[Kitten Festival]

Believe it or not, I think this is ok. The big problem with absorbing millions of illegal immigrants is their lack of cultural values which values education. The biggest underachievers in all US education are illegal immigrant kids, who usually drop out. Letting this family stay sends a message to the illegal alien community that if your kids are high achievers, the Migra's gonna be merciful and hard work where it counts is going to be rewarded. That will go a long way to assimilating these illegals, which, given their numbers is something we are gonna have to do. Better to assimilate high achievers than human garbage that doesn't believe in education and inevitably votes chavista.

[Mercat]

There's something in the law called "laches." I think I spelled that right. It means that if you have a right and you rest on the right for a long time, you lose that right. IMHO, the government should be bound in some cases. If the fed government hadn't caught up to these people in all that time, and they've done a good job of being de facto citizens, then I think that they should be citizens. Maybe it isn't fair to people who do it the right way but hey, life isn't fair.

[Lokibob]

I'm a strong supporter of immigration, and have just as strong a dislike of illegal immigration.

A country like ours needs legal immigration to keep a vibrant and innovative population. After all, with the exception of the Native Americans and the GEICO Caveman, we all are the result of immigration.

All that having been said, should this family be the exception? Probably not, but on human terms, if they have been fighting deportation since the 80's, and the kids are so talented, I can see where it would be this countries benefit to make the exception.

[KantianBurke]

They violated the law. I don't care if their kids create the next best thing since sliced bread - they're CRIMINALS. Deport post haste.

[billhilly]

A good call in my opinion. Reward excellence, and disdain the opposite.

[Michael.SF.]

that deportation would cause "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" to their two American daughters,

The kids should not be Americans because their parents were here illegally. That needs to be changed for the future.

[kinoxi]

Under federal law, immigrants can win cancellation of their deportation orders if they have been in the United States for 10 years, demonstrated "good moral character," not been convicted of criminal offenses and shown that their removal would pose an "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" to their American parents, spouses or children. The Cabreras furnished evidence that they pay taxes, obey the law, volunteer in their community and work — Benjamin as a waiter and Londy as a teacher's aide.

Looks like they are the reason this loophole exists.

[org.whodat]

What a crock of Bull.

[ccmay]

By God, that little gal better find a cure for cancer or something! If she decides to drop out and have babies in another couple of years, a whole lot of people are going to feel like chumps.

[Lancey Howard]

So if I rob a bank and give most of the money to charity, I can expect to be given a pass?

[TheBattman]

So - what is the difference between the "need" for exceptional educational situation and the needs of say a learning disabled illegal immigrant's child?

Any exception to the rules makes yet another opening in an already swiss cheese immigration policy...

And yes, I understand what you are trying to say regarding those who actually work hard and value education. But...

[Yaelle]

Gifted doesn't mean high achiever or hard worker. Argument could exist that a disabled or delayed child works even HARDER to succeed than a gifted child.

So are you saying "Keep the smart ones and throw the other ones back over the fence"? What about the cute ones versus the more homely ones? Sorry. We have American gifted kids with American parents we should worry about first. There are gifted kids in LOTS of third world countries whose parents couldn't swim the oceans to break them into the United States.

[abishai]

What a great idea! Flaunt and trample our laws! Its no problem, just as long as you promise to have "gifted" children, whatever that means.

Why don't we just go ahead a erase our borders? American citizenship is overrated anyway. Its obsolete for us global citizens.

God bless the North American Union!!!

sarcasm/off

[rbosque]

Deport illegals and Muslims.

[sasha123]

"Under federal law, immigrants can win cancellation of their deportation orders if they have been in the United States for 10 years..."

OMG, so if they are sneaky enough to avoid deportation for 10 years, they are rewarded, unbelievable.