alas, Graham, we hardly knew ye

[kalakoa]

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/loca...eportation

For his efforts, Graham has been recognized by several politicians and community leaders at the local, state and federal level.

Your tax dollars at work.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

We can all sleep easier tonight knowing that after 36 years in Hawaii, officials are deporting Graham in the nick of time. Who knows what he might have planned for tomorrow, or next week?

Here's another "criminal" deportee, who will make Hawaii even safer once he's sent back to Mexico:

Magana immigrated to Kona from Mexico in 1989 to take a job picking coffee. After a decade of hard work, he saved enough money to buy a farm of his own. Now, on top of his own operation, he's overseeing 15 more.
The Trump administration has ordered the 43-year-old to return to Mexico, even though he was working to obtain citizenship when he was told he had to go.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/35561...ggest-fear

[Tink]

They always seem to pick the "easy" ones that have made a positive assimilation first to make an impression they are doing their job. It's too hard to go "under cover" and actually do their job finding the "terrorists" until they do something. With that "too late, and a dollar short" as they say in my opinion.

Community begins with Aloha

[Rob Tucker]

I take this news rather hard.

Graham has been a great asset in the community and contributed in good and fruitful ways to my daughters upbringing by way of the Hiccup Circus.

Stupidity rules.

[Chunkster]

So Graham Ellis has been living in the country illegally for 36 years, and through all those administrations and amnesties he has not managed to find a way to get legal residency? That's not very smart. I know he is popular in some circles, but the regulations regarding his situation were not secret. Blaming the idiot Trump will garner some more sympathy, but the laws were already in place.

Edited to add: Yes, Rob, stupidity certainly does rule, but part of that stupidity lies on Ellis' head for blissfully thinking for all those years that everything would be fine because he was doing neat things in the community. Things change. Stuff happens. Jingoistic idiots get elected president.

[kalakoa]

Graham never applied for lawful permanent residence despite being married to an American citizen due to legal barriers arising from circumstances that occurred more than 30 years ago

See? Laws "already in place" to prevent this egregious abuse of The System.

Graham has been a great asset in the community and contributed in good and fruitful ways

Some would go so far as to suggest that Graham was making up for the failure of County and State to provide services (as required by laws "already in place").

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

he has not managed to find a way to get legal residency? That's not very smart.

Sometimes, especially when dealing with bureaucracy there are situations when it's best not to bring attention to yourself, by asking for information, filing out papers, etc. In many cases it works out to your advantage in the long run. In this case, in the end, it didn't.

When I visited American Samoa many years ago, I stayed beyond the time allowed by my tourist visa. I was nervous, but my Samoan host was not. He kept telling me not to worry, no problem, it's a long drive to town, etc. At the airport the day I left he walked over to a customs agent, slapped him on the back a few times, some big laughs, a stamp and ink pad came out, stamp, rotate, stamp, rotate, and when my passport was returned it had all the proper dates imprinted just as if I had gone about it legally.

Sometimes it works out. It depends on who you know. It depends on who enforces the rules. Almost all of us could get a speeding ticket every day of the week if the rules were properly enforced.

[Chunkster]

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

Graham never applied for lawful permanent residence despite being married to an American citizen due to legal barriers arising from circumstances that occurred more than 30 years ago

---

This is interesting. Were those circumstances and barriers related to the laws or to actions taken by Ellis'? It seems rather odd that they are not defined. It could be as simple as his having already been in the country illegally at the time of the marriage. Anybody know what they were?

[punaticbychoice]

More stupidity from ICE. Agreed Rob.
Tink @ 09:00:06- Exactly.

[leilanidude]

Blaming Trump or his administration for either one of these deportations is ridiculous since both deportation attempts started during the Obama administration. The great official system of record newspaper (LMAO) didn't print the entire story/truth because the editors are biased.

I agree with the other post though that mentions that both have had many years to get the situation corrected. They knew the consequences and ignored it.