We all know that, if you get caught breaking the law, you risk getting arrested and a trip to jail.But we’ve got a pretty fair system, right?You can make a free phone call, talk to a lawyer, and get a hearing in front of a judge, pretty much right away, don’t you?The bad guys go to jail, and the good guys go free, right?We all know how this works, if only from what we learned in school or just watching too much TV.
Unfortunately, that’s not true for immigrants in this country.A person can be arrested and detained by ICE on the most basic suspicion that there’s something not quite right with their immigration status, and we treat them worse than criminals. That’s the rule for anyone who’s not a citizen (and even some who are, but might have trouble proving their citizenship).And the process doesn’t look anything like it what they told us in school or what you learned from reruns of Law & Order: immigrants face death-penalty-like consequences with only traffic court-level protections.
Those arrested often spend hours without knowing why they were arrested, where they will be taken, or whether there is any hope of release, with no way to contact their loved ones.Worse yet, many are pressured to sign away their rights on the threat that they might otherwise spend months in detention before inevitable deportation. Others spend weeks—yes, weeks—shuffled from state to state, before they can make their case for release to an immigration judge.The lucky ones might be able to buy their freedom until their case can be heard, but many can’t afford to pay $10,000 or more for a bond.And that’s cash, mind you:no 10% down or personal recognizance bonds here.Those that can’t pony up the money face months of detention until a judge can decide their fate.Some are detained for years.
And about that lawyer? Well, that doesn’t look like what you learned in school either: there’s no such thing as a public defender for immigrants, and about two thirds of immigrants face the prospect of deportation without a lawyer to help them understand what’s been called the most complex and arbitrary area of the law.
Who are these immigrants?Are they criminals, are they dangerous?Rarely.The overwhelming majority of those arrested by ICE have no criminal history—and those that do were involved with relatively minor offenses, not violent crimes, and even those with the most minor criminal history are rarely eligible for release. So who are tax payers detaining at $100 or more a day? Mostly, we’re talking about families trying to get ahead, people fleeing injustice and persecution, victims of domestic violence and other crimes, hardly a good place to be spending money in such a tight economy. It’s no surprise that the Department of Homeland Security has been criticized for telling Congress that the agency is going after dangerous criminal aliens, but in reality netting only bus boys, construction workers and nannies.
DHS, through its enforcement arm, ICE, claims that detention is necessary to protect the public and prevent immigrants from absconding, but the facts show that just isn’t true.So why does it continue? Because only a small percentage of the population has had to confront the realities of this system, and those that have suffered through this decidedly un-American gulag, are shocked.Somewhere along the way, it became normal and acceptable to lock up immigrants.Strikingly, that was around the same time detention became big business.And the lines between the business interests and government interests have become so blurred that we’ve lost sight of the public interest.tyle=””>It’s time to reevaluate the system.
What about illegal is it that we don’t seem to understand? Illegal immigrants, illegal torture etc. Let me give you am example of why illegal immigrants should not have the same protection under the law as citizens and legal immigrants. I have a friend who is the VP of a hospital. They are required to treat illegal immigrants who come there for treatment. The Government does not re emburse the Hospital so YOU will have to make up the cost when You go for treatment. Recently a pregnant woman, here illegally had to be given a shot to save a pregnancy. That shot cost $30,000. She also refused to have her tubes tied so I guess we will foot the bill again. Her total bill was $45,000. Now my daughter lost her job of 18 years when the company was sold to another company and moved to another State. She now is unemployed and has no health insurance and needs surgery for a very painful back problem but she can’t be treated. Is there something wrong with this picture? Is there any wonder they are flooding our country to take advantage of all the freebies that are bankrupting our health care and educational system? The immigrants that have come her before came legally and were assimilated into our culture. They became Americans, not latinos, Mexican Americans, Hispanics, etc. Their allegience was to their new country. These people send Billions ( the staple of the Mexican economy ) back to Mexico and they plan to return themselves when they have made enough from our system. They are Mexicans first, not Americans. I have NO sympathy for them. Let them come in legally or not at all.
America was founded upon immigrants at the tragic expense of Native American Indians, who compromise less than 1% of our current population. We cannot deny there was a genuine and monstrous genocide in this country, perpetuated by our own terrorist ancestors who wiped out an entire race. Being a natural-born American makes it’s hard to admit that horrible fact, but we must do so in order to embrace our own reality. Are we still so vain and unwilling to accept other people who seem somewhat “different” than us? Have we learned nothing from our past? Most immigrants (legal ones, though I suppose many illegal immigrants wish to improve lives of hardship) are regarded in the USA with stunning brutality, fear, and paranoia. What’s wrong with us? Millions of Americans live as “immigrants” in other countries, everywhere (not including our armed forces which are all over the world) and do not have to deal with such deplorable ignorance on such a widespread scale. It’s time to wake up and realize we all share one small and wonderful planet. Every culture is beautiful in some way. And – with the exception of criminals who have been tried in a fair court of law – THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ILLEGAL HUMAN BEING.