As Suzanne Gamboa reports for ABC News, a huge spike in deportations for criminal offenses under the Obama administration has “renewed skepticism” among critics who cite Obama’s claim that his administration is focusing on deporting illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes.
But if you’ve ever been hit and injured by a drunk truck driver, for example, or if a loved one was killed as a result of a drunk driving accident, then you have first-hand knowledge and experience with just how dangerous and serious drunk driving can be.
Gamboa reports that Obama, in a speech he gave in Texas a few months ago, that he was looking to arrest the “worst of the worst” and not “folks who are looking to scrape together an income.” When it comes to those folks who were deported for drunk driving, it’s hard to determine whether or not they were having a tough time making ends meet.
It’s less hard to determine whether or not drunk driving qualifies someone as being among the “worst of the worst,” especially if you or someone you love is seriously injured or even killed by a drunk driver.
Essentially, it’s a political question.
Do we, as a nation, want to consider drunk driving as heinous a crime as we consider homicide or child pornography? Or do we consider car accidents caused by drunk drivers to be just that: accidents?
When it comes to deportation of illegal immigrants, Obama will get flak from both sides of the aisle, no matter what decision he makes. But is the rise in the number of people deported for drunk driving a good thing?
No matter what your opinion is on immigration law, the increase in deportations for drunk driving certainly plays a role in reducing the number of drunk-driving accidents on our roadways.
Source: ABC News, “Drunken Driving, Traffic Crime Deportations Way Up,” by Suzanne Gamboa, 07/22/11