When Donald J Trump was campaigning for president, one of the many things he planned to do if elected was to secure the Mexico-U.S. borders, and deport many of the immigrants already in the country. In the few weeks following his inauguration, we have seen him make good on these promises at an alarmingly quick speed.
On the first day of his new term, the President signed an executive order for the expansion of expedited removal, which is the act of deportation without a hearing. This applies to all immigrants that have lived in the U.S. for less than two years. However, some people that have been in the U.S. longer than the two year period are also being unfairly deported if they are unable to solidly prove their time of residence. Along with this, he invoked a state of “national emergency,” which allowed him to divert military funds into border enforcement. The following day, the DHS (department of homeland security) was instructed to revoke the CBP One app’s ability to schedule appointments for those seeking asylum. Thousands of appointments were canceled, leaving entire families forced to face having to return to unsafe environments.
President Trump then attempted to disable the sanctuary protection on churches and schools, which did not go over well, with school districts and places of worship holding strong and refusing entry to ICE (immigration and customs enforcement) agents. However, ICE has brutally raided homes, restaurants, and businesses, arresting an average of 710 people each day, up from the previous 311. While many countries are accepting their deportees back onto their land, Mexico, Brazil, Laos, and many others have refused to allow U.S. deportation flights onto their land. Since jails can only keep people on immigration holds for up to 48 hours, many immigrants have already been returned to their daily lives. However, they are still not safe.
With about 15.6 percent (roughly 51.6 million) of Americans being immigrants, these people obviously have a large impact on our society, economy, and culture. They introduce new foods and methods, bringing diversity to our country. Near the end of January, social media posts began circulating, promoting a ‘Day Without Immigrants.” On February 3rd, businesses across America closed and thousands of protestors of all ethnicities took to the streets, waving signs featuring slogans such as “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and “We speak for those who can’t.” Hispanic families were instructed to keep their kids home from school, postpone their shopping for a day, and to not show up for work. Some school districts reported missing nearly a third of their students. The protests were largely peaceful, however, many groups made their way onto freeways, holding up traffic before they were redirected by law enforcement. Two days later, on February 5th, the 50501 movement was held. 50 protests across the 50 states of our country made for a powerful moment, as over 1,500 people gathered at Washington State’s capital brandishing signs and the flags of different Hispanic countries. Both of these events served as a reminder of one of the most important principles that this country is built on: “All men are created equal.”
The Saugus Scroll interviewed senior Sophie Maldonado Galvez about her thoughts on the immigration policies, saying “Looking through a positive lens, I hope that these new policies will bring everyone together rather than separating us. As for relationships with other countries, it will better it or make enemies.” When asked if she felt that the many pro-immigration protests and walkouts were making a difference, she responded with, “I definitely think these protests are making a difference, our Hispanic community is heard more.” She ended by stating that “ I think anyone in the Hispanic community can expect chaos, new immigration policies are not only affecting immigrants but also citizens of the U.S. I hope I’m wrong and everything goes better than expected.” As of right now, no one truly knows what can happen next, as many new orders and policies concerning immigrants and the U.S.-Mexico border are currently underway. However, here in Saugus we should all try to pull together instead of tearing each other apart.
