Most Americans have heard of diplomatic immunity -- it provides accredited diplomats with protection from legal action in the foreign countries where they live and work.
Seizing on this concept, illegal immigrants and their supporters now claim what amounts to "illegal-alien immunity" for millions of foreign nationals who live and work unlawfully in the United States.
When campus police stopped Georgia college student Jessica Colotl for a traffic violation, she eventually admitted to officers that she did not have a valid driver's license. When she was later booked into jail, officers learned that she was illegally in the United States and she was turned over to federal immigration authorities for deportation.
It was not long before her sorority sisters and college president were claiming "illegal-alien immunity" for Ms. Colotl. Advocates for illegal aliens and many members of the mainstream media quickly joined in the demand that she be granted illegal alien immunity.
Once federal immigration officials became aware that illegal-alien immunity was being claimed, they immediately put a hold on Ms. Colotl's deportation. Then they released her so she could complete her education, even though she won't be able to work legally in the United States once she graduates.
Several days after her release from federal custody, sheriff's deputies once again arrested her in spite of her illegal-alien immunity, which brought cries of protest from her many supporters. Making matters even worse, law enforcement charged her with a felony because the address that she gave police was not where she was residing at the time of her arrest.
In spite of Ms. Colotl's lack of immigration status and the fact that she was deliberately driving without a license, illegal-immigration advocates and the majority of the media portrayed Ms. Colotl as the victim.
They were especially incensed when what they viewed as mean-spirited, racist law enforcement officers refused to recognize her special status as an illegal immigrant and failed to extend all the privileges, courtesies, and immunities that go along with that status to her.
Ms. Colotl herself blamed everyone but her parents and herself for her problems. Even though her parents smuggled her into the United States and allowed her to stay past her 18th birthday, thereby making her personally accountable for being illegally in the United States, she said they did it for the right reasons so they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions.
Likewise, Ms. Colotl doesn't see why she should be picked on. After all, the state of Georgia forced her to drive without a license because the elected representatives of the people decided that it was inappropriate to issue driver's licenses to individuals who elect to violate American laws in order to live and work in Georgia. So, none of this was her fault and, in any case, illegal-alien immunity allows her to do whatever she wants. According to Ms. Colotl:
* "I never thought that I'd be caught up in this messed-up system"(since I am not an American citizen and have the right to claim illegal alien immunity from American laws).
* "I don't think I'm a criminal just because I was driving without a license" (and besides, what right do you have to treat me like a citizen? After all, I'm here illegally and can do whatever I want because illegal-alien immunity allows me to).
* "I was trying to fulfill my dream of getting an education; I don't see how that is a crime" (because illegal alien immunity gives me the right to do whatever I want, even though I am an adult who is breaking the laws of the United States).
* "I was treated like a criminal, like a threat to the nation" (in spite of my illegal-alien immunity that protects me from being held accountable for my actions).
* "I'm just trying to live the American dream and finish my education"(under my special illegal-alien immunity, which will also allow me to continue living and working illegally in the United States after my graduation).
Advocates for Ms. Colotl also blamed everyone except her and her parents for the situation she now finds herself in. They were especially incensed that local law enforcement officials would ignore Ms. Colotl's claim of immunity:
* Her attorney was quoted as saying: "If Jessica could obtain a license, she would have" (but mean-spirited Georgia officials refused to give her a license and racist cops insisted that the law be applied to her just as it is to American citizens, so she had no choice but to claim illegal-alien immunity).
* The Cobb Immigrant Alliance likened the actions of law enforcement officials to "schoolyard bullying" (because they refused to grant her immunity).
* "Sheriff Warren has embarked on a witch hunt, wasting money and county resources for political gain," said Adelina Nicholls of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. "This is not about public safety" (and worse yet, it is a violation of Ms. Colotl's special status as an illegal alien and her right to immunity from laws that apply to the rest of us).
* The far-left, pro-illegal immigrant, Southern Poverty Law Center attacked law enforcement officials for enforcing the law and labeled the arrest of Ms. Colotl as a "civil rights disaster" (because it held her accountable for her actions and, thereby, violated the special right to immunity that is extended to all illegal aliens).
So, while Georgia law enforcement officials were upholding their oaths of office and enforcing the laws equally for everyone, federal immigration authorities were falling all over themselves to recognize the claim of illegal-alien immunity put forward by Ms. Colotl and her advocates and to get Ms. Colotl back onto the street.
This incident is just another indication that the Obama administration accepts the legitimacy of the concept of illegal-alien immunity, even if it hasn't yet formally named it, and often favors illegal aliens over the American citizens it is sworn to protect.
In fact, senior administration officials are leading the fight to ensure that all illegal aliens are immune from accountability for their illegal acts and to prevent the states from providing equal justice for illegal aliens, but that is a story for another day.
Until then, suffice to say that Ms. Colotl can rest calm in the knowledge that she is exempt from American laws by virtue of her special illegal-immigrant status and the acceptance of the concept of illegal-alien immunity by the federal government.
