A carpenter named Jesus has been arrested and faces prosecution. If history doesn't repeat, it certainly rhymes.
This Jesus is a man named Jesus Teran who fled persecution in Venezuela before eventually migrating to the U.S. and claiming asylum in 2021. Since then, Jesus has become a vital member of the community in Pennsylvania, according to friends and fellow churchgoers.
Now his church community is fighting to keep him from being deported.
Originally trained as an engineer, Jesus spent years learning English and had just been accepted into a carpentry work program – a career he hoped would help support his family of 4. He also routinely checked in with immigration authorities, as the rules directed him to. He has no criminal record.
But at a recent check in, Jesus was detained by ICE agents on the grounds that he entered the country illegally. He remains in custody while awaiting an upcoming immigration hearing that will decide his fate.
Now his community is rallying around him, sharing his story, and hoping for a miracle.
Friends and Worshipers Speak Out
Rev. Jay Donahue of St. Oscar Romero Parish (where Jesus’s family are members) is among those speaking up in defense of Jesus:
“It’s been a heartbreaking experience. He’s been faithfully appearing at ICE appointments for more than four years, he was following the protocols of ICE, he was complying with everything he’s supposed to do. All of a sudden, he’s detained.”
Donahue continued:
“Jesus is not someone who should be subjected to this undignified experience that he’s going through. It’s a shame the way they are treating him; it is inhumane. It’s been inspiring to see the community rally around Jesus and to recognize what he means to our community.”
Chris McAneny oversaw a community garden project intended to bridge two local church communities. He said that Jesus was instrumental in bringing the garden to life. McAneny has also joined the chorus of defenders, saying:
“Deporting Jesus doesn’t make this a safer place. It’s creating havoc and fear. He was contributing to his community, raising his family, paying taxes, and now he’s in a detention facility separated from his family. We are all-hands-on-deck to support Jesus, his wife and his kids as much as we can. This is my neighbor, this is my friend. He’s a part of my community, and I want him back.”
The community has even set up a GoFundMe to assist Jesus's family while he remains detained.
His wife, Liseth, says she's grateful for the support. “People have given us everything: legal help, they’ve been helping us out financially, they’ve been helping us out emotionally,” she said. “We’ve felt enveloped and loved by the entire community, and we’re thankful to God for that.”
Offering Sanctuary, Despite the Risks
Ever since immigration enforcement began to ramp up following the 2016 election, churches and the religious leaders in charge of them have played a prominent role in defending the rights of immigrants – from advocating for more humane immigration policies, loosening church rules to protect members from authorities, and even sheltering people under their own roofs.
Related: Would Jesus Offer Sanctuary to Vulnerable Groups?
Churches who do offer sanctuary to immigrants are taking on some risk. Houses of worship have no special protections against immigration raids, and thus could theoretically have their doors kicked in at any time.
That’s not stopping some church communities from taking in immigrants – and fighting to shelter them. One church in New York even put up a warning sign on its door saying “ICE and Homeland Security cannot enter without a warrant signed by a judge.”
Deporting Christians?
Here is another interesting angle to examine: as America is experiencing a resurgent wave of Christian nationalism, with politicians and faith leaders alike advocating for a future of the nation that more closely aligns with biblical values, reports indicate that most migrants at risk of deportation are themselves Christian.
It would seem that when faced with conflicting priorities over what the future of America should look like, the powers that be are choosing “fewer immigrants” over “more Christians.”
Add Jesus Teran to the potential list of casualties from that policy decision.
What is your reaction?
110 comments
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Minister Rob
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamas-deportation-policy-numbers/story?id=41715661
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JustJames73
Thank you Minister Rob! According to governmental data, the Obama administration has deported more people than any other president's administration in history; and yet we never heard anything about it! Oddly enough, deportations were slightly lower during DJT's first term than they had been for the BHO terms. The difference is all in how each president has followed the rules.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
So he's here for years seeking asylum, working, learning English, paying taxes, and reporting regularly to his immigration office as directed. Then suddenly they snatch him up, shortly after ICE is given a 3,000 arrest a day quota. Not sus at all, nope. Can't even imagine the motive for them to lie, right? It's a baffling mystery.
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Lionheart
There is nothing mysterious about detaining someone who has applied for asylum over the last four years and obviously has been denied by the previous administration for whatever reason.
His next immigration hearing will possibly decide whether he has sufficient grounds to remain here in the United States. If they decide to return him back to his original country, then that’s the decision we all have to accept.
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Daniel Todd Kamm
ICE Officers must remove their masks. ICE Officers must follow the law... the real one... not the "trumped-up" ones. MELT ICE!
Figure it out people, the very values our parents and grandparents and great grandparents went through to secure our country's freedom and our own personal freedom from fascism and dictatorship, their sacrifices, all those who died, all those who were disabled, all those who simply disappeared, not to mention all those who were victimized and destroyed by the millions by the fascists, is being dishonored everyday by this administration under the guise of a twisted refusal to accept history, and reality. As evidenced by the president's recent statement that "slavery wasn't that bad." The man wasn't paying attention in history class. But it's not that innocent. These people are fascists, plain and simple...if you don't believe it, I would direct you to the history books you paid no attention to either. Go back and read Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and compare it to the Republican's Project 2025. History tends to repeat itself. Not for the last time!
A fascist is as fascist does. A supporter of a fascism is a fascist. If you don't understand the term "fascist" read a book. And the combination of fascism with religion is a very deadly combination, one that needs to be confronted and stamped out as permanently as we can in this moment. The fascist tendency has a way of resurrecting itself... so it needs to be confronted whenever it rears it's ugly head.
And so... I leave you with this anecdote:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
—Martin Niemöller
Hope you aren't next!
Peace Out... Reb tk
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Lionheart
It seems you are not understanding what law and order is all about. People who come to the United States illegally are subject to being located, detained, and returned. It really is as simple as that.
ICE agents hide their identity because there are many crazy liberal nut cases/psychopaths who are prepared to find them, track them down, go to their homes, and illegally cause havoc with therm and their families when all they are doing is their job to provide Law and Order, rooting out those who shouldn’t be here.
Antifa, and left wing thugs, also hide their faces to provide anonymity as best they can as they create vandalism and mayhem.
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Albert Douglas DuBois
Many ARE going through whatever meager legal processes available to them. They're getting picked up at their LEGAL court hearings. ICE doesn't care if they have green cards or they're waiting for one or if they're legally applying for one.
Many have walked hundreds of miles through the desert, along with their wives and children and entering through legal checkpoints in order to work their butts off for us doing things that Americans are utterly incapable of doing just to have hope that they can participate someday in the great American dream. We've allowed them, over generations, to become an integral part of our economy and suddenly we're treating them like crap.
Everything in the grocery store is picked, slaughtered and packaged by them. We get fed because of them. Our homes are built by them. We need comprehensive immigration reform but congress refuses to pass that because you-know-who won't allow that because then he would have no fear mongering to campaign on.
They should be issuing work visas instead of spending tens of billions of dollars splitting families apart. I swear, even when food prices triple and produce is left rotting in the fields, there will still be lot of people in this country that just don't get it.
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Minister Rob
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamas-deportation-policy-numbers/story?id=41715661
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Walter J. Holbrook
Praying
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Rev. Mark
First off, let's be real.... half of Mexico, as it seems, is named Jesus or as they pronounce it "Hey-Zeus". We see this in the middle east where a large majority of them are name Mohammed for the "go to" person in their Kuran.
Anyone making the argument about the Jesus in the bible being an immigrant and all those arguments... let's remember... until Biden and even Obama, an immigrant was the "exception", and thanks to Biden, that status has become the "rule".
For those still up in arms about any sense of "inhumane" nature against them... allow me to share something with you that you probably don't know about... in Mexico, the Cartels run the boarder. NOBODY CROSSES FOR FREE. Everyone of them comes to America with a "debt" hanging over their head. If they don't pay it, they hang from their head. Why do you think crime is rampant? They have a debt to pay. When you send those ILLEGAL IMMGRANTS back to where they came from, the cartels don't make any money, so let's remember that!!
LAST.... think about all the hotels, clothes, debit cards, food, etc. these ILLEGALS were given... and yet are homeless population continues to grow. So ask yourself... why are we helping others before our own? .. Because the Cartels have "bought" most of the Democrat party. 10 MILLION + ILLEGALS is an invasion, not a migration.
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Michael Hunt
Where are you getting your propaganda from? And this man is Venezuelan, not Mexican.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
Thats right.
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Larry Rowan Sr
Mathew I believe you are misinformed as Trump is following the laws of America. It is many other career politicians that did not & they should be held accountable for their evil deeds!
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Larry Rowan Sr
We are to follow the laws of the country we reside. (Romans 1-8) I also feel using a man with the name Jesus to allow him to break a countries laws is close to going against the Holy Spirit. Mathew (12:27-32.)u
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Steven Ferrell
Jesus was not a ILLEGAL. So those trying use use that excuse are grasping at straws.
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Lionheart
You possibly didn’t read the whole article, you will find, as stated in the article, that it has been determined he entered this country illegally, hence his detainment.
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Michael Hunt
Maybe you misread the article, but he came here to seek asylum and did all the things asked of asylum seekers, then this administration decided he entered the country illegally despite the fact that we've yet to see any evidence of wrong doing on Jesus' part.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
I fail to see evidence he did not do wrong.
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Michael Hunt
To quote the article, "Originally trained as an engineer, Jesus spent years learning English and had just been accepted into a carpentry work program – a career he hoped would help support his family of 4. He also routinely checked in with immigration authorities, as the rules directed him to. He has no criminal record."
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Wesley Richard Hunt
Evidently you missed the part about him being a criminal. And his name is heyzues regardless of spelling you liberal.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Are all people from Huntsville like you?
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Michael Hunt
The last sentence is literally, "He has no criminal record." Reading not a strong suit for you Republicans?
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Lionheart
No I didn’t misread the article, it clearly states, “But at a recent check in, Jesus was detained by ICE agents on the grounds that he entered the country illegally. He remains in custody while awaiting an upcoming immigration hearing that will decide his fate.”
Claiming asylum “after” having entered the US illegally is what most tend to do. The immigration hearing will have all the facts and will determine the outcome based on those facts.
Bear in mind that the previous administration didn’t grant him asylum so there is possibly more to this story than any of us know.
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Michael Hunt
"Claiming asylum “after” having entered the US illegally is what most tend to do." This is literally the process of seeking asylum. You don't have to enter through a legal port of entry, you just come to the US and request asylum.
To quote the following page, "To obtain asylum through the affirmative asylum process you must be physically present in the United States. You may apply for asylum regardless of how you arrived in the United States or your current immigration status." https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/asylum/obtaining-asylum-in-the-united-states
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Kevin Patrick Dabbs
First this whoever pastor isn't Jesus 2.. he over stayed his visa for more than 20 yrs 3... He is in this country illegally.
4.. deport and/or put him in prison As all Democrats say, NO ON IS ABOVE THE LAW-
Steven Ferrell
Exactly
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Robert Berry
Republicans and other Trump supporters seem to believe that he's above the law. His own wife broke our immigration laws with the lies on her immigration application. That's all quite verifiable. The immigrants who snuck in or over stayed their visa permits are guilty of misdemeanor offenses on a similar level as a parking or speeding ticket. They are contributing to our country in multiple ways and it's just stupid to rip them away and toss them out for living and working and paying taxes in our country. Register them, check their background and document them for a tiny fraction of the exorbandant costs of these roundup and imprisoning efforts going on. Let them pay a documentation and background check fee to cover the costs. Then the government knows who they are, how many there are, where they are and where they work and where they live. They continue working and contributing to our economy and communities. They re-register every year like a DL renewal and we know if they've committed any felonies. Why make it more complicated than this or petty with punitive penalities? There's just no really good or valid reasons. "Because their here illegally" Yeah, and we're correcting that together now. That makes 10x better sense.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
TDS, Lies
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Michael Hunt
Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is a pejorative term used to describe negative reactions to U.S. President Donald Trump that are characterized as irrational and disconnected from Trump's actual policy positions. The term has mainly been used by Trump supporters to discredit criticism of him, as a way of reframing the discussion by suggesting that his opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world, thus making TDS a logical fallacy.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
Democrats are deserving of pity and should be on meds.
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Michael Hunt
Do Democrats live in your head rent free?
Maybe instead of replying with "TDS, Lies" you could actually bring evidence to support your claims or defend your position. Right now, you're avoiding the discussion.
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Iden Charles Siegbert Hill
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40
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Clive Hessing
This is literally a hate crime. Jesus Christ 🧐
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Lionheart
It’s a problem isn’t it when we have laws that need to obeyed. 🤷
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Trump doesn't obey the laws. He's been convicted of more crimes then any 10 undocumented immigrants combined. Even Milania came in illegally, why isn't ICE taking her away?
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Lionheart
We are basically talking here about am immigration law that has been in vogue since the Constitution was written. We are a nation of laws that need to be adhered to. No one is above the law.
It will be very interesting to see if Pelosi, Schiff, Comey, Obama, Clinton (Hillary and Bill), Biden (Hunter, Joe, and Jill),Trump et al, will be held accountable for anything if they really have broken any laws.
Thanks for your comment, Sir Matthew.
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Rev. BH
Or if Trump will be held accountable, if and when the Epstein files come out.
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Lionheart
Yes, or indeed anyone. Let’s hope that will happen. 🤷
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Wesley Richard Hunt
BS a BSer.
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ServantOfJudgement
I hope so Rev BH. I guess Epstein caught Clinton at a bad time when he was wearing some girls blue dress. God willing, all involved will be in front of a jury.
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Rev. BH
"The artwork by artist Petrina Ryan-Kleid shows the former US president draped over a chair in the Oval Office, dressed in a blue dress and red heels recalling his tryst with White House intern Monica Lewinsky."
A gag painting in Epstein's townhouse. Please do your research before posting hearsay.
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ServantOfJudgement
If we make laws legal that politicians broke we'd have no laws at all.
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Robin Anne Hannon
Ok it's salient and odd at the same time that a carpenter named Jesus is being deported. We can certainly take it as an allegory that we've in a sense strayed so far from the teachings of Jesus we might as well have deported him. Perhaps this is why our country has lost its freedom in so many ways. "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land."
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Oh please ... god left his creation behind with no more second thought than Christians abandoning the teachings of Jesus.
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ServantOfJudgement
I think you're on the right path Robin. The things our country is going through match God's forms of judgment. Drunkards everywhere, homelessness, riots, invasions, crap in the streets, pharma in every medicine cabinet and so on. If God is real, He's definitely on the move.
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James Riggle-Johnson
They would do the same thing to Jesus Christ if he returned without documentation.
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ServantOfJudgement
If Jesus returns as the Bible says, he'll be deporting quite a few souls from his universe.
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Bridget Kielas-Fecyk
Not quite. If he returns, all those people that claim to worship MAGA and believe bigotry and cruelty are justifiable, will soon find themselves bereft and alone. They'll not be "deported" anywhere. They'll simply be left behind.
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Lionheart
Yes, if Jesus Christ was real, and tried to illegally immigrate to the US, even on a donkey, he too would be subject to the laws of the United States and would more than likely be sent home to his dad. 🤭
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Republicans have wanted to make America white since Teddy Roosevelt, and they won't stop. No matter how wrong or unChristian their methods are.
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ServantOfJudgement
I teach night classes for skilled trades and degreed courses where I have many Mexican Americans come through. THEY bring up politics in the classroom and THEY say they want all the illegal immigration to stop. They're upset about it.
They are not white though they may be republican. Trump voters they say but not white.
We are after all a nation of laws are we not?
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Laws don't apply to wealthy white men, like they do the rest of us.
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Lionheart
That really isn’t a true statement. Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein, were both convicted of sexual crimes. These cases show wealth, and skin color, do not exempt individuals from justice.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of crimes before his 2019 arrest:
2008 (Florida state case):
He pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution.
Because he was wealthy, he served 13 months in a county jail under a controversial work-release arrangement, after striking a federal non-prosecution agreement that shielded him from broader federal charges.
2019 (federal case in New York):
Epstein was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
He was denied bail and jailed while awaiting trial.
He died in custody in August 2019, so he was never convicted in the 2019 federal case.
At only a net worth of $25 million, Weintstein isn't wealthy enough to be exempt.
If their crimes had been commited by a minority that worked at McDonalds the results would have been much different.
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Lionheart
I am merely responding to your fallacy stating “laws don’t apply to wealthy white men”.
Jeffery Epstein was white and wealthy.
Harvey Weinstein was worth $300 million, which has subsequently dwindled to $25 million. He too is white and still in jail.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
⚖️ Wealth and Legal Outcomes
Access to lawyers: Wealthy defendants can afford top legal teams, expert witnesses, and long appeals. Poor defendants often rely on overburdened public defenders.
Bail system: Wealthy people can post bail; poor people often sit in jail awaiting trial even for minor charges.
Sentencing disparities: Studies show wealthy defendants are more likely to get lighter sentences or plea bargains for the same crimes.
Corporate crime: White-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, insider trading) often get lower sentences than street crimes, despite sometimes causing larger harm.
🧑🤝🧑 Race and Legal Outcomes
Policing: Black and Latino Americans are disproportionately stopped, searched, and arrested compared to whites, even controlling for crime rates.
Sentencing: Research shows Black men receive sentences on average 19% longer than white men for the same federal crimes (U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2017).
Drug laws: Crack cocaine (used more often in poor Black communities) carried much harsher sentences than powder cocaine (more common in wealthy/white communities) until reforms in 2010.
Death penalty: Studies find those convicted of killing white victims are more likely to get the death penalty than those who kill Black victims.
📌 High-Profile Examples
Wealthy white men (Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, corporate executives) often avoided harsh penalties for years despite repeated accusations, only facing consequences after massive public scrutiny.
Poor minorities: Often face swift and severe punishment for lesser crimes (e.g., long sentences for petty theft, drug possession).
✅ Summary
In law (on paper): Equal treatment is mandated.
In practice: Wealth and race create major disparities.
Wealth buys better defense, bail, and leniency.
Minorities, especially Black and Latino men, face harsher policing, charging, and sentencing.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Here’s a concise and data-backed update on whether U.S. laws are applied equally to wealthy white men vs. poor minorities, with a focus on recent (last few years) statistics and analysis:
- Youth Incarceration (Connecticut, 2023)
Black youths in Connecticut were 17.2 times more likely to be incarcerated than white youths; Latino youths were 4.6 times more likely.
These disparities persist despite overall low youth incarceration rates in the state.
CT Insider +1
- Traffic Stops & Racial Profiling Across the U.S.
A national analysis of nearly 100 million stops found:
Black drivers are stopped more often than expected.
Both Black and Hispanic drivers face higher search rates, but searches of minorities yield contraband less often, indicating lower standards of suspicion.
arXiv openpolicing.stanford.edu
A related study noted that stops during low-visibility (“veil of darkness”) hours are less racially skewed—suggesting race influences stop decisions.
PubMed
California Findings
In 2020, in cities like San Francisco and L.A., Black people were searched far more frequently than white people—up to 12.5 times more in L.A.
Yet, contraband was less likely to be found on Black individuals.
Force (lethal or nonlethal) was used 2.6 times more often against Black individuals compared to whites.
San Francisco Chronicle
Across California agencies, search rates for Black individuals were over twice those for whites (20.5% vs. 8.2%). Even after adjustments, Black individuals were still about 1.5 times more likely to be searched.
Contraband hit rates were lower for Black and Latino individuals.
Public Policy Institute of California
- Broader Police Encounters & Enforcement Disparities
In 2022:
Black drivers were searched or arrested during traffic stops at over double the rate of white drivers (9% vs. 3%).
Black individuals were more likely to experience police misconduct, and nonfatal use of force happened more than 3 times as often compared to whites.
Prison Policy Initiative
Bureau of Justice Statistics data shows:
Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to be searched or arrested during traffic stops (6%) versus other groups (4%).
White Americans are least likely to be ticketed, while other groups receive warnings or no action at higher rates.
USAFacts
- Sentencing Disparities
A Harvard study (via Stanford data) found:
Black defendants receive sentences that are, on average, 238 days longer than white defendants for the same crimes.
Latino defendants receive sentences 178 days longer than whites.
Wikipedia
Institutional racism is evident in over-policing in minority communities, racial profiling, and disparate criminal justice outcomes favoring wealthy white individuals.
Wikipedia
- Summary Table Issue Disparity (Recent Evidence) Youth Incarceration Black youths 17.2× more, Latino youths 4.6× more likely than white youths (CT, 2023) Traffic Stops/Searches Black/Hispanic drivers more frequently stopped and searched; lower contraband hit rates Use of Force & Misconduct Black individuals face significantly higher rates than whites Sentencing Length Black defendants: +238 days; Latino: +178 days longer than white defendants for same crimes
- Bottom Line
On paper, U.S. law promises equal treatment. In practice, statistical evidence overwhelmingly shows systemic disparities: poor minorities—particularly Black and Latino individuals—are stopped, searched, arrested, given stiffer sentences, and subjected to more force and misconduct compared to wealthy white individuals.
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Patricia Ann Gross
SOJ, it would be interesting to know how many and how fast these people are falling off the Trump bandwagon since he is now limiting refugee status to white (and wealthy) South Africans and ICE is picking up anyone with thick black hair and a dark complexion. Some deportations have been for legal visa holders and permanent residents.
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ServantOfJudgement
I'm not sure of the demographics, Ive read some Irish folk got deported and some white south Africans gur escorted in. I'm sure there's truth to what you say. Pound for pound there's been vastly more non whites than whites who've entered illegally though so that's going to give a bad impression at a glance. Also we know Chinese operatives and terrorists have made their way in as well. Probably any naughty country out there has sent in operatives. I would if I were a bad guy.
It's hard to keep track of bible believers here, I have a feeling you're one, sorry if I'm mistaken. If you are, what were experiencing matches very well with signs of judgement from God. Shockingly well. I suppose that's the biggest picture we could look at if we're Christian. We've been doing something (s) wrong long enough for God to get involved.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
You are prevaricating
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Patricia Ann Gross
What I don't understand, is how can a person be considered to have entered illegally when he has been going to his INS appointments religiously (pun intended) for the past four years? He entered under a law/provision where being a refugee from persecution from a tyranical government was legal, and has passed multiple screenings by the very agency he is being detaind by now. He has no criminal record, has a work permit and has been paying taxes. Just because you stop the program that he entered under doesn't make his entry illegal. Anyone ever hear the phrase "bait and switch?"
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Lionheart
Possibly, we don’t have all the facts of this particular case. The article suggests that it has been determined he entered the United States illegally. The immigration hearing will ultimately determine his fate after they have considered all the facts at their disposal.
It definitely is interesting that he has been attending his INS appointments regularly for the past four years, and yet still hasn’t been granted citizenship, or legal asylum. Presumably there are reasons for that, which the immigration hearings will resolve while contemplating his application to remain here in the United States.
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Nicholas J Page
Jesus, and he's a carpenter never heard that one before next he will be walking on water.Honestly you have to laugh he's been honest since he came to the States now they want to deport him .You couldn't make this up.
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Lionheart
According to the article he broke the law entering the United States illegally. Despite being honest since illegally entering the United States, he still broke the law, which is a crime, but the immigration hearing will determine his fate.
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John Alex Paxson
Come on.... get a life people... things were different then, as they are different now.
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Robert Gagnon
I get it that few illegal immigrants are bad people. We can never know what any of their stories may be. We do have immigration laws for a reason. Many immigrants follow the process and wait years to come here. Illegals travel through how many countries that speak their language with job opportunities to cross illegally? Telling stories that they only make 5 dollars a day, then say how they pay the coyotes tens of thousands of dollars. Reality is they break the law to cross illegally. Illegals are a heavy financial burden on our government while supplying cheap labor for opportunist employers. Most are not living the good life here. If you break the law to be here you suffer the consequences when the laws change. Decades ago an ex felon could own a firearm, then one day that became illegal. Laws change and everyone is subject to them whether they are right or wrong. Laws don't care what kind of a person you are.
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Robert Berry
Being in the US without permission is a misdemeanor offense. Most American citizens actually commit a misdemeanor crime nearly every day while driving their vehicle via speeding or myriad other traffic driving laws and often flagrantly. Let's not punish otherwise perfectly good people with imprisonment and deportation for what was long accepted to be a customary trip to the US. Let's make them legal since they are already contributing in multiple ways and living a law abiding life here in every other way.
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Alexander Clarke
Few traffic laws are misdemeanors. Most are infractions so very few drivers commit misdemeanors while driving.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
DEMOCRAT
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Lionheart
We still have immigration laws with its associated punishments for breaking them no matter how many have entered the US illegally and living a good clean life.
We have 1000’s trying to enter legally. Their successful applications are being threatened by all those trying to jump the line pushing their way in illegally.
They need to do as I did and immigrate to the US legally if they meet the immigration requirements.
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JT Sunrise
Deporting Jesus: When Law Chooses Absence Over Presence
A carpenter named Jesus has been arrested in Pennsylvania. His name is Jesús Terán, a Venezuelan asylum seeker who fled persecution, rebuilt his life, and became a cornerstone of his church community. He is a father, a worker, a builder of gardens, and a man of faith. Yet today he sits in detention, awaiting deportation.
This story reads like allegory, but it is not allegory—it is history repeating in rhyme.
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Theological Dimension
Christian scripture is filled with commands about welcoming the stranger. “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35) is not metaphor; it is covenant. The early church understood hospitality to migrants and exiles as a mark of discipleship. To detain a man named Jesus, who has broken no law beyond the borders he crossed to survive, is to expose the dissonance between professed Christian nationalism and lived Christian practice.
America claims a biblical heritage, yet its policies deny sanctuary to Christians at the border. Deporting Jesús Terán would not only fracture his family—it would fracture the integrity of Christian witness in the public square.
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Philosophical Dimension
At stake here is ontology: what counts as presence, and what systems choose to erase. Jesús is present. He works, worships, tends gardens, raises children. He contributes to the commons in measurable and visible ways. Yet ICE reduces him to a category—illegal alien—and in so doing strips his being of recognition.
This is the philosophical violence of bureaucracy: it collapses a living human into an abstract label, allowing absence to dictate reality. The neighbor becomes a number, the worker becomes a file, and the carpenter is no longer a presence in his community but a body awaiting removal.
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Scientific Dimension
Systems science shows that communities thrive when feedback loops reinforce cooperation, trust, and stability. Removing integral members destabilizes these loops. Deporting Jesús Terán removes not just a worker, but the relational bonds he sustains—his role in a church garden, his care for his children, his participation in civic life.
This is what sociologists call social capital: the invisible but measurable strength of relationships that keep communities resilient. When the system treats contributors as expendable, it weakens its own stability. Deportation is not neutral—it is entropy introduced into a living system.
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Why It Matters
The irony could not be sharper: while Christian nationalism calls for a more “biblical America,” the state targets a Christian carpenter for removal. The choice being made is clear: fewer immigrants outweighs more Christians. Presence is sacrificed to absence.
This contradiction forces the question: Who counts as a neighbor? Who counts as Christian? And how long can a system sustain itself when it erases the very people who embody its professed values?
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The Call
Jesús Terán’s case is not just an immigration story. It is a mirror held to America’s conscience. Faith communities rallying to his side embody a theology of presence—recognizing the sacred in the person before them, not the abstraction written in a policy manual.
To defend Jesús is to defend ontology itself: the truth that being matters more than categories, that neighbors are more than numbers, and that justice requires honoring the presence of those who build, nurture, and belong.
The question remains: will America deport a carpenter named Jesus, or will it learn to welcome the stranger as scripture commands?
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Lionheart
Despite your lengthy philosophical article, at the end of the day we still have immigration laws that need to be enforced. It looks as though it has been determined he is an illegal immigrant seeking asylum like so many who have entered this country illegally, hence his detainment. The immigration hearing will determine the legal outcome.
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Lionheart
First, we are a country of law and order, and as Democrats love to say, no one is above the law.
Second, we don’t know all the facts relating to Mr Tehran, but according to this article he is an illegal alien entering this country illegally in 2021 under Biden’s watch, so he broke the law.
Third, it’s wonderful that he is being offered due process to attend an upcoming immigration hearing.
Fourth, this article purposely references “immigrants”, which tends to imply they are all here legally, when in fact this issue is primarily about “illegal immigrants” who broke the law entering this country…..illegally.
Fifth, let’s hope, when all factors have been considered at his hearing, everything goes in his favor, but if it doesn’t, there will be justifiable reasons decided by the court.
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Robert Berry
It's really long been the Republicans that beat the law and order drum as if they are all somehow never guilty of any crimes.
Due process is guaranteed under the US Constitution by all persons in the US whether they are citizens or alien visitors.
Being in the US without permission is a misdemeanor offense. Not some horrible felony on a level with the murderers and rapists that Trump and the Republicans have so often tried to paint them all as being. That's political manipulation needless fear mongering to exploit the citizens and control their thinking. Believing their gobbledygook gross exaggerations should leave any adult feeling abused and ignorant.
We seem to be a country of law and order when it's most convenient to us or when it applies to others. How many of us break the speed limit at times? Our current President has 34 pending felonies against him, made by a jury that his lawyers helped to select. Now he misuses the entire US justice department to find ways to elude responsibility. He's done the same by having over a thousand FBI agents review the Epstein files and remove his name from them before any public release. But he claimed others had weaponized our Justice Department.
Trump's own wife lied on her visa and citizenship applications but isn't being south for deportation. She grossly misrepresented her education and her living situation. Plus who really believes that "modeling" is worthy of a GENIUS visa? She was actually just a highly paid escort girl. Absolute facts!
It's positively ignorant to rip otherwise perfectly law abiding people from the community and family and jobs over a misdemeanor offense. Their contributions are many and we will suffer from their deportations. It makes 10x more sense to simply register and document them. Require a renewal every year and move on without making a big dumb politically motivated needless fuss. You like all the law and order chatter: that fulfills the order for a tiny fraction of the current costs. Misdemeanor charge adjudicated, documentation fee paid by them.
Let's be happy that we could so easily fix the perceived and real problems and celebrate their many contributions to our Nation's success.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
He is here illegally DEAL WITH IT.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
Presumed innocent until proven guilty. No evidence has been published that he entered illegally. You have no proof. And that's it, you can shout about how vehemently you think someone you don't know is an illegal alien, but in the end it's your word and ICE's against his and his entire community's, and you have no proof for your accusation. So your rant above just makes you look hateful.
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Lionheart
Don’t forget, that we are dealing with someone that has attended his requested meetings over the last four years under President Biden, and even that administration hasn’t granted him legal status. It has been decided at the federal level that he is an illegal immigrant, so presumably they have more facts than we do and his next immigration hearing will make the decision based on those facts. If they decide to send him back, then we can assume there is just cause for doing that whether we like it or not.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Country of Law and Order? We have a 34 times convicted felon as our leader. Which means that the US Government is a criminal organization.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Ever notice how christians are only christians when it suits their purpose?
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Barbara Harris
And they will always get in your face telling you all the wonderful things they do. But it's all for show.
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
In what will soon become the Bible, for the “Secular Humanist Pantheist” denomination, of the Universal Life Church, in Broken Arrow, Ok (Oklahoma’s 4th largest community) it will be advocated, that all of those, who are legally able, to reside in the USA, be issued a “National Identity Card” (NIC) then anyone who hires anybody without a NIC, will spend mandatory time in a federal prison, and a minimum fine of ten times the salary of each NIC-less worker. Doing so, will ameliorate homelessness, in the USA
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ServantOfJudgement
I read the story, I read that the guys church, or better said, the Christians in his church are trying to help him.
You'll find it you look it up that ICE is a nondenominational government agency tasked to follow and execute immigration laws.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Trump said he was going to deport millions of illegal immigrants as he was campaigning. Now he's doing exactly what he said he was going to do and people are outraged? If the outraged people didn't want this to happen why didn't more of them vote against Trump. It's a little late now to try and change things now.
If Jesus is here illegally then Jesus should be deported. And while we are at it let's deport he father God as well. And that other member of the family, the Holy Ghost. This is what is Making America Great Again and is exactly what the Christians done.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Douglas,
It's not that difficult. Trump also said he would prioritize the hard-core criminals and those here illegally, then he changed the legal status of more than a half million refugees. He also put a "failure is no option or lose your job" edict for 3,000 arrests of these worst of the worst "criminals;" What he is getting is no entry, (even citizens are having trouble getting back into the country,) and people with former legal status are the ones being rounded up because of where they work, their accents, or the amount of melanin in their skin. Pew Research reported yesterday that 60 percent of the people disapprove of the way he is handling the immigration issue. What he promised is getting rid of criminals, not grandmothers and children.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
You lie
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Michael Hunt
What evidence do you have to support your stance that Patricia is lying?
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Wesley Richard Hunt
Democrat where is PROOF she is not.
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Michael Hunt
Well, here for starters: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/17/americans-have-mixed-to-negative-views-of-trump-administration-immigration-actions/
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Wesley Richard Hunt
HAH, YOU CALL THAT PROOF. You probably believe NPR and PBS and adam shiff and latecia james.
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Michael Hunt
It's more proof than you have provided. If what I provided isn't proof, you should be easily able to disprove it, right?
Where are you getting your information from? What information are you consuming to form your opinions?
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Albert Douglas DuBois
Many ARE going through whatever meager legal processes available to them. They're getting picked up at their LEGAL court hearings. ICE doesn't care if they have green cards or they're waiting for one or if they're legally applying for one.
Many have walked hundreds of miles through the desert, along with their wives and children and entering through legal checkpoints in order to work their butts off for us doing things that Americans are utterly incapable of doing just to have hope that they can participate someday in the great American dream. We've allowed them, over generations, to become an integral part of our economy and suddenly we're treating them like crap.
Everything in the grocery store is picked, slaughtered and packaged by them. We get fed because of them. Our homes are built by them. We need comprehensive immigration reform but congress refuses to pass that because you-know-who won't allow that because then he would have no fear mongering to campaign on.
They should be issuing work visas instead of spending tens of billions of dollars splitting families apart. I swear, even when food prices triple and produce is left rotting in the fields, there will still be lot of people in this country that just don't get it.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
Name one with a green card who is not a criminal and if they would pay a decent wage they would not need to pay a criminal. I also get sick and tired of all you Chicken Littles. When JESUS worked as a carpenter he paid taxes.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
America is at it's lowest since we were allowed to own people. The only thing more vile, then the Velveeta Voldemort, are his cultists. Together they've made America: racist, xenophobic, misogynistic and homophobic.
We need to ctrl+alt+del the entire government and economic system and start over from scratch.
If I had the ways and means, I'd take my family and leave America behind.
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Cullen Graeff Phillips
I am sure we can take up a collection to facilitate your departure.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
Maybe you ought to start a Go Fund me and I will make the first donation. America love it or leave it.
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Lionheart
If you want to know the areas within the United States where we are at our lowest, just go to any Democrat sanctuary state and take a look at the homeless living on the streets. California, for instance has been given millions of dollars to rectify that situation. No one knows where all that money has gone, and yet the homeless population not only still exists, but has got worse. Gavin Newsom has a lot to answer for.
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Michael Hunt
Homelessness isn't solely a "Democrat sanctuary state" issue but one experienced throughout the country. https://palletshelter.com/blog/debunking-myths-homelessness-is-a-blue-state-problem/
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Trump also PROMISED that mexico would pay for and build the wall. He said he'd end the war between the Ukraine and Russia on his first day of office. He said interest rates would drop day one. He said COVID would disappear like a miracle and yet it's still here. He also said that if his daughter, who was 14 at the time, wasn't his daughter, he'd have taken her to bed.
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Jimmy Moon
If he’s here legally I can see him getting to stay. But if illegally he’s got to go. If he’s illegal and a Christian, he can go back home and witness to his fellow countrymen. Also, the sign at the top of the page says JESUS was an immigrant, that’s kind of stupid ain’t it.
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Robert Berry
Being in the US without permission is a misdemeanor offense. Most American citizens actually commit a misdemeanor crime nearly every day while driving their vehicle via speeding or myriad other traffic driving laws and often flagrantly. Let's not punish otherwise perfectly good people with imprisonment and deportation for what was long accepted to be a customary trip to the US. Let's make them legal since they are already contributing in multiple ways and living a law abiding life here in every other way.
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Wesley Richard Hunt
How is he paying taxes HUH
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Michael Hunt
Sales tax, for one. Many immigrants file income taxes as well. However, they're not eligible for benefits like SNAP or Medicaid.
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Larry Rowan Sr
So why is it the Democrats are up in arms about the USDA requiring states turn over identifying information on all SNAP recipients & applicants since 2020, "including but not limited to" names, dates of birth, addresses & Social Security numbers, as well as the dollar amount each recipient received over time. States that do not comply with USDA's data demand could lose funds. Why is there an issue if no illegals were not on the recipient list?
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Michael Hunt
Because applicants need to provide lots of sensitive personal data to receive SNAP benefits and they don't want the federal government to have data that could be used to target SNAP recipients, such as cutting off assistance if they participated in a protest the President didn't like. I'm guessing ICE wants this data to find US citizens who receive things like SNAP and are children of undocumented immigrants.
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/19/nx-s1-5471553/usda-snap-privacy-lawsuit
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/content/immigrants-public-benefits-us
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Wesley Richard Hunt
How about federal and state income taxes that pay for federal and state infrastructure smart guy. Democrat.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
Michael literally mentioned income taxes in the comment you're responding to. Maybe don't read for a while until you're done fogging up your glasses. Have a snack, take a nap. People disbelieving a goon agency that has arrest quotas isn't worth giving yourself a stroke.
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Michael Hunt
They pay those, according to the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/pay-for-personal-services-performed
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Jimmy Moon
Rob berry, you are wrong. Illegally here is a crime. (a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both. Deport them all. And keep the families together in their own country.
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Michael Hunt
Thanks for describing a misdemeanor offense to us.
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Within the context of the bible, Jesus was not an immigrant at all. Certainly not an illegal immigrant. Indeed, Egypt and Israel were part of the Roman empire. There were no restrictions to travel within the Roman empire. Joseph and Mary were adhering to the law of the land when the fled murder by Herod and again when they returned to Israel after Herod's death. This equates to a family from Ohio moving to Kentucky for a few years and returning to Ohio after a new governor is elected. No big deal, happens all the time.
It's important we realize this. The King of Kings is one of order.
Let's stop comparing willing law breakers against the flawless one just because they have the same name.