EDITORIAL: How to avoid ICE? Follow the rules

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Each day, it seems, we’re regaled with stories in news outlets about Canadians detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the U.S.

Their stories follow a pattern: They were taken to the U.S. as children or went there decades ago and just didn’t get around to applying for citizenship. They racked up a minor crime or misdemeanour and now find themselves in dire circumstances, locked up in one of ICE’s infamous detention centres.

Individuals who have been in the U.S. for decades, built homes, got married, had families and created a life for themselves south of the border are now finding themselves swept up in President Donald Trump’s purge on illegals.

This could all have been avoided if they had simply paid attention to a very important detail: Citizenship. You cannot afford to be sloppy about such an important facet of your life. If you’re going to live and work in a country and expect to make it your home for life, you should become a citizen. More importantly, you should show that new country some respect by abiding by its laws.

We have sympathy for those who are caught in red tape or bureaucratic bungling. But, for the most part, those who find themselves on the wrong side of ICE have brought it upon themselves.

The ability to live and work in any Western democracy is not a right. If you weren’t born there, it’s a privilege conferred on you when you meet their residency requirements, swear allegiance and promise to live by their laws.

Ask anyone who’s escaped war, famine or a dictatorship what citizenship in a free country means and they will tell you it’s a most precious commodity. It should not be taken for granted.

Yes, Canada has a long border with the U.S. Families are often spread across the two countries. We have a history of workers moving back and forth across that line. Some people even live in one country and work in the other. But you must get the paperwork straight.

Canada is now set to receive returning ex-pat scofflaws who quit this country years ago, have few ties here, have a history of breaking rules and would rather be in another country. What could possibly go wrong?