Introduction
In 2017, the Humans Rights Watch, a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization
conducted hundreds of interviews with immigrants who were affected by Trump’s mandatory
hunt for illegal aliens in the United States. The interviews revealed permanent residence and
immigrants who resided in the U.S were seized for any little reason besides committing a crime.
Among those interviews, people such as Linda, a 29-year-old whom arrived in the states at the
age of four and a mother of three young children with citizenships was deported after a traffic
stop. Others such as Orlando whom lived in the U.S for 33 years, a business owner and father of
citizens were also at high risk of being deported. This is a Student Sample
Thesis
Every year, the U.S immigration system shatters thousands of immigrants hopes and
dreams of starting a new life within the states. Instead of a warm welcome to the United States,
immigrants are encountering harmful and unconscionable treatment. Moreover, many people
who are newly found or have been U.S citizens are targeted for discriminatory purposes instead
of criminal conduct. As a result, the deportation rates and detainee’s filling detention centers are
rapidly increasing. The government refuses to implement a more effective and sustainable
immigration policy that does not revoke people from their constitutional rights. This is a Student Sample
Historical Background
Immigration has played a significant role in American history. Before the era of rapid
communication and transportation, the United States encouraged many migrants to settle and
become a citizen of the country. After the Civil War, many states formed individual immigration
policies for migrants to abide by. In 1875, the Supreme Court decided to implement a country
wide immigration system to regulate the rapid growth of immigrants traveling to the US.
Th proposals from many legislations over the previous decades shows that U.S. does not support immigration. The United States weren’t always anti-immigrant bias. In the beginning, many immigrants were more than welcome to come work and live in America. Overtime, the immigration policy became discriminating and filled with laws highlighting bigotry within the system. This is a Student Sample
Problems in The System
Many citizens today are facing the unpleasant reality of the unjust immigration system.
Under Trumps administration, the U.S Department of Homeland security reported a total of
110,568 immigration arrests but only 31,888 of those arrests were confirmed to be non-criminal
convictions in the first seven months of his term. During the hunt for illegal immigrants, a
multitude of citizens are also at high risks of being deported. Hard-working noble people are deported and forced to leave their homes and families behind simply because of their race, religion, and nationality. Under such circumstances, families have no choice but to accept the fact of being broken apart from their loved ones. They will go months to years without hearing from their long-lost relatives who are detained at concentration camps we like to call “detention centers”. In most cases, families are separated away from their provider or “money maker” of
the household. So, they not only lose communication with one another, but the family left behind
loses financial stability as well. This is a Student Sample
However, people believe the Trump administration effectuating an extensive immigration
arrest throughout the U.S is better yet a “better safe, than sorry” mandatory procedure. This will
in no doubt remove an innumerable number of criminals out the country. The crime rate will
decrease significantly, and America will be great again, so they say. There will be more
availability for jobs, room for growth in the business world and bigots can live their lives more
comfortably. Many people feel as though Americans should come first and everyone else should
be dealt accordingly under certain laws. This is a Student Sample
The immigration system denies many detainees of their basic due process rights. During
the Zadyydas vs. Davis court case in 2001, the Supreme court ruled that all immigrants are
entitled to the protection of the due process clause of the fourth and fifth amendment regardless
of legal status. The government makes these laws and then abuse them because they feel as
though they can. Many people are sent to detention centers to await immigration court
proceedings for months to years without access to legal counsels, law libraries and telephones to
contact family for assistance.
Additionally, when detainees are presented before the judge with insufficient evidence to
support their conviction, it is an international law for the detainee to be released. The sad part about this is that sentences are prolonged to years of confinement before they can see a judge to
know the status of being a flight risk or being guilty of any crime. You would basically be rotting
in a detention center for no legitimate reason. Keeping a person in arbitrary detention with
admissible evidence of flight risk is unconstitutional and immigration should not get away with
this foul play. This is a Student Sample
Despite the fact of lengthy sentencing, people believe that it is imperative to take extreme
precautions to ensure that US citizens are safe from terrorists and criminals that maybe avoiding
or trying to escape prosecution. The files of each citizen should be reviewed by a judge before
they can be released. Since there are several arrests every day, there will be a waiting period. For
instance, once a person is taking into custody, you will have to await a trial and then once your
called upon, the judge will inform you about any charges you may have. It is the same thing.
The most devastating and heartbreaking fact about the immigration system is the
treatment of detainees at the detention centers ran by the U.S Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agency. Many people are horribly mistreated by the guards and other
authorities at these facilities to the extent of people getting brutally hurt. People are also deprived
from their freedom and are detained in poor conditions that lack international standards. Children
and adults are dying every year because the government fails to invest in medical clinics to
ensure each detainee is provided with adequate medical treatment. Based on a report, “Code Red:
The Fatal Consequences of Dangerously Substandard Medical Care in Immigration Detention,”
independent medical experts examined 15 detainee deaths that were caused by poor medical
treatments. The numbers of deaths increase every year due to the deeds of this inhumane system.
Furthermore, The Human Rights Watch documented heavily-weighted violations at
detention centers for children. Children are separated from their relatives and held in cells with unrelated adults. Thousands of innocent little children are exposed to violence and the
exploitation to deadly beatings awaiting their release. Not to mention, they are held without
access to education and recreational outdoor activities to pass the time. This is very crucial
because a child without education and a normal childhood could cause long term mental health
issues. This is a Student Sample
On the contrary, people believe that the amount of deaths reported by the ICE is not
significant enough for the government to be concerned about the medical treatments performed
on detainees. Some detainees may have had a disease that was untreatable or in some instances
people only had but so long to live. Many people say that many detainees step out of line and
violate rules that were set in place to maintain cooperation. Their behavior and attempt of
violation causes authorities to take immediate action. Unfortunately, children are withheld from
school and libraries, but they do have the freedom to play. Children are creative enough to find
activities to do while awaiting release.
Proposals for Policy Change
The key change that is needed is an expeditious deportation and application process.
Migrants and citizens spend way too long in detention centers awaiting the status of deportation
or application acceptance. Since there are hundreds to thousands of travelers everyday seeking
citizenship and asylum, detention centers are becoming inhabitable because of the vast numbers
of detainees filling the facilities. The U.S should deploy immigration officers overseas to identify
fraudulent documents and undocumented migrants. Using finger printing biometric screening
systems will also eliminate the longer waits for status of flight risk and asylum seekers. Officers
will be able to obtain background information such as criminal records in a short time frame.
After 9/11, Canadas’ immigration policy implemented this technique for a quicker process to
decrease the amount of people in the detention centers and to easily identify unwanted criminals
and terrorists.
In addition, the government should invest in the detention centers to sufficiently care for
asylum seekers and their children. Countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany take
great care of migrants. In fact, their detention centers allow access to top-notch medical care,
education and visitation from families living in the country. This would be a great investment for
children to learn and for others to receive treatment for illnesses or health problems.
Finally, New Zealand has a policy that gives citizens the right to appeal their deportation
to the courts. They usually give people fourteen to twenty-eight days to complete this process.
The U.S should keep people for as little as fourteen days to appear in front of an immigration
judge to know their status. People should not wait months to years to complete this process. The
immigration system should show more compassion for families and friends who may be
dependent on the detainees in custody. Also, the system should implement programs that help
fund families who were depending on others whom are contained. This is a Student Sample
Methods to The Madness
To bring about these changes, we must begin by implementing more advance technology
at the boarders such as finger print screening to become more aware of criminals. This will help
the process for asylum seekers to move more swiftly than usual. The rate of criminals will
decrease, and the population of detention centers will decrease as well.
A second vital action is to fund detention centers, so they can provide education for
children, house adequate medical clinics, and great staff to help protect detainees. The detention centers should not be presented as a prison but more so as a haven. If people are criminals, they
should be housed in a prison or a jail.
Also, the due process should take as short as two to three weeks. There should be a
process implemented for a quick evaluation of detainees suspected of a crime without warrants.
This will help reduce the population in detention centers and remove the detainee whom is
released without convictions to attend to his life back home in a timely manner.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we should acknowledge the fact that majority of migrants in the U.S are
hard-working people who only want the best for their families. They come here to earn a better
education and to live comfortably without the urge of fearing an attack on them. They are
humans just like us and they deserve a better life just like us. People should put away their
differences and have compassion for people in need.
The United States needs to develop and enforce a workable system of immigration laws
that has a zero tolerance for discrimination and violation of the fourteenth amendment and
human rights laws. The detention centers should be a haven that provides adequate medical
attention, well mannered but highly trained staff and education and activities for children. If the
immigration policy continues to lack integrity, it will be conducive to the continued failure of the
system. This is a Student Sample
References
US: Devastating Impact of Trump’s Immigration Policy. (2017, December 06). Retrieved
November 15, 2018, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/05/us-devastating-impact-trumps
immigration-policy
US: Poor Medical Care, Deaths, in Immigrant Detention. (2018, June 21). Retrieved November
15, 2018, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/20/us-poor-medical-care-deaths-immigrant
detention
Mendoza, M. (2016). A System in Need of Repair: The Inhumane Treatment of Detainees in the
U.S. Immigration Detention System. North Carolina Journal of International Law & Commercial
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