Recently, the immigration policies of the United States have been under scrutiny for various reasons. It is commonly believed that the current crackdown is both the result and cause of exploitation from the apparent corruption within the system. Recently, ICE’s abuse of laws centered around deportation has increased the vulnerability of immigrant families who fear legal action against them. Though it remains unclear as to what specific actions should be taken to improve the current systems and laws regarding immigration, the effects that current policies have on the daily lives of people living in the United States cannot be ignored.

     At the age of eighteen, Francisco Galicia was detained based upon inconsistent reports of his citizenship status; his situation raises the question of whether the American people have the moral obligation to sympathize with those in similar positions. Circumstances such as these display the stress that the current immigration policy forces upon children, both citizens and foreigners alike.

     The head of St. Andrew’s Global Studies exchange program, Przemek Tokarski, expressed how immigration policies affect students at St. Andrew’s. “It’s different for students from China; it doesn’t matter how long they’re going to stay here, but even if they come as a tourist they still need a tourist visa.” When asked how the school’s exchange students are affected by immigration policies, Mr. Tokarski indicated that effects usually depend on the student’s country of origin. For example, a person hailing from Europe who plans to stay in the US for only eight weeks would not need to obtain a tourist visa, but a person visiting from China would need to obtain one. Of course, the possibility always remains that a potential student could be rejected from visiting the country even after being questioned extensively and showing proof of enrollment in an American school.

     Arrest standards are usually defined by how suspicion any individual is deemed to be. Because of this general subjectivity of arrest standards, officers have the increasing freedom to question, detain, and possibly report certain people with the justification of reasonable suspicion. Along with the aforementioned escalation comes a broadening in detainment of US citizens.

     Beyond the moral ramifications, terms such as migrant caravans and other derogatory phrases are employed and manipulated to perpetuate the fears and hesitations that often surround people of foreign backgrounds. These terms also are used to subtly demonize non-white immigrants. In the past, the definition of these terms has been determined with sizable considerations of race, and this frequent change in interpretation of language continues and displays itself today in the unjustifiable idea that some people appear more suspicious than others.

Photo Citations:

• Dent, Jason. “Chain Length Fence – Melbourne.” 2018. JPG File.
• Figueiredo, Bruna. “The US Wall.” 2018. JPG File.