Letters to the Editor
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violent vs non-violent crime
I agree, violent crime is certainly worse than non-violent crime. A violent offender is a threat to the community in a much larger way than a non-violent one is. But non-violent criminals are a threat as well. It is not uncommon when an illegal immigrant is involved in an auto accident, that they flee the scene and carry no insurance, for instance.
Ideally, the punishment fits the crime. In the case of spouse abuse in an immigrant family, the one who reports it might be deported for their own crime of illegally being in the country, but the abuser will be extradited, and handed over to the legal authorities in their country of origin. They will almost certainly spend time in jail.
I don't think that you can even count deportation as a punishment, it is simply setting right what had been wrong. It is comparable to compelling a thief to return their stolen goods.