An online petition requesting the Obama administration to deport teen pop sensation Justin Bieber and revoke his green card has got 176,647 signatures at the time of filing this story, meriting response from the government, but it looks like deportation can't be done as the singer's act doesn't merit such a harsh action.
The petition was created by J.A. on January 23 after the 19-year-old "Baby" singer was arrested in Miami Beach last week on charges of driving under the influence (DUI), driving with an expired license and resisting arrest without violence.
"We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture. We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked. He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society," says the petition.
No doubt Justin Bieber has done something reprehensible and broken the law, but legally speaking, his act may not befit a punishment as harsh as deportation, which means Barack Obama administration may not send him to Canada .
According to the United States Immigration Law, a person can be deported on criminal grounds. An alien or lawful permanent residence (green card holder) is deportable if the person is convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude and was committed within 5 years of admission and the crime convicted may impose a sentence of one year or longer, according to U.S. Immigration Visa Center.
Immigration attorney Michael Wildes told Hollywood Life that a person can only be deported for a crime involving moral turpitude, "a crime that shocks the conscience of a state, local or federal prosecutor.
However, driving under the influence (DUI), driving with an expired license and resisting arrest without violence are not crimes of moral turpitude.
The 19-year-old singer has landed himself in a series of trouble of late, including accusation that he and his friends threw eggs at his neighbor's home in Los Angeles, which led the police to search his home. He was arrested in Miami Beach last week on the aforementioned charges before being bailed out for a bond of $2,500.
It may be recalled that speculations of Justin Bieber's possible deportation surfaced in 2011 following his envolvement in Hamptons brawl. He also invited controversy by telling Rolling Stone in an interview that he "never plans on becoming an American citizen". "You guys are evil. Canada's the best country in the world," he said, though in a jocular manner.
