92% increase in the number of immigrants 18 and younger who are being arrested at the border with Mexico. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Abbott asked for $30 million to help secure the border. "With the Border Patrol's focus shifted to this crisis," Abbott said, "we have grave concerns that dangerous cartel activity, including narcotics smuggling and human trafficking, will go unchecked." Everyone involved has gone into emergency mode, said Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a national non-profit immigrant child advocacy group. "Right now," she said, "we are in triage." ((cite)) This piece noted in the article, and the article in general, demonstrate the concerns of prominent American Leaders such …show more content…
The liberties and rights of YOUNG immigrants, both illegal and legal, are being set aside by the Obama Administration, favouring adult immigrants who could be more valuable to the American economy and thus achieving a higher priority than the young, “They've had to open temporary shelters because the existing ones are filled to capacity. Journalists are not allowed inside, but leaked photographs of a Border Patrol holding facility in Nogales, Arizona, show cramped cells without enough food, beds, toilets or showers. They seem more befitting of refugee camps Americans hear of in war-ravaged regions of the developing world than right here at home. From those less-than-ideal conditions have risen allegations of sexual abuse, threats of violence, strip searches and filthy conditions. A complaint filed Wednesday (June 18, 2014) by the American Civil Liberties Union and four immigrant rights groups lists accusations made by 116 children. Half described a lack of medical care. Others describe ice-cold holding cells in which bright fluorescent lights were kept switched on day and night. About 70 percent of these children said they were held by the Border Patrol longer than the statutory limit of 72 hours. President Barack Obama has announced an interagency Unified Coordination Group to respond to humanitarian
In addition, most of these children Nazario interviewed, almost half lived in dangerous gang territories and were exposed to life threatening situations, “Of the 322 minors I interviewed, 145 have at least one gang in their neighborhood, and about half of these live in a contested gang territory. They report hearing gunshots nightly and are often afraid to walk even two or three blocks from their home since they fear crossing an always changing boundary” (Nazario, ###). Children decided they must leave their home country and chose to go to where they had family, because they feel unsafe and they have the necessity to escape the danger that entraps them in a never ending cycle of violence; this is why DACA plays an important role assisting these individuals.
Therefore, instead of focusing on increased border security, deportation, and the hunting down of illegals, wasted recourses could go to other ways for possible solutions to this problem. Still, the perhaps millions of dollars spent on all of these activities could be redirected in a more positive manner. Nevertheless, these funds could be used to help Mexico’s, economy, job opportunities, and health care. Furthermore, if more support was given in these areas there would be less reason for immigrants to cross the boarder illegally. Another possible solution would be to implement or change a policy regarding immigration and make it and overall easier process. Moreover, it is hard to say what those would do if they were in these immigrants situations. Often, we are too stuck in one view point, not looking from the perception of
Tod Miller opens up hisbook by CBP’s involvement in Super Bowl security. This involvement reveals the consequences of hyper-security not only aimed at the order, but also in football fields and local community. The author reveals out the huge budgets spent on the border agency. From the chapter 1,2 and 8, he reports that since 2/11, the US government has spent around $791
Valbrun, Marjorie. "Children of Illegal Immigrants Struggle When Parents Are Deported." The Children of Undocumented Immigrants. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Foster Care, Uncertain Futures Loom for Thousands of Immigrant Children." America's Wire. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Jeffrey, Terence P. “Border Patrol Will Up Goal For Miles Of Border Secured.” Human Events
Currently, there are 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States; 6 million of those immigrants are Mexican-born (Preston). Within that undocumented population are individuals who were brought to the States as children. These individuals have grown up in the American culture and consider themselves American, but struggle with being treated as second class citizens due to their undocumented status. On June fifteenth of 2012, the Obama Administration announced the executive order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This order will allow immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children to apply for work permits and avoid deportation (Hennessey and Bennett). President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is not only beneficial to it applicants but also to the United States as a whole.
Immigration has been a topic that has caused multiple discussions on why people migrate from one country to another, also how it affects both the migraters and the lands they go. Immigration is the movement from one location to another to live there permanently. This topic has been usually been associated with sociology to better explain how it affects people, cultures and societies. Sociology has three forms of thinking that are used to describe and analyze this topic. There are three forms of thinking that are used to tell and describe immigration to society; structural functionalist, symbolic interactionist, and conflict theory. Each of these theories uses different forms of thinking and rationality to describe and explain socio topics.
Because of the 1996 Illegal Immigration and Deportation Act, detained migrant workers lose their due process rights because they are not United States citizens. Golash-Boza uses the War on Drugs, started by Nixon in the 70’s and proliferated by Reagan in the 80’s, to explain how minorities are targeted by the legal system. She builds upon pervious research highlighting this discrepancy, showing that these laws enable mass deportation. The policy changes gave more resources to government agencies, making it possible for them to police, monitor, and deport undocumented workers. Golash-Boza also, points out the vast amount of resources that became available following 9/11, with the transfer of immigration policy from the Department of Justice to the Department of Homeland Security, giving Immigration and Naturalization Service’s (INS) greater mobility and range in how they conduct deportations (Deported, 146).
This article is truly saddening and it pains me to even say I’m an American sometimes. Over 800,000 underage immigrants have received the protection here under DACA (Deferred Action for childhood arrivals) for that last 5 years. The very thing that brought them here is now being taken away now they are at risk for deportation. Even though most have enrolled in College and established a stable career for themselves, this was not put into consideration when the action on the program was taken.
Family detention is inhumane, expensive, and hurts this country’s long history of hope for people seeking safety. Children and their parents should be treated as humans and should be able to access protection when they arrive at U.S. borders, but are instead detained in prison-like conditions, even after their claims for seeking asylum are validated.There are many other options other than detention centers that are more humane, cost efficient, and that will keep families together. There is a deep concern that the detention of young children, especially those who have already experienced trauma, this is harmful to their mental and physical development. I believe that the only solution is to put an end to these family detention
The Mexican-American border barriers were originally built as part of a three-pronged approach to diminish illicit contraband, drug smuggling, and illegal immigrants. This operation would curtail drug transport routes from Central America. Three headquarters were established along the Unites States border: operation gatekeeper in California, Operation Hold-the-Line in Texas, and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. These strategically placed headquarters have done an outstanding job securing our borders the past decade, however with drug smuggling on the rise, they require much more support from the government. Regrettably, adversaries of the barriers claim that they are more of a political gambit to instigate foreign affairs and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. These opponents see the United States-Mexico barrier as an unsuccessful deterrent to illegal immigrants and unwanted drugs that ultimately and inaptly endangers the security and wellbeing of immigrants seeking refuge in the States.
Detention centers focus on profit rather than well-being. As a result, immigrants are forced to endure harsh conditions and cheap labor. In addition, many immigrants are detained miles away from their families. These conditions begin to take a toll on the immigrant’s psychological health. Instead of detaining undocumented immigrants, the government should find alternative means.
Debates rage about the economic contributions of immigrants to the U.S. economy, job competition, tax payments and fiscal costs, and the integration of immigrants in communities and the larger society. Largely absent from the discussion are the children of immigrants. Today there are an estimated 5.5 million children with unauthorized immigrant parents, about three-quarters of whom are U.S.-born citizens. The nation builds its own future by investing in the futures of children, spending billions of dollars annually on education and health care, preventing abuse and neglect, and supporting when necessary their basic needs for housing and food. Yet, unlike other children in this country, the children of unauthorized immigrants live with the fear that their parents might be arrested, detained, or deported. The federal government spends billions each year to arrest, detain, and deport immigrants, many of whom are parents. By one estimate, in the last 10 years, over 100,000 immigrant parents of U.S. citizen children have been deported from the United States.
One of the major issues surrounding border security is illegal immigration, “For the past two decades the United States, a country with a strong tradition of limited government, has been pursuing a widely popular initiative that requires one of the most ambitious expansions of government power in modern history: securing the nation’s borders against illegal immigration” (Alden, 2012). Many people are trying to enter the United States without the proper documentation and everyday they risk their lives and others just to make it across these borders. To avoid this law enforcement and other border security has threatened these illegal immigrants with detainment and arrest and different forms of punishment. In the efforts to deter the problem, it has been far beyond feasible because they still manage to get across and it does not change their intention...
The last two quarters have been extremely vital to changing my views of undocumented immigrants, especially undocumented students. I never particularly cared to think about their experiences beyond the fact that they are economically disadvantaged. The two quarters I have spent taking the Immigrant Rights, Labor and Higher Education course have taught me aboutvarious socioeconomicdisadvantagesundocumented immigrants face along with the anxieties that come with being the possibility of being separated from family members, deportations, the intersectionality of different identities interacting with their status. Overall, this class has taught me to humanize my understanding of the immigration debate.