One of the most controversial issues in the United States is that of immigration. Most people have an instinctive fear of what immigrants will do, or have preconceived ideas of what they have done.
It is true, illegal immigrants often use other people’s social security numbers when applying for jobs, and that demographically there has been a predominant increase in Latino and Asian populations. These ethnic groups tend to group together, creating the ‘China Towns’, ‘Little Mexicos’, and ‘Little Tokyos’ in large cities. Some people find these ethnic areas in cities, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, as problematic because it threatens the process of immigrants (both legal and illegal) assimilating into the ‘American’ culture.
Yet, the reality of the situation is that undocumented immigrants don’t take jobs away from citizens, because the economy has come to rely on the manual labor as well as household, cleaning and industrial jobs they fill. Although adopting a fake social security card is illegal, it never has harmed anyone. The clusters of ethnic groups provide the diversity and cultural variety that the US is popularly known for. Immigration is what created the United States history. Nevertheless, the irrational fear of the public has been expressed through an increase in the demand for the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Many forget to take into account the context of these deportees’ lives. The families that are counting on them economically, the poverty or political situation they are seeking respite from and the desire to provide a better life for their children. Deporting a husband or wife is cruel, but a child? That is atrocious.
Immigration courts in around the South Texas border are confronting an unexpected surge of children, some who are not yet old enough to go to school, traveling without their parents, caught illegally crossing the border.
Juan David Gonzales, a 6 year old, was brought over by smugglers and caught crossing the border. He has to go in front of an immigration judge because immigration laws contain far too little protection for minors. In immigration courts there is no right to a lawyer from the government for people who can’t afford one. This means that a child as young as Juan has to go before court and judge without a lawyer.
Just this year, 11,000 unaccompanied minors have been arrested for deportation.
These young children are being denied their basic rights. Are you an advocate for denying a child their family, or for a bettering the future of these children?