Immigration Impact: "Can We Really Deport Justin Bieber for That?"

Immigration Impact asks an important question regarding the Canadian pop singer (as does USA Today). He is alleged to have egged his neighbor's California home, causing damages of approximately $20,000, which would make the alleged vandalism a felony.

Your average immigrant could be deported for such offenses or even less dramatic ones, as 68 percent of legal immigrants (including permanent residents) are deported for minor, non-violent crimes. And there is no statute of limitation in the immigration laws. Immigrants can be put into deportation proceedings for crimes committed years—even decades—earlier.

The possibility of deportation may not phase Bieber, since he could return to his Canadian homeland, which, as he says, is "best country in the world" because: "We go to the doctor and we don't need to worry about paying him, but here [United States], your whole life, you're broke because of medical bills."

UPDATE: CNN reports that Bieber was arrested and charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license in Miami Beach early this morning, after police allegedly saw him street-racing in a residential neighborhood. My colleague Matthew Bray has explained the often serious immigration consequences of alcohol-related driving incidents, and The LA Times reports Bieber "could be at risk of becoming one of the highest-profile immigrants to ever get kicked out of the U.S. if he isn't careful..."