Status offenders

The term “status offender” refers to people who have not actually committed a defined crime, but have done something illegal because of their status in the community.  An example would be a 15-year-old walking along the sidewalk at 11 p.m. in a town that has a 10 p.m. curfew for juveniles.  If I were walking down the street, no problem.  The 15-year-old, however, can be taken into custody because of his status.  He hasn’t assaulted anyone, hasn’t robbed a convenience store, hasn’t spray painted a wall.  He has simply violated curfew and his age makes his act criminal.

The vast majority of illegal immigrants in the U.S. are status offenders. They have not robbed banks or sold drugs.  Most labor at poor paying, often dangerous jobs.  They are routinely exploited, have no health insurance, and live day-to-day.  These are the people who are being scapegoated for all the economic ills in this country. 

If you want to blame people for the state of the economy, it is not the guys who speak Spanish.  It is white men in suits who make millions.  They speak English without an accent, they manage hedge funds, they vote Republican, they ship jobs to China.  They get tax cuts.  They don’t contribute.  They are the parasites.