# I am now officially eligible for deportation! Yay!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 11, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928 "2003-01-11T07:45:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/61 "2003-01-12T15:31:33Z")
1. The notion that the INS should waste its feeble resources tracking you down: So, mailing a letter to him c/o the university is more costly than mailing it to him anywhere else? Besides, How often does it happen that the INS needs to contact a student and why would that be? 1. That the INS would somehow KNOW that you were a harmless, law-abiding student and they didn’t have to worry about you. Well, the assumption is that he _is_ a law abiding student, otrherwise he would not have been granted a visa. 1. That you didn’t realize that the INS would want to be notified of your current address, if for no other reason than to let you know of changes in the law so you could avoid the fiasco you find yourself in. Except that, quite obviously, the INS does not notify anyone of changes in the law. Again you are demanding perfection from one side and accepting all imperfection from the other. Nobody is questioning that Gozu had a responsibility to update his address. What is being questioned is whether failing that merits jail and/or deportation. If the INS were assessing a $100 fine nobody would be up in arms about this. Again, would it be reasonable to confiscate your home if you miss a tax bill? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/62 "2003-01-12T17:43:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eva Luna \* > \*\*Y’know, guys, as I’ve stated in several other threads, until very recently, many INS offices simply had no idea what to do with a change of address request and would simply throw it in the trash. The address change requirement has been on the books for decades, but hasn’t been consistently enforced since the WWII era. > > I’d wager it will take INS several months to catch up on data entry for the hundreds of thousands of address changes they’ve received in the past couple of months. Right now, they’re probably sitting in boxes in various mailrooms. (Side note: I’m not even sure whether my grandmother is required to register; she is 88 years old and has been here since 1930, but due to a long and convoluted series of circumstances, we have no idea whether she ever naturalized.) > > And again, INS has done NO individual notification of people who are required to register. They have relied on the news media and their Website. \*\* Since Gozu (IIRC) has just another year to go on his student visa, would you recommend that he lay low and hope that the INS doesn’t notice, or draw immediate attention to himself by going to the INS and confessing that he neglected to update his address in time? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/63 "2003-01-12T17:50:54Z")
Since the law is that he should go there, I do not think anyone would publically recommend doing anything else. What Eva Luna said sounds like good advice though. Talk to an immgration lawyer first and, have him or someone else, go with you. That way, if the INS grabs you and holds you, then at least there’s someone who knows where you are and can lend help from the outside. BTW, I can’t see why you can’t tell the INS you have moved without specifying any date… It’s not like it makes any difference to them as long as they have the correct address. Gozu’s failure was not to move and not notify but rather to not register. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/64 "2003-01-12T17:58:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*Gozu: > > Gosh, I don’t know what is more amusing: > > 1. The notion that the INS should waste its feeble resources tracking you down: > > "Hello, University. This is Betty from the INS. We sent a few “IMPORTANT!” letters out to Gozu from Morocco and they came back as undeliverable. It’s pretty important that he gets these letters or he’ll risk his scholarship. […] \*\* I don’t have a scholarship. I pay 4 times the fees of u.s residents. You could say I’m partially paying for THEIR scholarships… The institution an F1 student is attending is always linked to his visa (I-94 document) so my assumption wasn’t that far fetched. And it’s not really my fault if the INS such feeble resources that they cannot spare a letter…blame the government for not allowing them more funds and personel or blame the illegal immigrants for overwhelming them… To all the people that said it was my duty to stay informed. In retrospective, it’s easy to say. But before that, the thought just doesn’t cross your mind you know. After a few months, you’re here living your life with your joys and worries. Someone said, when in Rome, do as the romans do. That’s pretty much what I did. The saying should be: When in Rome, always remember you’re not a roman and be wary of romans because if you slip, they’ll kick you out of Rome. > [@](#): > > Why is gozu using incediary thread titles? (My friend, you are always eligilbe for deportation, if you are a foreigner.) > > You also state that in Morocco, Americans are treated extra special. Nonsense. Please prove to me, that it I chose to go to University in Morocco, I would not have to register with the police and whatever immigration authorirtes there are there, just like you have to here. Please prove this. And tell me why Arabs in that part of the world, once they figure out you are not a tourist, will not let you go a day without calling you a “Jew Bastard” in a language they think you can’t understand? (I’m not even jewish) None of this should be happening if americans are treated “special” there. This is the pit, you are allowed to use incendiary thread titles. And frankly, I didn’t think mine was. Registering with the local authorities upon your arrival. But my arrival was a year ago. It’s irrelevant to this topic. And I have no idea what you’re talking about. Jew Bastard? I have NEVER EVER witnessed anything similar in my country. I have a lot of european friends in Morocco, and they were never mistreated or abused as you describe. Both our neighbors (and friends) there are jewish and they would never leave Morocco. I was once or twice called “moro de mierda” in Spain but the crushing, vast, immense majority of people i knew there treated me no different than their compatriots. You can’t judge a whole nation of people according to the actions of a few. When I was talking about americans being treated like honorable guests, I wasn’t speaking about the people but the authorities. I’m not just making this up or assuming so. I went to a french highschool in Casablanca where most teachers were french (moroccans don’t really make a distinction between europeans and americans, they’re all christian occidentals in the eyes of the majority) and many of them reported that they were surprised and disappointed because they got preferential treatment over moroccans. Especially by cops. I’m not naive though, I’d like to think that the legendary arab hospitality is still kicking. but the truth is that most of the actions i described below are caused by fear of a diplomatic incident. Now don’t think i’m saying: look at my government, it’s so much better than yours. Far, very far from it. Morocco is still a dictatorial country, corruption is widespread, nepotism is a given, closemindedness is obvious, sexism is still there, unemployment rates are shocking, illiteracy is rampant and I could go on and on. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/65 "2003-01-12T18:08:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doghouse Reilly \* > \*\*Since Gozu (IIRC) has just another year to go on his student visa, would you recommend that he lay low and hope that the INS doesn’t notice, or draw immediate attention to himself by going to the INS and confessing that he neglected to update his address in time? \*\* I can’t do that. I can’t live in fear of what might happen. I will go and hope the person that handles my case is a decent person. as to getting an attorney, I just don’t have the money to do so. Also, if I want to be at the INS office this monday, I will have to be there at around 5am. lawyers don’t work on sundays and who knows if procrastinating this any further won’t do more harm than good. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/66 "2003-01-12T18:41:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gonzalo de cordoba \* > **Why all the America bashing?** Nobody is bashing America as far as I have seen. Many of us are bashing a stupid policy of the American government but you seem too dense to tell the difference. > [@](#): > > I’ve gone to school in many countries, done business in many others, and travelled in a few others. > Everywhere I went, as an American, it was MY responsibility to register with the local police, MY responsibility to let them know if I changed addresses, and MY responsibility to pay for the cost of registering me with the police of said democracy – e.g. 40 pounds when Iwas a student at the London School of Economics. When I was in South Africa, the same thing. And I suppose you were always perfect and never missed a single deadline in any place? Well, in that case, good for you. But had you missed any deadline please show me where the police would have jailed you and deported you for such a minor infraction. Show me. > [@](#): > > Other Eurotrash countries, same thing – and before I finally ripped it up in disgust, My Euro passport made things a lot easier for me than for Americans. Well, any doubt I had has been removed. You are a fucking idiot of the first order. > [@](#): > > When you are living in another country, you have to be on extra special behavior. It’s the same for everyone, anywhere. Americans have no special rights abroad; they in actuality have less. Same for others in other countries. This is the way it works. I say this is not true and I challenge you to prove it. Show me any country where Americans are being treated like Arabs are being treated in America today. Show me. > [@](#): > > Why are we evil for doing something that everything else is? Because everybody else is NOT jailing and deporting people for minor bureaucratic infractions. And when countries do that as an excuse they are rightly criticised. > [@](#): > > Why is everyone so eager to bash the US? Nobody is bashing the US. I’m only bashing idiots like yourself. > [@](#): > > Why is gozu using incediary thread titles? The thread is only incendiary if you are an idiot. It is a test of idiocy and you have failed it. > [@](#): > > You also state that in Morocco, Americans are treated extra special. Nonsense. Please prove to me, that it I chose to go to University in Morocco, I would not have to register with the police and whatever immigration authorirtes there are there, just like you have to here. Please prove this. lease show me how many Americans have been jailed and/or deported from Morocco for minor bureucratic infractions. Show us. Please. > [@](#): > > And tell me why Arabs in that part of the world, once they figure out you are not a tourist, will not let you go a day without calling you a “Jew Bastard” in a language they think you can’t understand? What has this got to do with anything? You are an idiot. Did I already say that? ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/67 "2003-01-12T20:05:13Z")
Well, I fear the US government as much as anybody, and I know firsthand the consequences of putting things off. But in this case I’d say its worth the risk for just one day to talk to the officials at your school and see if they can help you find a lawyer, or at least to get someone to go with you. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/68 "2003-01-12T21:27:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalashnikov \* > \*\*Well, I fear the US government as much as anybody, and I know firsthand the consequences of putting things off. But in this case I’d say its worth the risk for just one day to talk to the officials at your school and see if they can help you find a lawyer, or at least to get someone to go with you. \*\* I agree. Much better to go a day or two later after you have talked to the people at your school who can help you out if thiongs get difficult. There has been news of several schools protesting this kind of thing with their students. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/69 "2003-01-12T22:28:41Z")
\*\*Gozu, \*\*PLEASE talk to someone at your International Student Office before you go to INS. If nothing else, they will know how others in your situation have been treated, and they may have a connection or two at INS that will help you. Having someone known to INS who can vouch for you can make all the difference sometimes. Whether you’re 2 days late or 3 days late will likely make no difference in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/70 "2003-01-12T22:58:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gozu \* > \*\*Of course it’s my responsability to stay informed somehow. The law says so. Same law that says i can’t kiss my wife’s breasts and can only have sex with her in the missionary position. Since you chose to be facetious in a serious PIT thread you started, I cannot see how kissing your “wife’s breasts and can only have sex with her in the missionary position,” have anything to do with the subject. And since you said something about a law in this respect, care to enlighten us? > [@](#): > > And for your information, the americans staying in Morocco are treated like honored guests which means BETTER than moroccans in most situations. I don’t want preferential treatment or favors. I just want to be treated according to what I do and who I am. Ah nevermind… The question I posed was an honest one. I’m sure many Americans in Morocco are treated quite well, and some are not. > [@](#): > > I’m not trying to garner pity nor am I hoping to accomplish anything by speaking of this here either. I’m just venting and wasting bandwidth as well as my time and yours. If I thought the topic was a waste I, along with others, never would have posted to it. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/71 "2003-01-12T23:17:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gozu \* > To all the people that said it was my duty to stay informed. In retrospective, it’s easy to say. But before that, the thought just doesn’t cross your mind you know. After a few months, you’re here living your life with your joys and worries. From a 23-year old foreign university student, this is quite naive. But that’s OK. You’re in good company with many American university students as well. Ignorance is bliss … You said you came to America a year ago. Does this mean you arrived after 9/11? If so, I’ll up your naivety a notch or two. Or did you put those events and aftermath out of your mind and just remain a naive foreign student? From the posts here, you have been provided with advice, guidance, criticism and even anger. But as I said earlier, ultimately you alone are responsible for keeping yourself informed, in not just with the news, but with any developments which may change your status while in the USA. Even if Herr Bush & Co. never instituted stepped up INS requirements, it remains your responsibility to stay informed. \ When I lived in Australia, I stayed informed with events back home. So when Clinton & Co. upped the ante in Kosovo, it did not come as a surprise to me when 5,000 Serbs attacked the US Consulate in Sydney, 1,000 Serbs attacked the US Consulate in Melbourne and another 500 tried to attack the US Embassy in Canberra. I stayed informed so when friends told me to keep low on the streets of Australia, lest I be attacked personally by Serbs going after individual Americans, I took their advice. It would be naive of me to think otherwise, even is quiet, sedate backwater Australia. Yet one finds small minds everywhere these days. \ America has changed since 9/11, and not always for the better. Deal with it. Stay informed. Good luck. Keep us posted. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/72 "2003-01-13T00:47:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > **Since you chose to be facetious in a serious PIT thread you started, I cannot see how kissing your “wife’s breasts and can only have sex with her in the missionary position,” have anything to do with the subject. And since you said something about a law in this respect, care to enlighten us?** I simply quoted [DumbLaws.com](http://www.dumblaws.com/states/states.php?State=Florida). My intent was to remind people that laws aren’t always good or reasonable and that they shouldn’t blindly quote them (this is not meant as a rebuttal to anyone in this thread, I assure you). > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > The question I posed was an honest one. I’m sure many Americans in Morocco are treated quite well, and some are not. If I thought the topic was a waste I, along with others, never would have posted to it. \*\* As for your question, I am sorry if I answered dryly. I thought it was a rhetorical question and that you were implying that my position could be hypocritical. As a man of many faults, I am very sensitive about the qualities that I think redeem me. I hate hypocrisy under all it’s forms. When I lived in Spain, I did notice prejudice against moroccan immigrants from the same people who fled to France and Germany when Franco was in power. And then, back in Morocco, I was sickened to hear a friend of a friend bashing the subsaharians that were immigrating to Morocco. The same guy who came back from France because he claimed he was being discriminated. I think I lost track about what I was saying…anyways. I’m sorry. And about me being naive. I may very well be. I believe and apply the principle of innocent til proven guilty in my personal life. I deliberately choose to trust people that may betray me in the belief that trusting and being betrayed is better than not trusting. The two things that my mother told me more often were “3oual hi 3ala rasek” and “jma3 rasek” which mean “rely only on yourself” and something similar to “get a hold on yourself” that I cannot properly translate. They seem to confirm your supposition. Screw it, that’s who I am. Maybe I’ll change in time. See, I strayed from the topic again. Hmm, it just occured to me that i could call a guy i know from college. He might be able to offer me some advice. though, truth be told, I don’t think he’ll go to great extents to help. Better than nothing anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/73 "2003-01-13T00:49:56Z")
As someone with German heritage, I would greatly appreciate folks not using the term “Herr” when they appear to mean the the current president is a totalitarian. Feel free, may I ask, to call him “Dictator Bush” if that’s the way you feel. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/74 "2003-01-13T01:57:23Z")
Well, I can’t find his phone number anywhere. I had it in the car but it was cleaned up recently so there goes nothing. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/75 "2003-01-13T09:13:27Z")
Gozu, you seem a very reasonable person to me and you are right: this law is wrong. Those who are jumping all over you for not complying would be fuming with outrage at the law if the law applied to them. It’s called a double standard. I recommend you talk to the people incharge of your school before you go in to register and, if you can, have someone go with you. Tell them you are scared and would feel better if someone went with you. And please keep us posted. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/76 "2003-01-13T17:50:31Z")
Well, I went to the INS this morning with my wife. I know some of you are curious so here is what happened: I got in the INS building by myself since they wouldn’t allow my wife to accompany me. Typical security measures (metal detector and xray ) ensued. I was handed a temporary “badge” and proceeded to the second floor. Once there, I was immediatly assigned a number then was told to sit down in the waiting room. I waited about 20 minutes then I was called . The lady asked her boss what she had to do in my case since I missed the deadline and he told her to write it down in the from she was filling. Then I was handed a form to fill out. Very basic stuff. Name, Adress, country of origin, nationality and phone number for both me and my parents plus my last 5 addresses and 3 contacts. After that, I had to wait for about an hour and a half before being called by an interviewer. A very nice lady who asked me for all the information that I had already gave in the form I handed her. After she finished typing everything on her computer, she made me took the oath and asked me some more basic questions. What I was studying, my marital status and some more I can’t remember. Then came the interesting part (finally!), I was asked to empty my wallet and hand over any IDs or whatever cards I have. She took my driving license and my credit card and took down that info. Then she took my prints and my picture and she told me to wait while everything was being checked. About five minutes later, she gave me back my documents and I took my leave. All in all, A breeze. Not a single mention of my unnotified change of address or my late appearance. A couple of notes though: - There is no smoking area inside the building. Unfortunately I am a smoker and it was pretty unnerving to sit there for two hours all by myself and not being able to have a smoke. - They do not allow you to bring in food or drinks and there are none to be purchased inside the building (no vending machines or anything). Several people came with their children so I thought it was a little excessive not to allow food inside. And that’s pretty much it folks. I can finally breathe now. I can’t tell you how good it feels. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/77 "2003-01-13T21:23:02Z")
First of all, Gozu I’m glad you’ve gotten the process over with and all is well. Now to address sailor’s responses: > [@](#): > > So, mailing a letter to him c/o the university is more costly than mailing it to him anywhere else? Why in the world would INS mail a letter to the university? My college sure didn’t have mailboxes for students. You think some University employee should look up what classes a student is taking and deliver the letter to him? Man, what college did YOU go to to expect such service? Besides, if the university were to receive such a letter, the mail person would undoubtedly look at the name, determine that no one by Gozu’s name was employed there, and throw the letter in the trash can. > [@](#): > > How often does it happen that the INS needs to contact a student and why would that be? Who knows how often INS needs to contact its visa holders. But IF they were to notify someone, they need to have a correct mailing address. Which means YOU have to notify them when you MOVE. If INS didn’t even attempt to notify people, then I think the visa holders have a gripe. Of course, the gripe is weakened significantly if you haven’t done your part by providing a current address. > [@](#): > > Again, would it be reasonable to confiscate your home if you miss a tax bill? Actually I’d have to miss two. From my tax bill: “Notice: If taxes are not paid within one year from the date they are due, the property is subject to foreclosure for tax delinquency.” Arguments they won’t accept: I didn’t get the notice. Their response: It is the law and your responsibility to notify US if you didn’t get your tax bill. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/78 "2003-01-13T22:10:56Z")
\>\> Again, would it be reasonable to confiscate your home if you miss a tax bill? [quote] _Originally posted by PunditLisa_ Actually I’d have to miss two. From my tax bill: “Notice: If taxes are not paid within one year from the date they are due, the property is subject to foreclosure for tax delinquency.” Arguments they won’t accept: I didn’t get the notice. Their response: It is the law and your responsibility to notify US if you didn’t get your tax bill. [quote] Oh come off it. You know full well that the immediate consequence of missing a tax bill payment is simply a monetary penalty. There is a long process to foreclose your home and you can pay the tax and penalties at any time before foreclosure. At the foreclosure they would take the money due and you would get the rest. They are strictly collecting what they are owed. You do not lose your house. The people jailed by the INS have been given no warning and no opportunity to make things right. Forgot to register? Go direct to Jail and then deportation. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/79 "2003-01-13T22:15:24Z")
\>\> Again, would it be reasonable to confiscate your home if you miss a tax bill? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by PunditLisa_ > > Actually I’d have to miss two. > > From my tax bill: > > “Notice: If taxes are not paid within one year from the date they are due, the property is subject to foreclosure for tax delinquency.” > > Arguments they won’t accept: I didn’t get the notice. Their response: It is the law and your responsibility to notify US if you didn’t get your tax bill. Oh come off it. You know full well that the immediate consequence of missing a tax bill payment is simply a monetary penalty. There is a long process to foreclose your home and you can pay the tax and penalties at any time before foreclosure. At the foreclosure they would take the money due and you would get the rest. They are strictly collecting what they are owed. You do not lose your house. The people jailed by the INS have been given no warning and no opportunity to make things right. Forgot to register? Go direct to Jail and then deportation. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928/80 "2003-01-13T22:35:49Z")
Can we stop squabbling now, and agree that we’re glad nothing ghastly happened to **Gozu**?! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-now-officially-eligible-for-deportation-yay/147928.md?page=5)