Petition to #DeportBieber Catches Fire on WhiteHouse.Gov

Impact

Will Justin Bieber get the star treatment for his latest brush with the law? The short answer is yes. After Miami Beach police pulled over and arrested him for drunk driving, resisting arrest and driving without a license, he was released on a "standard" $2,500 bond just an hour after appearing before a judge. But that's not the long answer.

There is, funny or not, a growing backlash against the entitled pop star. Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine told TMZ that Biebers reckless behavior won't stand in his city and that the star will not receive any special treatment. "It doesn't make a difference who you are," he said. "We will enforce our laws." And even if they let him slide out of jail, the rest of us aren't so willing to let him have another pass.

On Friday, #DeportBieber was trending on Twitter.

The fact that Bieber is an immigrant from Canada (with a green card) does pose the question: should he face more serious consequences for recent crimes. Many non-citizens do. Diana Scholl of the American Civil Liberties Union notes that another immigrant in Bieber's position would have no choice but to face deportation, especially without the luxury of having a high-priced immigration attorney. (Over 80% of people in immigration detention do not have a lawyer.) 

One of the things that could get you deported, if you're holding a green card, is committing acts of moral perpitude. The immigration board says it's a "nebulous concept" that “refers generally to conduct that shocks the public conscience as being inherently base, vile, or depraved, contrary to the rules of morality and the duties owed between man and man, either one's fellow man or society in general.” Clearly, the Biebs has crossed this line many times.

There is, yes, a petition going around. It's up on the White House website and should easily pass 100,000 votes. It reads in part, "We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture.... We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society." Strong words!

But they're pretty much true. Bieber shouldn't receive special treatment for his crimes, if any. Authorities are still investigating Bieber's "egg attack" on his neighbor's home from earlier this month, which could land him with a felony vandalism charge if the damage to the home is found to be $400 or more — again opening the possibility that he will be deported back to his native Canada. Oh, Canada. You can #KeepBieber.