The State of Immigration — January 2017
The State of Immigration — January 2017
The Trump Administration took office on January 20th. Since then, they have enacted legislation regarding the following items.
Border Wall
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the United States is experiencing the lowest number of illegal border crossings in 40 years. More agents are located on the Mexican border than ever before. Spending on Border Patrol has never been higher.The Trump Administration seeks to build a wall that, aside from symbolic representation, could cost the United States (and taxpayers) $6.5 million per mile (the Mexico/U.S. border is 1,954 miles). The wall is said to help "put a stop to job thievery".It only seems that infrastructure around the wall will be strengthened. These are only the first steps in dangerous relations with Mexico that, if current trends hold, will only erode the relationship with Mexico until it is nonexistent.
Catch and Release
One of the points of the administration's border wall plan has been the end of "catch-and-release" programs. "Catch and release" is an unofficial label for people held at the border in violation of immigration code, then given a court date to appear. They are then discharged from being held. Many look at this as a way for immigrants to just keep living in the U.S. without fear of prosecution.However, "catch and release" officially ended in August 2006.1.Under the presidential administration of George W. Bush, Michael Chertoff (then Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security) advocated for and ended the program. Instead, Chertoff replaced the policy with a "catch and retain" process where they were held indefinitely.Former President Obama was said to have let the policy seep back into common practice among ICE agents. However, no official statement was made regarding the practice. Many critics still came out against any unofficial motions.
Sanctuary Cities
Sanctuary cities are certain areas in the U.S. that do not seek to use their own funds to help enforce federal immigration laws. Often, law enforcement or government employees are not allowed to inquire about immigration status within these cities. These two items often have a byproduct of allowing immigrants safe harbor.The Trump Administration has pledged to put an end to sanctuary cities. This would require an enforcement on a local level that requires cities to enforce federal law.If this were to go into effect, you may see greater presence of federal agents in cities. We think there are better ways to deal with immigration than by enforcing removal.By fearing deportation, it could cause others to falsely accuse others of not having proper paperwork. This could invite legal proceedings, racism, or worse.
Refugee Crisis
Residents following countries are banned from traveling to the U.S.:
Iraq
Yemen
Somalia
Libya
Syria
Iran
Sudan
Diplomats are exempt from this statute. Additionally, some legal residents that possess green cards report that they are being blocked from re-entering the U.S.The order also boasts that residents from these countries will be allowed in only after extreme vetting.This is dangerous. At this moment, multiple organizations are currently seeking to overturn the rule by showing that it violates the fifth amendment (removal of due process) and the first amendment (Christian refugees from these areas are allowed with ease, but not Muslims).