“We are a nation of immigrants.” Yes, we are a nation of immigrants, as the signs protesting President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies say. Fear and anger have spread across the United States as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started a wave of arrests. ICE is targeting undocumented immigrants indiscriminately — on Jan. 26, ICE made 1,179 arrests, only around 52 percent of which were considered criminal arrests while the rest were either nonviolent offenders or people with no criminal background, according to NBC. Over 8 million undocumented people are estimated to be part of the U.S. workforce. The people targeted by Trump’s policies support the economy of this country; they pay taxes, and they have families.
By now, there should be a way for them to gain citizenship in a country in which they already participate actively and positively. So, why are people protesting now? It is at a moment of crisis that the “allies” start speaking up. Now that undocumented people’s livelihoods are being threatened, people in cities go out and march.
The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has remained at around 11 million for the past few decades. Some studies estimate the number might be closer to 22 million. Why is it that while immigrants are paid less than minimum wage and are abused by the capitalist system of the United States, this issue is never brought up as a serious problem by the Democratic Party? I’ve heard people around me talk about how the economy will suffer without immigrant farmers, saying things like, “Who else would want to pick strawberries?” Comments like these not only ignore the fact that many of these workers are being exploited, but accept the culture of exploitation that workers live under. Although organizations like the Immigration Advocates Network exist, and many U.S. citizens care about immigrant rights, the bigger focus has never been on these issues.
I am from Bolivia and a dual citizen of the United States, and throughout my life, I’ve heard dozens of stories from people around me who are denied visas, get separated from their families, and have had their lives turned upside down because of the U.S. immigration system. It has always been a struggle to enter the United States legally, and people with families and unfavorable living conditions do everything in their power to look for a better place to live. Although the United States population might pride itself on being a nation of immigrants, what does this actually mean?
Historically, the only immigrants with power in the U.S. were the rich and the colonizers who wiped out the Indigenous people. From a Bolivian perspective, the U.S. has always presented itself as the savior of the world, bringing democracy and peace to places that need it. But the United States has been turning down refugees and immigrants since the start of the country’s history. The U.S. turned down the S.S. St. Louis, carrying over 900 Jewish refugees who were escaping the Holocaust in Europe at the start of World War II. The U.S. imposes quotas on the number of refugees it can accept each year, such as it has done with Vietnamese refugees in the past. The list goes on and on. Even if we ignore all of these facts, the U.S. remains a deeply divided country, full of racism, xenophobia, and classism. We are a nation of immigrants, but not a nation that accepts diversity in any way.
We blame Trump for the issues at hand, but this tipping point seems inevitable when we take a look at the recent past. The number of undocumented immigrants has not significantly decreased since it reached its peak of 12.2 million in 2007. What does this mean? Here are two ways of looking at it. One: undocumented people have been able to stay in the U.S., and this is a good thing. Having no undocumented immigrants would be a sign of tyrannical control, like what the current administration is imposing. Or, option two: in 20 years, the U.S. has not been able to implement a streamlined way of granting legal permanent residence or citizenship to the millions of workers and asylum seekers currently living here, and the visa system has remained faulty and does not promote legal immigration. I think that the reality is a combination of both perspectives, but either way, the U.S., including the Democratic Party, has not done even close to enough to bring justice and fairness to the immigrant population.
The Democratic Party has been defensive, reactionary, or — at best — slow to implement good immigration policies and has handed Trump a chance to do whatever he wants. If America survives Trump, I hope that this presidency serves as a wake-up call to the people of the United States. Halfway measures and passive attempts at making things slightly better will not lead to a good country for all. To fix grave problems, strong measures to systemically revitalize our immigration system are necessary. This is what Trump is doing now — taking drastic measures — but in the opposite direction from what the working class, minorities, and immigrants need. The Democratic Party has been accepting more and more conservative views in order to gain swing votes, and what develops in front of us now is the result: a country that moves only to benefit the powerful. We are regressing as a country, and to make a change, we need to take a strong stance. Take action, send letters to your elected officials expressing your opinion and desire for change, spread the word, and stay educated on the current situation. I believe that we can have a United States with opportunity, fairness, and justice for all, but we must work for it.
