Even the smallest of cities in the United States contain an array of ethnic restaurants, people chattering in various languages, and stores proudly displaying signs announcing "Se Habla Español." The United States is a nation built on immigration, not all of which has been garnered through proper legal venues, and this continues to hold true today.
A perennially controversial topic, the issue of illegal immigration and deportation has been brought even closer to the national forefront in a post-Sept. 11 world, with large numbers on either side of the proverbial fence. As discussed in a lecture held Wednesday afternoon, "Nation of Immigrants or Deportation Nation?," the topic of border control and what should be done about immigrants who have illegally entered the country is both a delicate and difficult issue, one which the United States has been struggling with for some time.
For centuries new immigrants have supplied the low-wage work force, often doing jobs that many Americans are less willing to do and for compensation that falls below minimum wage. Since the mid-'90s, however, immigration and deportation laws have become increasingly stringent, and since Sept. 11, national security has been heightened, including increased scrutiny of people entering the United States and their means of entrance.
There was increased U.S. presence at the border as early as 1996, with the passage of the Illegal Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. Security expanded annually by more than 1,000 agents, which by 2001 included the National Guard.
In 2006, the Secure Fence Act was passed, authorizing hundreds of additional miles of fence to be built at the border with Mexico and granting permission to the Department of Homeland Security to use technology such as satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to protect the border.
Despite such enhanced measures, however, illegal aliens continue to enter the country, and there are still those who have been living in the United States illegally for decades. Julia Preston, National Correspondent for The New York Times, said in Wednesday'=s lecture that the previously lenient enforcement of rules and attitudes regarding illegal immigrants have changed in recent years. Deportation measures have intensified, as even those who have spent nearly their entire lives in this country are now being uprooted from their homes and deported, sometimes being forced to leave their families behind.
"[After Sept. 11], the priority was no longer meat packing but national security," said Preston. "Before, the U.S. saw illegal immigrants as potential citizens; now they are seen as potential terrorists."
According to the U.S. government, Preston's assessment may be accurate. In a news release on Sept. 5, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that more than 197,100 illegal aliens were deported last year, and claimed that approximately 45 percent were criminal aliens.
The current deportation system may be more stringent, but it is not necessarily more discriminatory. n
Some of these deported criminal aliens may have been punished retroactively for offenses that were not deemed sufficient cause for deportation at the time they were committed. Preston spoke of man who was deported for urinating in public while working at a construction job, and although his family remained in the United States, he was not permitted to return.
Other criminal offenses include shoplifting and falsely claiming citizenship in order to work, and attempted re-entry into the United States after deportation, which is a felony carrying up to a 25-year prison sentence.
An estimated 434,000 people were deported from the United States for non-violent crimes in 2005 according to the Department of Homeland Security. Daniel Kanstroom, associate director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice and author of Deportation Nation, spoke in Wednesday'=s lecture about the current state of the U.S. deportation system.
Functioning under Department of Homeland Security, laws regarding deportation may apply to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen, including lawful permanent residents. As Kanstroom explained, deportation consists of mandatory detention with no right to bail, no jury trial, it can be supported by evidence obtained without a warrant, and it has restricted administrative and judicial review.
"AIf you want to understand how the deportation system works, look at the inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty, and then think about the opposite,"@ said Kanstroom.
While many associate illegal immigration and the issue of deportation with states such as Texas and California, it is just as relevant to those living in Massachusetts. After an agreement signed by Governor Romney in December 2006, specially trained State Troopers may now enforce federal immigration laws. Both Kanstroom and Preston identify this as a dangerous problem, as the use of local police to enforce immigration laws deters people from going to the police for their own protection.
"A[Illegal immigrants] must become a fugitive class of millions of people,"@ said Preston.
The issue of deportation was further localized last March when nearly 350 illegal immigrants, working at a leather factory in New Bedford, were sent to detention centers after a raid dubbed "AOperation United Front."@ A number of Spanish-speaking BC students were asked to aid by acting as translators between the lawyers and the detained workers.
Illegal immigration still remains a charged topic as the United States struggles to find a balance between upholding its historic role as a refuge of democracy and acknowledging the pressure new immigrants can place on limited resources. At the same time, decisions must be made regarding what should be done with illegal immigrants already living among us.
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