The Department of Homeland Security released a report in early February, stating that over the last decade nearly 2.2 million immigrants have been deported out of the United States. More than a 100,000 of them are parents of American Citizens.
Eduardo Zapata, Psychology Major from UHD, lives with his mother and two brothers. His mother successfully obtained her Naturalized Citizenship in 1995, even so, Zapata is weary of how deportations affect many households.
“If my mother wasn’t naturalized,” says Zapata, “and faced deportation that would really change things a lot. She is the primary source of income and me and my brothers would probably have to move in amongst our aunts since we don’t make enough money for rent.”
Although this may be a standing statistic, it is much more than just a number. These deportations have displaced thousands of families and interrupt those that depend on parents as a main source of income.
Representative José E. Serrano, Democrat of New York told the New York Times that many children are obligated to leave along with their parents.
“If they took their children back,” he said of the deportees, “then technically we deported an American citizen. No matter which side of the immigration issue you fall on, there’s something wrong with the notion of kicking American citizens out of their own country.”
The majority of deportations are done by Government operated and funded groups. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has been criticized for their inconsistencies as an immigration reform group. Proper documentation is not being obtained and ICE agents are resorting to detaining immigrants for minor offenses, instead of fulfilling their mission statement.
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) just released a report that questions the effectiveness of the current immigration programs.
The GAO report finds that “The program participants report a reduction in crime, the removal of repeat offenders, and other public safety benefits. However, over half of the 29 agencies GAO contacted reported concerns from community members that use of program authority would lead to racial profiling and intimidation by law enforcement officials.”
President Obama’s plan for reform is set to launch within the next six months, but for the time being, raids are still flooding the streets of our nation.
