A coordinated campaign by Hollywood celebrities is encouraging illegal aliens to publicly declare their crime and dare the U.S. government to do something abut it.
Rather than conceal their identities and hide from law enforcement officials, those who came to the U.S. illegally are being asked to share their stories through videos on a website to help show what they do for the country.
And the campaign is getting help from some heavy hitters in Hollywood.
“The biggest risk already happened when you crossed the border,” said Cesar Millan, who illegally entered from Mexico long before he became known as the “Dog Whisperer” on the National Geographic Channel. “You might not have any papers yet, but you’re already a member of this pack, you’re already a person who produces and helps the economy of America.”
The organizers believe openly flaunting their illegal status will push lawmakers into granting them amnesty for their crime.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of Center for Immigration Studies, said the Obama administration has been so lax on immigration enforcement that most undocumented immigrants already have a broad reprieve from deportation.
“The whole concept of coming out implies that there’s some kind of risk involved,” he said.
Many illegal activists have already “come out” as immigration criminals and have been raised to the highest levels of mainstream media prominence.
Jose Antonio Vargas is an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines who rose to national prominence when he went public and ended up on the cover of Time magazine. Vargas is coordinating the campaign through a group he founded, Define American. The site allows people to upload their own videos outing themselves, and a mapping tool will let people see others in their communities.
So, if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is having trouble finding immigration criminals, they now have a website where they can be found. Should make their job much easier if they intention is to enforce the law.
