Earlier this week, a morning scan of the headlines drew my eye to this story on CNN’s website. The long and short of it is that a family in Japan is being split up. “Why?” you ask? Because about 15 years ago, mom and dad entered the land of the rising sun illegally, became productive members of society, contributed to the Japanese economy and had a child. Recently mom got busted (the reasons for which are somewhat foggy) and now mom and dad are now in the Philippines…Without their 13-year-old Japan-born, Japanese speaking daughter.

The Japanese government, in it’s mercy, gave the girl a choice. Stay in Japan with your aunt and continue your studies and social development, or leave everything you’ve ever known and go with your parents to a foreign country to start again.

She chose her country. Or at least that’s the way the media’s telling the story.

I have three issues with this story. One is that these parents are being portrayed as being heartless and disconnected. The second is the controversy over their deportation. Finally, the fact that this is newsworthy.

As a parent, I would do everything I could to give my kids the best life I could. Would that mean illegally immigrating into a country so they can have a better education and more opportunities? To be honest, I might. It would depend on the options and prospects I had where I was, the likelihood that I could immigrate through legal channels, and a host of other factors.

If I were her parents, I would have pushed her to stay in Japan. Yes, it would break my heart to leave her behind, but denying her the opportunities I worked hard to give her would mean that the sacrifice I made in the first place would be for naught. She’s with family, after all. And, although I wouldn’t be able to come back to see her, there’s no barring her from visiting me. And, there’s these little things out there called video chats and skype that can keep them connected, no matter the miles.

Would I be upset about being deported? Sure. But, I would have had to accept the consequence for coming into the country illegally, as do these parents. It’s not as if it was a surprise. All the meritorious service in the world does not guarantee clemency.

While I am not insensitive to the plight of this family, a part of me wonders why this is so newsworthy. After all, families of all nationalities are being split up in our immigration system every day here in the states. Is the fact that it’s happening in Japan a shock? I’m sure it happens in Europe, Canada and all over the globe. Sometimes the rules split families apart. It sucks. No doubt. So, why does this case merit so much attention?

So, what do you think? What would you have done?