Faking immigration documents is a crime — but so is buying them

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Faking immigration documents is a crime — but so is buying them
Remember the saying about it being better to keep quiet and be thought a fool then speak and remove all doubt? Will someone please share or explain that to the employees of Casa de Maryland? ("Eight indicted on charges of selling fake documents," Aug. 3).
In reference to the eight illegal immigrants caught selling fake immigration documents (as well as such things as Social Security cards), Kim Propeack, Casa's policy director, observed "there's a documented problem of operators of this kind targeting immigrant communities."
Seems like there's plenty of blame to go around. This involves illegal immigrants in possession of documents involving stolen identities or else fake or forged. Surely, Casa doesn't believe that forgery and identity theft are not felonies — or that lying and cheating is not wrong? Or that immigrants aren't obligated to follow any laws that get in their way?
Here's another way to look at this: These forgers are not targeting immigrant communities but helping them. They are compassionate humanitarians just like Casa. If, however, members of Casa think identity theft and forgery is bad even when illegal immigrants do it, is it their argument that these "poor, helpless victims" were forced against their will to purchase these fake documents? Did someone hold a gun to their heads?
Michelle Alston, Baltimore