Jessica Colotl, in many ways, is exactly the kind of person we wish we had more of in this country. She's bright, ambitious, a good student and interested in civic affairs.
"I am no different than any other American," she told the Atlanta newspaper this week.
Maybe not, except for one little thing: Ms. Colotl has spent most of her life in this country illegally, and arrogantly thinks the laws that apply to everyone else - and especially those that apply to foreign nationals who want to become citizens of this country - shouldn't apply to her.
Ms. Colotl, you'll recall, is the Kennesaw State University student who was arrested last spring for a minor traffic violation on campus, then lied to police about her residency status in this country. As it turns out, she was brought here as a young child from Mexico by her illegal alien parents, grew up in metro Atlanta and now is more American than Mexican. After her arrest, and after becoming a cause cel bre in liberal circles, she was granted a one-year "humanitarian" extension in this country to finish her studies.
That leave was to have expired on Thursday. But not to worry: The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency granted her another one-year extension. Why? Good question. She has now completed her degree at KSU and plans to graduate next week. There is no longer a valid reason for such an extension.
Ahh, but there are political ones. Ms. Colotl, as we mentioned, is now a cause cel bre, a victim of those backward souls who think our laws are meant to be enforced - and enforced equally, not selectively. And oh, by the way, President Obama last Friday threw his backing behind another attempt to pass the DREAM amnesty act, which is tailor-made for cases like Colotl's, but which as written contains gaping loopholes that a huge percentage of the millions of illegals in this country could dance through.
Ms. Colotl has no interest in applying for citizenship by the usual route, the one taken by the millions of others who desire to become U.S. citizens. She and her supporters think she deserves to jump to the head of the line and be granted citizenship solely by virtue of her lengthy presence here.
In the wake of her latest extension, Ms. Colotl said she hopes to work for a year and then go to law school. Left unsaid is how, as a high-profile illegal immigrant, she expects to find legal employment. Perhaps Obama and ICE have "greased the skids" for her. Perhaps her latest one-year reprieve allows such employment. And don't be surprised to see Colotl continue to be showered with deportation deferments for as long as Obama is in office.
Few would have complained if ICE had granted Ms. Colotl a second deferment of a few weeks in order to receive her diploma at the KSU graduation ceremonies. But the latest ICE decision sends an unmistakable signal that it's OK to break the law - if it's one that the president and most liberals don't like.
Only in the United States can you be a political celebrity, a harsh critic of the law and an illegal alien all at once.
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