While in college, I took a class on Asian American communities in the Philadelphia area.  In part because of timing, a significant portion of our class focused on the Cambodian immigrant community’s recent struggles—specifically, dealing with the risk of deportation.  In short, upstanding members of that community were being deported for retroactive felonies they had committed as youths, after paying off their debt to society, and after establishing families and community ties.  Having come to the United States as toddlers (mostly as refugees escaping the Khmer Rouge), they are American in every aspect but the law—and for that, many have been sent to their ethnic (but completely foreign) homeland.  And it’s not an uncommon story for many immigrant families in America.

This is, in part, why Justin Bieber’s recent problems have been shot straight into the national spotlight.  Given his Canadian citizenship, Bieber is an immigrant in the United States, and due to this, there’s a chance he could be deported for his alleged misdoings, if convicted.  Specifically Bieber is alleged to have vandalized a neighbor’s house, and driven while under the influence (of prescription medication, marijuana use, and alcohol).  Of course, the key word is if, and even if convicted, he has to be convicted of a felony (which could presently only be based on the vandalism charge).

Nevertheless, many are calling for his deportation, and it seems such cries are not part of a campaign against Bieber personally (despite his many detractors), but rather the principle of him receiving preferential treatment as a wealthy celebrity—especially given the somewhat recent controversy of the “affluenza defense”.  Indeed, a couple hundred thousand people signed a petition to the White House, asking for his deportation, and, as it received the requisite amount of petitioners, the Obama Administration will release a statement regarding this in the near future.  Of course, petitioners also used this White House initiative to ask for the construction of the Death Star, to nationalize the Twinkies industry, and confirm the government’s stance on aliens.

Prosecutors are still deciding whether to charge Bieber’s alleged vandalism of a misdemeanor or a felony, so there are certainly many steps to be taken before anything is resolved.  The significance of his recent troubles, however, isn’t necessarily down to what happens to him personally.  Rather, the most important consequences are the increased levels of discourse surrounding laws for immigrants, and the potential double standards engrained in these.