Immigration Impact: Can United States Really Deport Justin Bieber for That? Matthew Kolodzie - American Immigration Council
go to original January 20, 2014

As lawmakers continue to debate immigration reform, Justin Bieber may have provided us with an excellent opportunity to examine how aggressive and unforgiving our deportation system has become. Police raided Bieber’s Los Angeles mansion following allegations that he egged his neighbor’s house. Police also found drugs in his home. This is the latest in a series of problems for Bieber, who was accused previously of using drugs and hitting a photographer. Bieber is not an immigrant but instead in the U.S. on a temporary, renewable visa; however, due to his crimes, he could find himself removable.

Your average immigrant could be deported for such offenses or even less dramatic ones, as 68 percent of legal immigrants (including permanent residents) are deported for minor, non-violent crimes. And there is no statute of limitation in the immigration laws. Immigrants can be put into deportation proceedings for crimes committed years - even decades - earlier.

For decades, the U.S. has been expanding the list of relatively minor crimes that lead to automatic deportation. For example, hitting a photographer, as Mr. Bieber was alleged to have done last May, could result in a conviction for battery, a crime of violence punishable by up to a year in prison in California if it leads to serious injury. This could be classified as an “aggravated felony.” An aggravated felony conviction not only leads to automatic deportation, but it also bans a person from the U.S. forever.

Read the rest at Immigration Impact

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