Trump and immigration

Many immigrants, including those from Guyana and other Caricom countries, in the United States, especially those residing there illegally, are still very uncertain about their future in their adopted homeland. Certainly, President Donald Trump’s hardline position on immigration issues has created much fear and anxiety among immigrant communities.
The immigration crackdowns across the country, especially in areas where large numbers of immigrants reside, are increasing. Just recently, according to an article by Amsterdamnews.com, in a five-day targeted enforcement action that ended on September 25, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nabbed a total of 497 immigrants in 10 states. The majority from New York, the Hudson Valley and Long Island—a whopping 82; while in Boston, another 80 were arrested, bringing the total in those two states alone to 162.
In New York, those arrested included nationals from Algeria, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Spain and Ukraine.
According to Amsterdamnews.com, while several of those nabbed were criminal immigrants who had committed serious crimes, including rape, sexual abuse and assaults on children as well as weapons and assault charges and undoubtedly deserve to be deported, many were nabbed for crimes such as operating a vehicle without a licence, driving with a suspended license, driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence, illegal re-entry, resisting officer/arrest, obstructing police, possession of marijuana and obstructing official business.
Previous U.S. Administrations had focused on removing immigrants with criminal convictions, regardless of whether they have legal residency. However, Trump immigration policies prioritise anyone who has been charged with a crime, whether that person is convicted or not. This includes anyone who has committed “acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense,” whether or not the person has been convicted, charged or even arrested.
It is well known that Trump campaigned on a narrow, anti-immigrant and American nationalistic agenda; and it was bought by a majority of American voters. According to ICE data, as of June this fiscal year, 282,242 immigrants were deported; and based on Trump’s plan to put tighter controls on immigrants, those numbers are expected to climb higher by the end of 2019, Trump’s third year in office.
For many Caribbean nationals, including Guyanese, there are still uncertainties as they fear their immigration status could be affected overnight, or the immigration laws which apply to them for certain categories of sponsorship could be changed with very short notice.
For example, over the past few months, there are rising numbers of reports of ICE agents being present in courtrooms waiting to deport immigrants who might have fallen afoul of the law. It is also being reported that agents are staking out in hospitals waiting to capture illegal immigrants when they go to seek medical attention. These actions by immigration authorities have caused many immigrant rights groups and political representatives to speak out. However, the Trump Administration has paid no heed and is moving ahead with its plans to target certain categories of persons for deportation.
In addition to “criminal aliens”, there are other individuals who generally fall outside of this priority deportation category; these include; immigrants who arrived as children, immigrant parents of Americans and workers and recent arrivals.
Legal experts have suggested that some undocumented parents of U.S. citizens might qualify for residency through their children. However, they will still face certain barriers to legalisation. For example, wait times for these family visas take many years. Then there is the issue of cost for legal counsel to assist in the process.
There are also millions of persons who do not have criminal records, but are currently working in the country illegally. These individuals could still be vulnerable once the administration continues its high-profile workplace raids. Even if these persons not apprehended and deported, it is highly unlikely that they will receive authorisation to work in the U.S. or legal protection from deportation.
No doubt the immigration crackdowns will continue and many will get caught in the dragnet. It would therefore be in persons’ own interest to take all the necessary precautions to ensure they are not affected unnecessarily, especially those who are yet to get their immigration status “regularized”.