Defecting - I don’t get it! Why is defecting permitted? What the history of this concept? And, is a person who Defects considered an illegal alien? Why or why not?
Why couldn’t all the Mexicans just declare that they defect to the US? It’d save them a lot of trouble at the border! (As I understand it, one can defect from any country.)
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV
Defecting from another country usually means that the other country has an opposite political ideology. In the case of Mexico vs. the USA, there is no such difference.
In recent history, defectors were welcomed in the USA if they came from countries with a communist system, since the USA had dedicated itself to ending communism in other parts of the world.
If you wanted to ask for political asylum in the USA, coming from a country that had a government supported by the USA (insert random military dictatorship here) it was more difficult.
A current example would be that Cuban refugees are routinely accepted in the USA, and Haitian refugees are routinely returned to their country of origin.
Part II: My friend’s father was a Capt. of a Coast Guard ship. He had an incident once where a Russian jumped ship onto the deck of the Coast Guard ship. (The ships were very close…I’m skipping unrelated details, here.) The Russian man declared “I defect”.
The Russians demanded his return, and later, it was granted even though the US knew the man would be severely punished.
My question is this: If the Coast Guard ship were in international waters…can one still claim they defect in this fashion?
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV