The Conservative Zone

I spoke about Mr. Rafel Jaramillo here.

I got this unsigned letter, but the name as part of the email address that sent it to me contained the name Jordan, so I will address it to Mr. Jordan.

First, here's the letter.

just commenting on your Rafael jaramillo article, you cause I love a good debate, and although I agreed with most of your article, I think you should know the facts of this case so you can see why so many people are trying to help him, people have done tv interviews, 4 articles and alot of community support..the guy is a good kid, who made a bad mistake but dont get it confused, he was no drug dealer, like makeing money, etc...he made 1 phone call, no priors and lived here forever, his parents never made him a citizan because they went through a divorce, he now has a beautiful American baby boy along with a beautfiul American wife, who has stuck by his side unconditionally through out everything, he learned from his mistake, he agrees with the law and feels that no one shold be allowed to stay here if they dont learn from their 1 mistake...he did, he goes to school now, pays taxes, wroks hard and supports his family, he was let off probation early for good behavior and now focuses on his lovely family...be alittle more compasionate, because he has honestly thought about ending his life over this...its people like you who jsut dont understand how bad he really feels about this...lets show him support and help him stay in the only country he has ever loved and known.. Thanks Rafael Jaramillo and Family

Rafael is not a citizen. That's a fact. Neither he, nor either of his parents went through the effort of making him a citizen. According to my math, he was 19 or 20 when he committed his crime, plenty of time to at least start the process. If he truly loved this country, he would have become a citizen like his siblings did.

As far as the drugs go, there is a bit of "there but by the grace of God go I" kind of thing. During my time in the Navy I knew both shipmates and casual friends who used drugs, and there were several times an ill-timed raid would have got me caught up in it as well. But I never used, I never dealt, I got out and stayed out of those situations and people from that point on.

In the article it kind of alleges the DA inflated the charges, but the article and your letter doesn't substantiate that one way or the other.

And I was not singling Mr. Jaramillo out. I stated that if we were able to, I would do it to all of our criminals.

I will admit, you have me feeling sorry for him now. I have no doubt that the law was poorly written, since it includes first time offenders, and misdemeanors as felonies, but the crux of the matter is he is not a citizen.

He isn't getting deported for committing a drug crime, he's getting deported because he's not a citizen. That responsibility fell squarely on his shoulders and he let it slide off.

He can be sorry all he wants. I know what it's like to attempt suicide. I'm glad he turned his life around. But has he ever taken the step to become a citizen, even now? That should stop the deportation. If there were so many people interested in his plight, can't he get citizenship bestowed on him, one way or the other? Or does the conviction stand in the way?

Has anyone tried for a pardon from the Governor to get this rolling? I'm just throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks.

Good luck. But keep his bags packed.

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