Today’s letter is from The Ethicist
I am an American living abroad and working as a consultant for a U.S. government-funded project. I am not a full-time government employee, but technically my fees come from U.S. taxpayer money. I was recently invited to the wedding of a local acquaintance, a citizen of the country where I live, who was marrying another citizen of that country, someone who has U.S. citizenship. I was unable to attend the ceremony but ran into the bride a month later at a social event. When I congratulated her, she explained to me that the recent marriage was a fraud, one she’d entered into only in order to gain U.S. citizenship. She then introduced me to her “real” boyfriend. The interaction left me feeling very unsettled. Do I have an ethical obligation to speak out about marriage fraud when it is used to gain U.S. citizenship, particularly if my current work is funded by the U.S. government?
Name Withheld
You’re a true patriot. The test for a national pride is whether you stop immigration allowing only the lands original recent settlers live in peace. What would Captain America do? Probably the wrong thing. That guy gets too into his own liberal personal values. You need to do what’s best for American citizens such as yourself. You’re not even a government employee. Terrible, but I’m not here to judge you. Let’s solve the immigration problem without dwelling on your failures.
If only you attended the wedding, you could have stopped this whole real boyfriend/husband sinful polygamy scam. Your sense of guilt and responsibility justifies action. Since you ran into the bride at a social event, in the moment you should have informed the host. That time passed. Still, you should feel chided for that.
You’ve discovered a large loophole in the system. The government allows men and women from foreign countries to marry without being in love. This right we mostly reserve for American citizens who enjoy rich, age inappropriate partners.
According to a 2012 study by AHRSP-DAT, the divorce rate for sham green card marriages within the five-year period required for true citizenship is a much low number than average foreigner marriages. The problem with arranged green card marriages is that immigrants will enter our country taking eligible men away from good American women of breeding age.
Illegal green card related immigration statistics prove that more than 10 zillion green card aliens. The presence of so many fake marriages proves the attractiveness of American men and women. On the other hand, it’s the one clear signal of how dangerously unpatriotic our contractors are.
That you feel unsettled is the one cause that should decide your actions. Above the law and ethics, your emotional needs must be met.
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