Student's Prize Is a Trip Into Immigration Limbo

This story is about Amadou Ly, an 18 year old boy from Senegal, who faces deportation becuase he is an illegal immigrant.

When he was 13, his mother brought him here, speaking no english at all. She left him in the U.S. to go to school, while she returned to Senegal. He has since become an exceptionally smart young man in a rough situation. He joined a robotics team in NYC and was set to compete in a robot building competition in Atlanta. One problem: He didn't have proper ID to board the plane becuase he was not a legal citizen.

"In the end, his fate could hinge on immigration legislation now being debated in Congress. Several Senate bills include a pathway for successful high school graduates to earn legal status. But a measure passed by the House of Representatives would make his presence in the United States a felony, and both House and Senate bills would curtail the judicial review that allows exceptions to deportation."

Personally, I feel as though he can contribute to society and should be given the opportunity to succeed in the U.S. The immigration reform must take cases like this into account. He has done nothing wrong and doesn't deserve to be treated as if he did do something wrong.

How do you feel? Should someone like Ly be able to stay within the country, or should he be forced to leave as an illegal immigrant?