission.

       Huge difference here.

       Illegal Aliens are not immigrants by any definition – the only true immigrants we have in this country are the people that actually took the time out to go thru’ the process of being here legally via government authorization.

     • Thanks for all the information. But the fact remains that the vast majority of Clinton’s total deportations were the “returns” or people that were caught at or near the border and quickly sent back. Less than a million total over the eight years were the forcible “removals” of immigrants who were already living here like Trump is doing now, around half a million so far just in 2025 by last count. The pace and visibility of the removal effort is much higher now than it was under Clinton, naturally followed by greater opposition. Then add the Trump administration’s very unChristian public cruelty about the removals as well as immigrants themselves, of legal as well as undocumented or illegal status.

       DHS chart of removals and returns linked follows. Now Obama he was doing some removals. And the Deporter in Chief did get a lot of left wing blowback for it.

       https://ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/yearbook/2019/table39

       Also, I can find no reputable online English lamguage definition of the word immigrant that includes a requirement of “with government authorization”. Just the “intends to move there permanently” part. Illegal alien may be a legal term, but the people are still immigrants. What would illegal immigration be without illegal immigrants?

     • I agree that Trump is somewhat of a bafoon but being a bafoon doesn’t necessarily make him a ‘deporter-n-chief’ .. by the graphic we find that over-all deportations are way down after Clinton.

       https://www.cookiesandcowpies.com/images/deportations-under-us-presidents-statistics-infographic.png

       Under Clinton, deportation was actually a thing – after Clinton? eh … not so much. (Janet Reno and Operation Gatekeeper comes to mind)

       Not quite getting my head wrapped around this whole unchristian thing you keep talking about – since religion is essentially a man-made construct in the first place, it shouldn’t even be referenced when looking at the numbers related to immigration policy – the term ‘christian’ is hugely subjective and can mean anything you want it to mean – immigration numbers on the other hand can vary according to policy and they are what they are.

       It’s not just Trump being dragged through the courts. Clinton’s IIRAIRA was vigorously opposed in the courts – there were also instances under Clinton like that whole (very highly publicized) Elián Gonzalez affair.

       The only difference in policy that I can see between Trump and Clinton is that Clinton didn’t outright verbalize his intentions on immigration – he mostly kept his mouth shut publicly on the matter – and Trump? Well we all know that all kinds of stuff just falls out of his mouth – Trump couldn’t keep a lid on a jar in January and we all know it.

       … and with regard to this kid from Britain that was picked up recently here in town – I hope it all works out for him. He’s got himself a Go-Fund-Me set up to help cover his costs and people are donating to it so we’ll see.

     • You are correct one of the big differences between removal programs of the past and the one now is Trump’s mouth. And the very offensive unChristian, disparaging, and often racist statements that keep spewing from it regarding the human beings involved. Some people react very negatively to that at an emotional level. And they object to the racial profiling of the big neighborhood sweeps. And picking up and shackling US citizens in the process just because they happen to “fit the look”. And turning America into a cheap WWII movie stereotype where an SS officer can stop anyone at any time for no particular reason and demand “Show me your papers!” And trampling all sorts of constitutional rights along the way of both citizens and non-citizens.

       Again there’s a difference between the returns and the removals as to the effect on communities and families. Sending an armed force into a heartland neighborhood to shackle and haul off people who have been in the community for years has a far greater public impact than turning someone around at the border or 25 miles inland and sending them right back.

       There’s also 25 years between now and the end of the Clinton administration, and American society has changed. What’s going on now is going on now, not 25 years ago. May as well ask why Republicans used to kick and scream and threaten government shutdowns or a national default over deficits but now are quiet as church mice as Trump spends at a new record pace.

       So all these are answers as to what is different now.

       As for who might eventually claim the mantle of “deporter-in-chief” … The Trump administration says they have removed close to 500,000 and returned (by various means including self-deportation) 2,000,000 more this year alone. If that is true (always questionable with this guy) the total would dwarf any year under any other president represented in that chart, and this is just year one of his campaign. Clinton’s total numbers took 8 years, so not really a great comparison there. So did GW Bush’s, and so did Obama’s.

       All that said, I’ve got no problem with Trump seeking out and removing actual dangerous criminal aliens/immigrants like he claims they are doing. And like Clinton and successors claimed they were doing. But many he is grabbing are not criminal in the violent sense or even in the technical sense because “unlawful presence” is a civil matter not criminal. Intentionally going out to hunt such people down just to make numbers instead of focusing on the real criminals is just a waste of taxpayer money. IMO.

     • I dislike Trump. Never voted for him. He’s a jerk.
       I have always believed that any person here illegally should be removed. Dangerous criminals should be deported first, but others need to go, too. They are also breaking the law. -JmB

2. There’s a lot of rules people should be following. Signal when you turn. Pay your parking fines. Make sure you report all your massive keno and lottery ticket winnings on your income tax. Don’t talk on the cell phone in your car.

   But we don’t waste taxpayer dollars sending out law enforcement to hunt down all the offenders because those offenses hurt no one and there’s way more important things to spend taxpayer money and law enforcement time on. And likewise this Wheeler guy was hurting no one. Was probably even generating positive tax and FICA dollars.

   By the way several weeks ago everyone’s favorite city commissioner was huffily assuring his gullible Facebook followers that claims of ICE running around Great Falls pointing guns at people were nothing more than scurrilous rumors from irresponsible people. Now we learn this guns out ICE capture of Wheeler coincidentally also took place several weeks ago. Could that blowhard commissioner have been wrong? Yet again?

   • Thanks for your opinion about Wheeler’s situation. I disagree.
     While it is sad, he seems to have had plenty of time to handle the situation. As for taxes, etc., that may be a whole other issue.
     I had forgotten about the commissioner’s comments. Guess he was wrong again!
     Thanks again! -JmB

     • My own take is that when a person is living out a life as a stable, model, productive citizen the taxpayer dollars would be better used for, “Hey, you’re exactly the kind of immigrant we want, let’s get you legal”. Deporting this guy and people like him accomplishes nothing useful.

     • I think the government has had some grace like periods where they allowed people here illegally to get something close to amnesty. One was under Reagan in 86 called IRCA.
       I don’t think that worked too well. People kept coming illegally or overstaying.
       In my experience, sooner or later they will be caught. If they are caught there’s a great chance they will be banned for several years. -JmB

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