Samuel Jonathan Schultz, a legal resident of the United States, fears the worst if he is sent back to India, a country he left at age 3 when he was adopted by a West Valley City woman.
The 25-year-old knows little about the nation of his birth, speaks only English and believes he The lawyers, J. Christopher Keen and Edward Carter, say in court would have to live on the streets there, according to court documents. As a Christian in general, and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in particular, he believes he will be targeted for persecution.
But immigration authorities are unconvinced. Based on his two felony car-theft-related convictions, the federal government wants to send him packing to one of the world’s poorest nations.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals that ordered him removed from the country.

Indian American Transracial Adoptee

The news stories try so hard to make this a racial issue, when it obviously is a criminal issue. The adult male has a criminal record of repeated felony convictions. It is not a small deal. Grand theft auto often leads to deadly car chases. And, he was sentenced to prison.

The simple fact is that ignorance of the law is no excuse. Otherwise anyone could commit murder with immunity by saying they thought it was OK, which is true for most criminals, otherwise they would not have done it.

The other fact is that he is not a legal resident, which became true as soon as he committed the crimes. It is ridiculous that the government did not discover this when he was convicted of his first felony. Even private sector, non-government criminal background searches are more effective than that. An instant background search can reveal identity, Age , Address, 30 year address history , current and previous occupants , change of address records , phone , aliases / maiden names , associates , birth certificate records , death records , possible relatives, neighbors , marriages and divorces , real property ownership , property records , business records , civil liens , tax liens , small claims.

A background search can be very thorough. If private companies can reveal all of that in an instant report, there is not excuse for the government not to identify and deport alien criminal upon their very first conviction.