US Government steals $59K from illegal immigrant

[Duck]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/.....index.html

Here's a lovely story about a man named Pedro Zapeta. Zapeta, an impoverished man from Guatemala, wanted a better life for his family, so he made his way into the land of opportunity, the United States of America, and spent eleven years working his *** off as a dishwasher for $5.50 to $5.75 per hour. He managed to overcome the hurtles of living as an illegal immigrant who spoke no English, eventually raising $50 000 to bring back to his homeland. He put it all in cash, threw it in a duffel bag, and went down the the airport.

Being unable to speak English, he did not understand that he had to declare any amount of money over $10 000, and the money that he had worked eleven years to raise was siezed.

Zapeta then did the obvious thing: he contacted lawyers. The American government then started trying to deport him, without a cent of his money. People from far and wide managed to raise $10 000 for him; this is sitting in a trust fund which the US government is also preventing him from accessing. They have offered a compromise: he can take $10 000 of the money he earned, plus $9000 that ordinary people sent to him of their own free will, as long as he leaves the country and speaks to no one about his story.

Obviously, he declined.

Zapeta is now waiting to be deported without a cent of the $50 000 that he earned or the $10 000 that were sent to him. The US government has stolen his $50K and an additional $10K from their own citizens.
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[marinaroz]

That sounds like a very strange story. Even more, it sounds like the kind of lawsuit that this guy could easily win, if he just hires a proper lawyer. Aren't there laws against deporting someone who has been in the country for so many years? Very strange indeed.
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[Myst]

It is a very strange story, and you kinda feel sorry for the guy. However, he was in the country illegally, and working illegally, so I guess they can more or less do anything they want with his money.

I guess it's weird that he had all that money in a bag though - it shows on what level this guy was working at, and you feel sorry that he was just trying to help out his family.

I hope he gets at least most of what he earnt and can bring it back home.

[Duck]

[Necromis]

First he should not have been in this country. Secondly he broke the laws of this country. Third he was an idiot and should have taken a cashier's check instead of cash with him. He could have deposited or cashed it at any bank in Mexico. This guy is part of the problem. He sneaks in illeagally and takes the place, and job, of a honest imagrent that is going through the proper steps to come into this country and live/work. If he is here illeagally, there is a 99% chance that he never paid in any amount of taxes, as he was most likely paid under the table. He probably also didn't pay anything for any health care expenses he incurred at the local hospitals. So he has probably cost this country more than the 59K.

The man is a criminal, regardless of the reasons. If someone stole money to buy their family food they are still a crook. There are proper steps to take. Why he broke the law does not change that fact and until people come to realize this we are going to always have problems like this.

[Duck]

[Necromis]

Well lets see, the average person pays around 5k in taxes each year. Times that by 11 years, and that is $55k he failed to pay in taxes. On top of that he should have been paying in $650 a year to social security totalling $7150. Add to that the times he most likely went to the hospital in 11 years, even if only once a year you are looking at close to $5500 dollars. So adding that up you have him costing the US $67650. Based on that, he still owes the US $8650. Most people don't see the problem with illeagels. They hurt the country, and only take away from it. They have no regard for the laws of the country they are so wanting to live. I have nothing against leagel immigration. After all everyone within the US besides the Native Americans, are decendants of some immigrant. Not enforcing the laws we already have, and stopping the flow of illeagels harms the country, and hurts everyone here. He should pay for the crime he has commited, should have to pay back the taxes, social security, and cost of health care he has caused. Thus the seizure of his money is justified.

[linuxdoctor]

[Duck]

[Necromis]

actually Duck you are mistaken, even if you cannot afford treatment you are given treatment. It is still a part of the wealfare system. He additionaly was making enough to pay social security taxes. Everyone pays those. Regardless, this man is a criminal, here illeagally and taking away the place of a leagal immigrent.

[RohitMalhotra]

A very strange story indeed .. but if a wrong has been done it needs to be corrected at the earliest .


Rohit Malhotra
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[Duck]

[Necromis]

I can confirm that you can get treatment even when just sick. I myself had to take advantage of the indegent program at one time when I was in my twenties due to illness. I agree the article does not indicate one way or the other. My example is based on the average illeagal in the US. If you multiply that by the 12+ million here, you can see the cost it is having, and the crime that is being commited against leagal immigrints and the rest of the US. One hospital alone in Tx is reportedly spending on average 1.6billion each year treating illeagals. This is a crime.

[Rashy]

If you are so worried about the U.S. government's money, lets consider a few other things:

-The cost that we spend hunting down and deporting illegals

I've always wondered if we spent more on hunting them down and deporting them then they are actually costing us.

-The sheer bureaucracy of our government (pencil pushers and all).

Do I really need to get into this? Our government is forced to spend money, unlike businesses, and they sure do it well.

-The Social Security program in general.

I know that way more is being spent here than needs be. It used to be like a funnel, more people were putting more money into it than was being spent. Now the funnel is flipped over (partly due to the baby boomer generation) and we are spending more than is going into it. A few thousand illegals on minimum wage really isn't going to make that much of a difference.

-Defense Budget

Some stuff on that
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Rashy!

[Necromis]

actually Rashy we don't do much of anything on policing the illeagels here. If we did we would not have this issue. After all a simple requirment to do background checks on new employees and fines if a business employes illeagels would be one simple way to curb a large number of them. I agree we have lots of over spending and issues in our government. However, that in and of it self does not mean we shoudl allow other foolish abuses and law breakers. Why shoudl someone be allowed to stay in a country that they have no respect for the rules/laws of. After all the illeagels don't.