It's a good thing that the Pilgrims didn't write bad checks.
Or run the equivalent of STOP signs in the 1620s.
We are living in a time when immigrants in America, even legal ones, are viewed with heightened suspicion by those in power though, thankfully, not for the most part by their native born neighbors.
They are not only viewed with suspicion but all too often are subjected to heavy handed sanction that far outweighs whatever minor transgression might be in an individual's past.
There is, for example, the case of Jim Brown, a native Nebraskan, and his Irish citizen wife, Donna Hughes-Brown, who has been held in an ICE detention facility since returning from Ireland in late July.
She was detained at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
Home here would normally be in Missouri for Jim and Donna.
But we are not in normal times.
Their story, the latest grim version of it, has been reported in the likes of The Guardian and the Irish Times.
Donna was born in England to Irish parents. Nothing unusual about that.
Her parents came to the U.S. when Donna was 11. She has lived here now for 47 years so those early years are a distant memory.
A decade ago Donna made a mistake.
She wrote two bad checks during a hard time.
The total of both checks was less than $60. She later repaid the sum written on those two checks.
For this financial sin she is now being held in the ICE detention facility, one of tens of thousands currently languishing in facilities which, according to multiple reports, are little short of horrific.
Jim Brown, a military veteran (Jim and Donna's son is a Marine) has been knocking on doors in Washington trying to secure his wife's release.
And remember, she is a legal resident so you might think she is entitled to some form of legal process that would at least have her out of detention pending a resolution of her case.
You might think.
Being a green card holder has long been seen by legal residents as being a sufficient guarantee of a legal American life.
Many if not most card holders take the next steps towards full citizenship.
This newspaper would always advise this course.
There was a view, held by some mostly in the past, that becoming a U.S. citizen would mean having to relinquish Irish citizenship. That is not the case.
Both countries recognize dual citizenship. But there are misconceptions out there, even today when virtually basic questions regarding visas, green cards and citizenship eligibility can be answered on nothing more than a smartphone.
But taking the step from green card-holding permanent resident to citizenship has itself come under a cloud of suspicion in today's toxic environment.
As was reported in the newspaper The Hill, the Trump administration moved in recent days to no longer allow New York county courts or state supreme court justices to preside over citizenship ceremonies.
As a result many swearings-in ceremonies were cancelled.
This was the explanation from United States Customs and Immigration Service: “USCIS is dedicated to ensuring that all aspects of the naturalization process comply with federal law. After reviewing the jurisdiction of certain New York county courts under the Immigration and Nationality Act, we have determined that these courts do not meet the statutory requirements to conduct naturalization ceremonies. As a result, USCIS will transition from judicial to administrative ceremonies to ensure compliance with the law. Aliens scheduled for ceremonies at these courts will be rescheduled, and their naturalization process will continue.”
According to the Hill report, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a letter to USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, "demanded answers regarding the cancellations, which she said were reported in Broome, Onondaga, Rockland, Schenectady, Tompkins, Washington and Westchester counties.
She further noted that the move had raised alarm among both Democratic and Republican state officials." One of those alarmed was Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, whose district straddles Rockland and Westchester counties.
Congressman Lawler, who was likely hearing it from some constituents, contacted Joseph Edlow.
The result was a reversal of the decision to cancel the citizenship ceremonies, at least for now.
Lawler, whose wife came to America from Moldova, told the New York Times: "When you have people who actively choose to want to become American citizens and swear an allegiance to this country, it's a wonderful moment and that's something that we should celebrate."
Lawler told the Times that he had been informed by USCIS that the cancellations were a mistake.
That response from USCIS sounds more than a little dodgy.
You would think that at a time when immigration enforcement is going full on that the immigration authorities would be more than happy to see as many folks as possible become fully fledged American citizens in county courts, as well as federal facilities, so that the likes of ICE wouldn't have to focus time and masked personnel resources on them.
Again, you would think.
