Separating 'dreamers' from criminal immigrants

Just about every time there is a violent crime in the Valley where the perpetrator has not yet been identified I'll get a call or an e-mail from someone presuming that the violence was committed by an "illegal alien" and that we in the media are covering it up.

I never hear back when that turns out not to be true.

I got a couple of calls like that Tuesday, when the Department of Homeland Security announced that between 2010 and 2014, 121 undocumented immigrants who committed crimes but were released while awaiting deportation, and were later charged with homicide.

It's a horror. It never should have happened. And back in December DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson told Congress that he had stopped the release of convicted criminals without higher approval or because of fiscal constraints.

But news like this feeds into those who believe that no immigrant is a good immigrant.

Roughly 80 Arizona "dreamers" rallied at the State Capitol Monday to mark the third anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and to push for an end to a temporary injunction preventing new programs that could affect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants.

One of the first callers to leave a message on my phone Tuesday wanted to know if I was "happy that we let killer 'aliens' go free and don't care if 'illegals' rally at the Capitol."

One of the e-mails I received Tuesday was from a man who wrote, "It seems you are in step with the Federal government, letting these 'dreamers' kill Americans while getting people like (Sheriff Joe) Arpaio 'off the streets.' The timing of this article and yours (on the sheriff in Tuesday's Republic) is ironic. Apparently you have more empathy for our illegal alien brothers than the victims of these felons. Better a few Americans get killed than these 'dreamers' spend time in prison."

The 'dreamers' aren't criminals.

In order to qualify for the deferred action program an applicant has to have come to the United States under the age of 16 and lived here continuously for at least five years.

They have to be in school, or have graduated from high school, or have obtained a General Education Development certificate, or have been honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States.

They can't be convicted of a felony or a significant misdemeanor offense. And they must go through a background check.

There are still plenty of people who don't want them here. I get that.

But all immigrants aren't the same.

And, thankfully, most Americans get that.