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?

Bush pushes immigrations reform as Congress returns from break

This is the one of the most recent updates on U.S. immigration policy (following up on Stacy's post). Bush is calling for some sort of middle ground because he believes that it is impossible to send back 11 million illegal aliens, but also is concerned with letting immigrants in to work legally. Bush is currently pushing a bill to allow more foreigners to legally work in the United States, but Conservatives and Democrats have a list of amendments they want to consider. Senator Specter believes differences in opinions will be worked out and that a bill will be passed. Yet Specter does realize that the American immigration system has been broken down and that this bill will not be a quick fix if all problems are not addressed. What will Americans think if this bill is passed? Will they finally voice their opinion? Is this going to be an example of Americans only caring about an issue when that particular issue becomes a controversial topic in the public sphere?