Edited by author 01-08-2003 07:35 PM
Rich, I can't compress the whole argument into a couple of sound bites without cutting a few corners. So let me enhance that: IMHO it is immoral to use the work visa program to scam jobs away from the people the program was intended to support, which includes the rare legitimate foreign skill which cannot be found in the USA (i.e. native speakers of a foreign language). I am just as concerned about the unemployed Americans who have trouble finding jobs as I am about unemployed foreign language scholars. Go read the link I posted and then tell me if you think that the Visa programs should be the tool of the Microsofts of the world, or of the Universities of the world.
On another point, no, these people were not arrested for trying to deal with the paperwork. They were arrested because they did failed to submit the paperwork before the deadline. They have nobody but themselves to blame. They knew the deadlines, and they knew there could be penalties for failure to comply with the law. If they encountered long lines when they came in to the INS offices at the last moment, they should have gone in earlier. If jail was tougher than they expected, well, guess what: it always is. Visa holders are guests of the State, and it is not the State's responsibility to make sure they comply with the laws, it is the guest's responsibility to comply. That's the deal, take it or leave.