Regardless of what you believe about immigration, it really seems like people should be concerned about America being completely willing to embrace cruelty.

* She is someone who was trying to follow a legal path to citizenship.

* She was trying to work a job.

* She tried to follow the law and got legal advice, albeit from a terrible source (her employer.)

I don't mean any of this to sway how anyone feels about whether she should be ultimately allowed in the country, but it definitely feels like an argument in favor of some benefit of the doubt for her.

I moved to Europe because I was distressed about the direction America was going. I would really love for America to be a place that cares and loves people in their communities. I miss it. I miss being near my family. But when I read articles like this I really wonder how I could be a part of this world.

Edit: I vouched for this post. It seems things that are political of any sort frequently get flagged on HN, but this is an important story to tell. One woman trapped at immigration is a tragedy, one hundred thousand is a statistic.

Where did you move? I am approaching this point as well. Plus, the prospect of the astronomical college prices in the US for my 3 kids starting in 8 years is not enticing either.

Amsterdam

I'm trying to convince my wife to move there, I want my kids to go see their friends on bike, not organise car transportation for play dates.

Very cool. My employer just opened an office there, and I've been intrigued.

This is what ICE does. They have no interest in the spirit of the law. They're nothing but a ring of thugs, given license by the government to harass people and ruin lives as much as they want, so long as they can construe it under the letter of our immigration law. Even when they step outside of the law and are later forced through a lawsuit to let someone go, there are never any consequences. They actively deceive people about their rights and then arrest them. There have been stories of them literally detaining American citizens because they spoke Spanish.

If you don't like the laws, change them. It's really pretty straightforward. We live in a democratic republic where these processes are well defined and understood broadly.

When the people our society has charged to enforce our laws enforce the law, that's a good outcome; if they didn't, that'd be literally unjust.

I don't know this woman, but it seems pretty stupid of her to leave the country which she is illegally inhabiting and then be surprised when she's not allowed to re-enter. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Unfortunately, with the combination of the electoral college, gerrymandering, the concentration of more liberL voters in cities, and each state regardless of population having 2 senators, even if the majority of the population doesn’t want these policies, they are drowned out.

Law is not so simple. There are many layers, from The law itself, to judicial rulings and precedent, followed by enforcement and decisions on how to deal with conflicting situations between all of the above.

I agree, and I consider that to be harmful and bad. It should not be up to law enforcement whether or not they will enforce the law. Anytime they do not, they are unjust and harmful. If there are bad laws, let's get them removed.

in this instance there is an administrative layer right under the law: how the enforcement is organized and how much money is spent on which issue.

I can't begin to imagine the pain both she and her husband are feeling right now. That we have institutions that so callously detain clearly innocent and productive members of our community is truly appalling.

Pieces like this make me so ashamed of my country.

A lifetime of worry to varying degree, a seeming resolution, an absolutely unnecessary assault on a group of people who seem to embody exactly what the American spirit is all about.

:(

Xenophobia at the state level. I read some official policies yesterday, they are just malevolent.