It's all your fault

Immediately prior to his suicide, Joaquin Lerma Luna dressed in a suit, went to each family member in the home to tell them goodbye then entered the bathroom and shot himself.  Seventeen years and six months earlier, his parents brought him into the US ilegally.

We are to believe that Joaquin killed himself because the DREAM Act has not passed and that his suicide was to bring attention to the legislation.  However, as an illegal alien in Texas and a 17-year resident, Joaquin could have attended a Texas college at the in-state tuition rate.  During a GOP debate, Governor Rick Perry recently touted that illegal aliens who remained in the state for three years or more are eligible for the reduced rate.  He touted this policy as an example of his compassionate conservatism.  A view deeper into the case reveals more information.

The public safety officials investigating his death stated that there was no mention of the DREAM Act in his suicide note.  Joaquin's brother stated that Joaquin recently failed the written portion of an exam that was central to his goal of becoming a civil engineer.  He posits that the failure on the exam pushed Joaquin to take such tragic actions.  Although he was an illegal alien, opportunities were still available.  In the Houston Chronicle article, Benita Veliz, a self-proclaimed undocumented student who is now an adult states that "there are a lot of opportunities for undocumented…there have been for years."

As I read this story, I am truly saddened that Joaquin used a permanent solution to a temporary problem and that he did not allow his spirituality and relationship with God to fill this empty spot in his heart.  It is truly a tragedy.

Yet, those who encourage the violation of our immigration laws have spun this story to assign blame to those who desire that our immigration laws are enforced.  As Joaquin was the only illegal alien in his family, it would have served his family well to begin the process for him to become a citizen or legal immigrant.  For 17 1/2 years, they had the time and opportunity to resolve his citizenship status but they chose not to follow that path.  On the other hand, illegal immigration advocates seek to instill guilt in those who desire immigration enforcement, have used this tragic suicide as a reason to pass the DREAM Act:

• From Fox News Latino, “His death is an indictment on this administration's lack of courage to fix our broken immigration system. It should not take any more deaths for us to realize we are doing an injustice,” Jorge Mario Cabrera, Director of communications of CHIRLA, said. “At the risk of mixing politics with personal tragedy, we will mourn Joaquin's death. At the same time we will call for the administration to take action.”
• From US Representative Hinojosa's website: Congressman Hinojosa spoke today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives urging support for the American Dream Act and to honor a Dream Act student who took his own life…Today, as Joaquin Luna's body is laid to rest, I believe it's imperative to underscore the urgency of passing the DREAM Act in the 112th Congress…"

Meanwhile, those same illegal immigration proponents relegate our own citizens and legal immigrants to second class status by implying that they are not as smart, driven and ambitious as those who are in the country illegally.

• According to Haecker (NEA), "By not approving the DREAM Act, politicians are turning their backs on the future of the nation and denying the opportunity of thousands of talented young people to transform their communities…We need more young capable minds, we need lawyers and doctors and scientists, and these students are working hard. They have proven that they are assets to this country. It is irresponsible to raise a child and grow them, educate them and then trash what they could accomplish.”

The true question is why the NEA desires to trash what citizens and legal immigrants do each day to abide by the laws of the nation and contribute their skills to enhance the country.  It is truly irresponsible to overlook the children whose parents sacrificed to become a part of the American family the legal way, over 1.1 million join legally each year.

As proponents of legal immigration, we welcome those who desire to be a part of the greatest country known to man.  We are eager to see the contributions that citizens and legal immigrants will make to our nation.  However, we will not accept blame for those who choose to violate our immigration laws and suffer the most dire of consequences.

References & resources:

• DREAM Act not in suicide notes
• The DREAM Act in the 111th Congress
• Fulfilling a dream in waiting
• Family Hopes Teen's Suicide Pushes Passage of DREAM Act
• Could the Dream Act Have Saved Joaquin Luna’s Life?
• Family: Illegal-immigrant student martyred himself for Dream Act
• Congressman Ruben Hinojosa urges support for the DREAM Act and honors the life of Joaquin Luna