Fear erupts across the world as one of President Trump’s biggest promises begins to come true. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump implemented stricter immigration policies through acts such as “mass deportations” in every sliver of the country. As reported by The Guardian, less than 12 hours after the President was inaugurated, ICE officers had already detained individuals suspected of entering the US illegally.
ICE officers have been spotted in areas throughout Michigan such as Southwest Detroit and Ann Arbor, causing many immigrant Michiganders to worry about the possibility of being detained and eventually deported. Stories of ICE raids and deportation can sometimes seem like they’re out of a movie, but for many people, this nightmare has become all too real.
For a family in Wichita, Kansas, the impacts of President Trump’s decisions were devastating.
Juan Calderon has lived in Wichita for 17 years and is the father to 3 kids. Calderon was detained by ICE on Jan. 23, and his family has been struggling to make ends meet ever since.
“He pays all the bills and takes care of my kids when I’m working,” said Beatriz Gonzales, Calderon’s wife, in an interview with Kake News.
According to Kake news, Calderon is being held at a jail in Oklahoma, waiting for his trial.
In general, there are two ways to become a U.S. citizen: through birth or naturalization. Becoming a U.S. citizen through birth is straightforward, it just means you are born to a U.S. citizen and you automatically receive citizenship. However, the process of gaining U.S citizenship through naturalization is far more complicated.
According to U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), naturalization is a 10-step process. But before individuals can complete any of these steps, they must meet a set of requirements. One must be at least 18 years old when they apply, be able to read, write and speak basic English (depending on age) and possess a good moral character. They must also belong to one of the following categories: be a lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder) of five years, be married to a U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident for three years or be a U.S.
military service member (active duty or veteran). After all of these requirements, if a non-citizen is eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, they must go through the 10-step process mentioned earlier. A crucial part of the process is passing a U.S. Civics and Government test.
The U.S. Civics and Government test is an oral test administered by a USCIS officer. The officer picks out 10 questions out of a test bank of 100 questions and to pass the test, one must answer a minimum of six out of 10 questions correctly. The questions ask about topics such as the U.S. government, history, the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens and geography of the country. For those who may not be familiar with these topics, intense studying through practice tests and other resources is advised. Some examples of questions include “What does the judicial branch do?”, “What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?”, “What is the economic system in the United States?” and “Why did the colonists fight the British?” Take a sample test to see if you could pass.
While there are ways to speed up the naturalization process such as serving in the U.S military or marrying a U.S citizen and living in a permanent residence for a certain period of time, overall the process is still lengthy. Even if an individual completes all the steps, they can still sometimes be denied citizenship for many reasons.
These undocumented immigrants occupy important jobs such as construction, agriculture, food processing and manufacturing, landscaping and much more. According to the Pew Research Center, undocumented immigrants made up a tenth of the workers in food industries and five percent of the entire workforce from data gathered back in 2017.
These individuals have sacrificed the lives they had in their home countries in hopes of living the American dream. They came to the U.S. seeking a better life and to give their kids better opportunities. Now, These immigrants are unsure of their future, as the U.S. moves focus towards deportation at rapid rates. In the Ann Arbor community, this situation has begun to take effect.
Over the weekend, ICE agents came into Ann Arbor and were spotted throughout the area. In a statement recently released by Washtenaw County Sheriff Alicia Dyer, she talked about how a sheriff has the choice of whether to cooperate with ICE raiders or not. She also touched on how raiding homes and businesses and detaining individuals violates their right to due process.
“If we get into the habit of honoring detainers with ICE, then we’re basically helping to participate in potential deportation of somebody not even convicted of a crime yet,” Dyer said.
She also talked about how cooperating with ICE to detain non-citizens would only bring more fear to them. As a result, they may be scared to call 911 when they need help and less likely to cooperate with law enforcement in future investigations.
Dyer ended her remarks with a promise to implement policies to work with more immigrant rights groups in Washtenaw County with the goal of supporting individuals in the immigrant community. Dyer provided readily available resources throughout the area for non-citizens who may be too scared to seek help. She emphasized that she wants to provide assistance to all individuals who need it no matter what their immigration status is.
In her statements which were released following the U.S. Department of Justice ordering federal prosecutors to investigate both local and state prosecutors who are possibly getting in the way of the crackdown on immigration, Dyer stood firmly on the point that she and her department will not assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with immigration crackdowns in Ann Arbor.
On Monday, Jan. 20 — which was both Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day for President Trump — Dyer attended a solidarity vigil, “We stand with Our Immigrant Neighbors,” held at the Wesley Foundation and First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor. She briefly spoke and highlighted many of the same points she touched on her statement.
While the magnitude of the situation in Ann Arbor may be eased slightly by the sheriff and her department’s stance, many people in the world will continue to live in fear of the future. They will endure the harsh impacts of the Trump administration’s strict enforcement of immigration.
