Apr 19 (TheWrap.com) - The White House has responded to 273,968 Americans demanding the deportation of Justin Bieber, and unfortunately for concerned citizens hoping the pop star's green card would be revoked, the U.S. government Beliebs it would be an “improper” issue to address.
“Sorry to disappoint, but we won't be commenting on this one,” the White House's official response states. “The We the People terms of participation state that, ‘to avoid the appearance of improper influence, the White House may decline to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or similar matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local government in its response to a petition.' So we'll leave it to others to comment on Mr. Bieber's case.”
The petition that was launched in January described Bieber as a “dangerous, reckless, destructive” presence in American pop culture.
“He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth,” the petition reads. “We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society.”
Since the petition attracted over 100,000 electronic signatures, the Obama administration was required to respond. While it wouldn't weigh in on Bieber's positive or negative impact on American culture, it did use the opportunity to push the President's 4-step immigration reform plan.
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“We're glad you care about immigration issues. Because our current system is broken. Too many employers game the system by hiring undocumented workers, and 11 million people are living in the shadows,” the response reads. “That status quo isn't good for our economy or our country. We need common-sense immigration reform to make sure everyone plays by the same set of rules. Not only is it the right thing to do morally, it's the right thing for our country.”
The Canadian singer has landed in a new spot of trouble. Elaine Lies with Reuters reports that on Wednesday Beiber apologized for a visit to a Toky shrine at the center of a bitter international row over Japan's wartime aggression.
Bieber, 20, posted a picture on social media of himself visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine with the heading, "Thank you for your blessings".
The picture was later deleted, although it was republished elsewhere on the Internet, including by a Bieber fan group, and drew criticism from South Korea and China.
The shrine honors 14 Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals after World War Two along with Japan's war dead, and visits to the shrine by Japanese politicians anger victims of Japan's past aggression, including South Korea and China.
Chinese officials have compared Japanese politicians' visits to the shrine to the idea of German politicians laying flowers on Hitler's bunker.
