The United States has been in recent discussions, and many of our newest policies being pushed by our current president are coming under scrutiny for their clear defiance against our constitutional rights. With conversations revolving around immigration, people are reasonably worried about the future of those who have migrated here.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been going to different major cities across the country, like Boston and Chicago, claiming to search for immigrants who are living here illegally — but the news has revealed even those with valid residency are being detained, and Trump even mentioned that he also wants them deported.
Immigrants with green cards are now facing unfamiliar dangers due to anything from protesting to minor offenses made a decade prior. These are people who have taken the legal path to citizenship, and yet their security in America is being threatened by a president who is driven by hate and ultra-nationalism.
There is a new policy that puts migrants who came from countries such as Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in danger, transforming a two-year stay into a month under threat of deportation if they aren’t approved for a new visa. The United States does not value the integration of migrants and is easily willing to revoke their legal status. This is a threat to so many people in the U.S. as well as on our campus. And unfortunately, other college campuses are also facing this dystopian reality, with some students experiencing America’s hatred first-hand.
In the past few weeks, stories about people with green cards being detained and threatened with deportation have been circulating online in news outlets and on social media. One person, Mahmoud Khalil, was a college student from Columbia University who was active in the movement against the injustices occurring in Gaza.
He is now cleared for deportation by a judge, with the reason for his arrest and deportation being that his actions went against “President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism,” which was affirmed in an AP news article by the Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin. This clear violation of free speech and our right to peaceful protest is a major threat to our nation’s democracy. There is no longer the possibility to ignore the risk this poses for everyone living in the United States.
The fact that speaking out against American policies is now enough reason to get a legal residency revoked is dangerous. Having these policies that are contributing to increasing censorship risks destroying everything this country has been built on. People have fought for every single one of the freedoms we’ve gained, and we’re now watching them be stripped away.
Despite these tragedies, it’s important for us to find unity together, understanding that this is not a battle amongst ourselves like those in power are trying to make it seem. This is us against them, and if they start coming for the rights of some of us, there are chances they will only keep testing the other rights they can take away.
America is heading into risky territory, and our strength is in our ability to stick together against those hoping to exploit us. We need to look out for each other in these upcoming months, and I hope we can all stay safe. This country was built on migrants, and we aren’t going to leave any time soon.
