Justin Bieber Should Not Be Deported

The requirements are clear. An individual must be convicted of a crime before they can be deported. Simply signing a petition and sending it to the president is not going to get a much maligned celebrity sent back to his home nation. Earlier this month however, that is what 270,000 signers wanted to see happen. The White House, initially, made no comment. Truthfully, Justin Bieber should not be deported back to Canada.

Because of President Obama’s reputation for heavily deporting people, some are saying that Justin Bieber is receiving special treatment. Well, of course he is. The young man is a celebrity after all. That is how things are done in this country. Wealth and fame will almost always get an individual out of trouble. There does not seem to be a good reason that Bieber should not benefit from this aspect of our culture. His youth and lack of appropriate guidance, in an industry built on the idea of success and excess, should automatically shield him from the long arm of the law.

Keep in mind, Bieber has not been convicted of any crimes here in the states. In fact,the only crime that could make him susceptible to deportation if convicted is the assault charge on his record. The DUI and the egg fiasco would likely not even be considered. The way things stand now, deportation is not in the cards for Justin Bieber.

It should be noted, that Justin Bieber does not have a Green Card. Based on his extraordinary abilities, he is in the United States on a visa. Perhaps someone in his circle should remind him that when it comes time for his visa to be renewed, his moral transgressions can be taken into consideration.

A clear advantage for Bieber, and this addresses the above mentioned special treatment, is that he can afford the best and most qualified attorneys available. So, while he may not have much in the way of voices of reason around him when he is up to no good, Bieber certainly must have a top-notch team of legal eagles on his side.

In many ways, Justin Bieber is just like any other 20-year-old male. He is not the first to get a DUI, throw eggs at someone’s house or even smack a stranger in the back of the head. In California, men aged 18-20 reported driving under the influence more often than any other group. On college campuses, egging houses is a rather common occurrence. Plus, while no one should condone hitting another person, it happens. Perhaps a good justification for giving celebrities special treatment is that they are under such constant scrutiny. The public cares a little too much about what Justin Bieber is doing.

Despite the turmoil that he has created for himself, he is still a talented young man with many good years of creative endeavor ahead of him. If he is given some room to breathe and a chance to grow up, he may yet turn out to be a fine upstanding citizen. Justin Bieber should not be deported. He should be nurtured, loved and maybe left alone for a little while.

Opinion by Stacy Lamy

Sources:
nolo
cnn