Yesterday, as I was walking to my destination for a meeting, I wait to cross the street. My eyes were sort of lowered, and I was thinking about random things, until my eyes saw the words written on a car that passed right by me, waiting to make a right turn. My stomach goes queasy for about 30 seconds because that was my first encounter with actually seeing the U.S. Border Patrol.
Since I've only been living in this county for just a couple of months, I sometimes forget that there are more cops and Border Patrol in certain areas. For 5 years of my life, I've been used to living in a safe suburban town, where I never see the Border Patrol.
All stories of ICE raids, cops, deportations, etc. scare me, because I know that any moment, it could be me. Or it could be someone I know. It's another family threatened. It's my worst nightmare come true. I don't understand why the Border Patrol is only around in immigrant communities. Sounds like racial profiling to me.
Seeing them just scared me because I had no idea what they were doing, where they were going. Are they there to victimize another family? Are they on their way to the trolley station to demand people to prove their life's worthiness with a nine-digit number?
About a week ago, a recent acquaintance of mine I've met e-mailed me a story that was published about his life. He is an AB 540 student at another school not far from me. In the article, he mentions how living in the immigrant part of this county is very scary for him, because a classmate of his was once detained for waiting at a trolley station when Border Patrol arbitrarily decided to invade and intrude in a person's dignity and life. Really, What is the crime for waiting at a trolley station? Why was that person handcuffed and put in such emotional stress? I can't stop thinking about these things. It's a hard thing to understand why our society functions this way, and why these abuses are not exposed to the general public. I am sad that if I were not going through this, I probably would not have known that these things are actually so real and scary. This is why we who are affected must expose it as much as possible to open-minded people so that they know our struggles. I've always been sympathetic towards immigrants, even before I discovered that this is an issue that affects me, but I did not know the fear and lack of safety that accompanies one in this life. I did not know much about ICE raids though, and I did not know the feeling of being so afraid.
After the meeting, I was afraid to take the bus back home, knowing that Border Patrol was around somewhere. I get a ride from the organizer, and I tell her of this first encounter I had. Sadly, she confirms what my friend has said in the article. This does happen frequently in that neighborhood. "That's why many immigrants in this area are so afraid to get out of their homes," she tells me. My heart is crushed. I am already really scared and paranoid, yet I think I have it easier than a lot of people. I feel lucky that my relatives live in the part of the county where the Border Patrol doesn't raid often. I am lucky that I speak English and that there is a possibility if an ICE officer sees and talks to me, he just might move on to the person with an accent and forget to ask me for proof, because he will be able to tell from talking to me that I have no accent when I speak English. Yet, that thought is...so unbearable. Why is it that other people must live in more fear than I when I can't even imagine what fear is beyond the fear I am experiencing? I can't help but imagine the fear that resides in the immigrants who have no choice but to live in these neighborhoods. I've never been afraid to go to the grocery store before. Are they afraid every time they make this trip? Must they live in fear even when they are doing something as innocent as feeding their families?
Ahhh, it's all just crazy. And after hearing the story of my friend, it just makes it even more clear that this is the dangerous reality. He had to live in this neighborhood his whole life. He mentions in the article that every ride to school for him has always been a risk. He knows that there is the day when the Border Patrol decides to ride the same bus as him. Though now, I am also in the same situation as him since public transportation is my way of getting around now, I am still maybe in shock that many people have so much to fear and how burdensome this is to life. The lack of a nine-digit number rules the life of an undocumented. This is not how it should be. How shameful that this is the case now. Let's change it, pleaseee.
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i dont know maybe become legal just a suggestion... they are not there to hurt you but to keep the streets safe and protect the country, if they came here legaly they would not have to fear being sent back where they came from. they all came here knowing it was wrong and the risks they would face so dont be mad at people doing their jobs, they have done nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteI am not against cops or police (although I know that there are abuses of power in this field) because I know they are necessary in our society. We do need them for security.
ReplyDeleteBut, we also have to be careful because people in power have a tendency to abuse power, which is why it needs to be checked. that is why we have checks and balances in our government. What has been happening since the Bush era is that we have ignored this part in police and border enforcement, and there have been many cases of power abuse because of the fear the Bush administration instilled in America.
For the past 8 years, Bush was able to do whatever he wanted and instilled fear in people. ICE raids went up at his time, putting families in danger, breaking up families, and putting U.S citizens in danger, while we have lost our target: finding the people who really cause crime in America and are a threat to our security.
He claimed that that was the purpose of ICE raids and increased border security. If that is the case, then that better be the case. Since border enhancement, we have not been able to solve the many problems we wished to solve. People are still crossing the border successfully, and we are not successful in apprehending the drug cartels. Instead, he made Hispanics look like criminals, and our nation developed a fear and prejudice against our neighbors. As you can see, the route we took in increase spending to create a wall is not the solution, and has resulted in nothing but increased lives that are lost from difficulty of crossing, and our problem with security has still not been solved.
therefore, our strategy on how to confront this issue is wrong. We are not fulfilling the goals of having something similar to the Wall of Berlin. Instead, we have become more afraid of the people on the other side instead of figuring real solutions that work.
So what we must do is support humane immigration reform. Obviously, increased border enhancement is not giving us the results we need, and we are violating basic human rights. As Americans, we are avid supporters of human rights, and so we must support something that works for both what lies on the south of us and the U.S.
Also, you questioned why can't people just become legal. The problem with that is, there is no way to legalization for most immigrants. Many immigrants would love to come here legally, but they just can't. It is very very very hard and tedious to obtain a visa, and when one decides to file for permanent residency and willing to pay the outrageous fees that come along with it, there is a lot of bureaucracy, and because the system is so broken, they must often wait 20 years or more to gain legal status. And in that point, many visas expire and so therefore lose legal status that way. Another way to get in is through an employer who is willing to hire a high-skilled worker, but for most people, again, this is also not available to them, and therefore cannot apply for legal status.
There is something wrong with the policies in place, and we must do something about it now. Of course, we should advocate people to come here legally, but our laws in place are not giving immigrants the chance to do that. This is why we should advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, so that we can encourage people to come here legally. There are just way too many barriers and loop holes in the system that makes people fall through and lose status.
Compared to other countries, the U.S. is not doing a very good job, because only about 40% of immigrants become U.S. citizens. Why is that percentage so low? Again, it is because our laws prevent people from obtaining legal status.
America has a big responsibility in providing good public policy, especially since we are a very powerful and revered nation. We are known for the ability of every person who comes here and works hard, that they will be guaranteed the American Dream. Unfortunately, that promise is not being fulfilled, because there are many immigrants who work hard, yet get no compensation. Also, there are also many very intelligent immigrants in this country who are not given the chance to contribute to our nation. I find it ludicrous how America can turn down such talented people, when other countries would love to have them. We have people ready to work for America and make our country even greater than it is, so why are we turning them down?
So back to your comment, some immigrants have no choice but to live in fear because they were not given the opportunity to obtain legal status. America needs to redo its laws because our nation knows that people will always be attracted to the U.S. because after all, we are the land of opportunities. People in less developed countries will always be attracted to come here, especially our neighbors. And they come here because it is the only way to survive. Don't get mad at them for wanting to survive, because we all will do anything to survive. It's part of being human. It is our responsibility to give them a chance to survive, without the fear and oppression that comes from it. When we have immigrants afraid and who feel threatened that their families will be broken up only because they came here to survive, and not cause crime, or be detrimental to society, we have a problem. We have a really big problem that we need to address.
So, I hope my explanation has changed your mind. Many people blame immigrants for not coming here legally, and put all blame on them, but we must also acknowledge our mistakes and make them right. Now is the time to make it right, and we have the power of doing that by recognizing each person's human dignity and human rights through supporting comprehensive immigration reform.