EDITORIAL GOOFBALL POLITICS THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE GETS SILLY IN SIMI VALLEY.ELECTED officials in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. have waded into the immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. debate and taken the silliness to an even more absurd level. The story stems from the tumultuous anti-immigration rally there over the weekend, in which protesters decided to march to a local church that was housing an illegal immigrant illegal immigrant n. an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa. (See: alien) and her infant son and take her into custody after performing a citizen's arrest cit·i·zen's arrest n. An arrest made by a citizen, for whom legal authority arises from the fact of citizenship, rather than by an officer of the law. . The march, organized by Save Our State, got a little raucous, involving the pepper spraying of a nonprotester by one of the protesters, and the police stood by for the three-hour event to keep the peace. That's where Simi officials stepped in. On Wednesday, the Simi Valley City Council announced that it was sending the United Church of Christ United Church of Christ, American Protestant denomination formed in 1957 by a merger of the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches (see Congregationalism) and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. congregation a bill for nearly $40,000 -- the cost for the police attention. Putting aside the exorbitant bill (just how much do cops in Simi Valley earn?), the premise of fining the subject of a protest is ridiculous. How can the church be responsible for the actions of the people protesting against it? If that logic holds, then anyone hoping to stick it to their opponents would rush out to Simi Valley and hold a protest. And, of course, that logic won't hold water anywhere but in the minds of the council and its cohorts. Clearly, this is their way of taking a stand on the volatile immigration debate. If the city's elected officials want to take a stand against illegal immigration "Illegal alien" and "Illegal aliens" redirect here. For other uses, see Illegal aliens (disambiguation). Illegal immigration refers to immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. and the sanctuary movement -- which is their right -- they should do it in a straightforward manner, not with a publicity stunt that only serves to sully the entire debate. |
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