Haiku 080109

the hikers
walk into pine scent

summer refuge

***************
Recently, we read the following:

San Francisco Chronicle: “U.S. citizens wrongly detained, deported by ICE” by Tyche Hendricks

"The son of a decorated Vietnam veteran, Hector Veloz is a U.S. citizen, but in 2007 immigration officials mistook him for an illegal immigrant and locked him in an Arizona prison for 13 months.

"People charged in the criminal justice system have a range of constitutional rights, including the right to a speedy and public trial before an impartial jury and the right to legal counsel even if they can't afford to hire a lawyer...

“Immigration matters, however, are civil, not criminal, so those protections do not apply. Still, the U.S. Constitution is designed to protect citizens from detention without due process. But citizens in immigration detention are not being afforded that due process, advocates say...

“A bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Los Angeles, seeks to ensure fair and humane treatment of people in immigration detention...

“It would codify the policies governing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention standards and would encourage the agency to make wider use of alternatives to detention, such as releasing a person on bond or with an electronic ankle bracelet to track his movements...."

***************

And we thought:

… Laws and regulations are not always fair, or vetted well. We often walk into a familiar place and find ourselves pleasantly recalling wonderful times with family and friends. And we feel safe and secure and contented. On occasion, even in a free society like the U. S., some walk into a nightmare due to quirky, Catch 22-type laws and regulations.

With respect to certain laws, some groups are "more equal than others."

Thanks to the likes of Rep. Roybal-Allard for trying to find ways for the ICE to do its job better, relative to citizens who find themselves in immigration detention....