January 30th 2025
Written by Editor in Chief Benjamin Dominguez
The new administration has made clear its intentions to carry out a mass deportation effort in an attempt to send back the millions of migrants who entered the country illegally during the first four years of the Biden administration. We are already seeing these intentions being carried out. This has led Empire Posts to wonder: While the intention of removing criminals is valid, what happens to the undocumented individuals who have been here for longer than a decade?
Those who came under the Biden administration knew of the benefits they would receive once they entered the country, such as free room and board, cell phones, credit cards, and the likelihood that they would not have to go before a judge to receive a removal order. Everyone knew that, under the Biden administration, the Catch and Release policy was in full effect. This meant that those who entered the country were not placed into immediate deportation; rather, they were allowed to enter freely and settle in the state of their choice.
Those who arrived 10 or 20 years ago, specifically during the Obama administration (which carried out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history by total number of people deported, for those who didn’t know), likely came for the sole purpose of work or to flee dangerous conditions in their home countries, as it was more difficult to enter and remain in the country back then. Furthermore, during that period, undocumented immigrants were not eligible for all the free services and financial aid that are available to them under the Biden administration. Therefore, those who entered prior to the Biden administration should be given a second look and offered an alternative to immediate deportation, as their circumstances were different.
Aside from closing our borders, the new administration should address the need for immigration reform. This reform should analyze each case and consider the circumstances and timing of entry in order to ensure a fair judicial proceeding. Biden proposed a fast path to citizenship without analyzing who was on that path. I would suggest a path to residency that allows us to analyze who the person is and why they should remain in the country, followed by a slower path to citizenship. A slower path to citizenship would give individuals the privilege of becoming American citizens by providing them time to demonstrate that they would be an asset to the nation.
Finally, another issue that remains discomforting is the fact that individuals born to undocumented parents could lose their citizenship. These individuals did not ask to be born here and should be granted residency, with the opportunity to attain citizenship when they are adults, should they prove they are an asset to this country.