When we talk about immigration, we tend to talk in headlines. “ Illegal aliens”, “undocumented immigrants”. Immigration remains one of the most diverse topics in today’s political and social landscape and when we throw these labels around, we don’t think about the lives, people, families that are behind them.
Students are getting arrested on their schools campus, innocent people getting deported for peacefully protesting their views and opinions. Yet, we still reduce these people as numbers, and harsh labels, completely dehumanizing these human beings and forgetting they share the same passion and hope as we do. The white house shared an asmr video of the chains they put on these immigrants, families having to leave their stable homes and lives to move to a country they’ve never even been to before. These aren’t some stories , this is in fact the reality we live in today. Immigration isn’t about headlines and numbers, it’s about humans and families fleeing poverty, war, and harsh environments.
We all can agree a country needs borders and rules. But when those rules are used to dehumanize and traumatize innocent people who just want to find purpose in life, we have to take a step back and ask ourselves – who are these laws actually benefiting?
With President Trump’s unjust immigration policies and views, the laws set on immigration haven’t just become more strict, it has been turned into a weapon. It tells families fleeing from violence that they are illegal. It tells kids with dreams and passion that they’re nothing in this country without a paper.
The case of Kilmar Abergo Garcia enlightens us on the profound issues within Trump’s new policies. Kilmar, who fled gang violence in El Salvador, was given “withholding of removal” by the United States in 2019. In spite of this court order, Abergo Garcia was recently deported from his home in Maryland to a maximum security prison in El Salvador, due to accusations of being a member of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang. The Trump administration later labeled it as a “mistake,” but continued to label him as a gang member. The Supreme Court has recently ordered for his return back to the United States. All in all, highlighting the ignorance and laziness in the immigration system.
Stories like these remind us that immigration is not about securing borders and policies, it is about real human lives. When we ignore that, and continue to limit people’s potential, real people will continue to suffer. How can we fear our land being stolen, when this same ground was taken through violence and lies? We must build a immigration system that reflects fairness and dignity, that has limitations, but allows people to become what they want in a country that will enable that. Anything less, betrays not only human life and immigration, but the moral state of the United States as a whole.