The Nightmare of Deporting Foreign Children

Introduction

The United States of America is a country built on the foundation of immigrants. However, in recent years, the country has taken a turn towards a more defensive approach to immigration. This has resulted in a staggering increase in the number of children who are being deported from the country. These children are being sent back to their home countries, where they may face extreme hardships, including poverty, abuse, violence, and death. The deportation of foreign children is a nightmare that haunts the United States, causing irreparable damage to the lives of innocent children and their families.

Background

Deportation is the formal process of expelling individuals from a country. It is a legal process that is used when an individual has violated immigration or criminal laws. Currently, the United States is the home of over 44 million immigrants, and the number is increasing every year. According to a report by Migration Policy Institute, there were 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants residing in the United States in 2016. Out of these, an estimated 1.1 million were children, which accounted for approximately 10% of the total unauthorized immigrant population.

Deportation is a traumatic experience for anyone, let alone children who often have no control over their legal status. According to a report by the American Immigration Council, between 2003 and 2017, more than 200,000 parents of American-born children were deported. This means that the number of children who were separated from their parents due to deportation was equally high.

Deportation of foreign children can lead to severe and long-term negative impacts on their mental and emotional well-being. It is a life-altering experience that can leave children with irreparable scars.

Why Children are Deported

Children are being deported from the United States for a multitude of reasons. The most common reason is that they are undocumented. In other cases, they may have entered the country legally, but their visas have expired, or they may have committed a crime or violated immigration laws.

The United States immigration laws are complex; therefore, many children who are deported have had limited access to legal counsel or support services. This often means that they do not understand their rights or have the appropriate legal representation.

The Process of Deportation

The process of deportation is a complicated and lengthy one. A child may be arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials for violating immigration or criminal laws. Once they are detained, they are put in a holding cell, where they await their hearing.

During this time, they may experience severe psychological stress due to the uncertainty and isolation they face. They are often held in cramped and unhygienic conditions, putting them at risk of contracting infectious diseases.

The hearing can take months or sometimes even years to be scheduled, during which time the child remains in detention. The child has the right to legal counsel, but many cannot afford it, leaving them without adequate representation and further increasing their chances of being deported.

The child’s case is then heard by an immigration judge who decides whether the child should be deported or allowed to remain in the country. The judge’s decision can be appealed, but this process can be lengthy and expensive.

Economic Costs of Deporting Children

Deporting children can have severe economic repercussions. According to a report by the American Action Forum, the deportation of all 1.1 million undocumented children living in the United States would lead to a reduction in GDP by $329 billion in the next ten years. This would also lead to significant losses in tax revenue, as many of these children may grow up to become taxpayers. Deporting children would also result in economic hardships for their families, who may lose their only source of income.

Risks and Dangers of Deportation

Deporting children can have severe negative impacts on their physical and mental health. Children who are deported may be sent to countries where they have no support network, no access to healthcare, little food, and may not even speak the language.

Deported children are also at risk of violence and exploitation. A report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) states that children who are deported are vulnerable to trafficking, sexual exploitation, and abuse.

Additionally, deporting children can lead to long-term mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Government Action

The United States government has taken several actions to address the issue of deportation of foreign children. The Obama Administration issued a memorandum in 2011, outlining guidelines to be followed when deporting parents of American-born children. The guidelines instructed ICE officials to take into consideration the best interests of a child when making deportation decisions.

However, the current administration has taken a more aggressive stance on immigration, leading to a sharp increase in the number of children being deported. In 2018, the Trump administration implemented a zero-tolerance policy, which led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents at the border. The policy was condemned by the United Nations as a violation of children’s rights.

The Biden administration has taken several steps to address the issue of immigration and deportation of foreign children. In February 2021, President Biden signed an executive order to create a task force aimed at reunifying separated families. Additionally, the administration has introduced a bill, which proposes granting a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including children.

Conclusion

Deportation of foreign children is a nightmare that has haunted the United States for years. It is a traumatic experience that can have severe and long-term negative impacts on the mental and emotional well-being of children. The deportation of children is also an issue that has economic and societal repercussions. It is the duty of the government to take adequate measures to address the issue of immigration and deportation of foreign children, without compromising the rights and well-being of children and their families.

To some people, the thought of child deportation is a horrific one, even children that are classified as illegal immigrants. In fact, approaching the issue of the deportation of children of illegal immigration is much different from that of adults who illegally immigrated into America.

Some children come from foreign countries on their own, such is a very common theme for children immigrating from Mexico. Some of these children are in their teens and will often attempt to migrate as a result of the requests of other family members.

Other children are brought illegally to the United States when they are young by their families. Statistically speaking, most illegal immigrants who come to the United States as children are under the age of six. The United States, then, will become the only home they know or remember. Their schools and friends will be in the United States and the child will become immersed in American culture. Whether or not the young child wished to come to the United States is not only irrelevant, but rarely considered in regards to that child’s deportation.

Due to this fact, child deportation from America is decidedly complex. While the United States should not be expected to be a home to foreign-born children without legal status, the moral imperative that compels policymakers to act on their behalf may leave them conflicted in regards to those children who cannot be saved by a green card petition.

Introduction

Foreigners have been a subject of curiosity and fascination for centuries, but unfortunately, they have also been a subject of social stigma. The social stigma surrounding foreigners is not new, and it is not confined to a single country or culture. It is a worldwide phenomenon that has deep-rooted historical and cultural reasons. Being a foreigner is often associated with being an outsider, an alien who does not belong to the society. This article will delve deeper into the social stigma surrounding foreigners and the reasons behind it.

The Historical Context

The social stigma surrounding foreigners has its roots in history, particularly in the history of colonization. Colonization refers to the process whereby a powerful country takes over the control and administration of a weaker country or region. During the period of colonization, the natives of the colonized countries were looked down upon as inferior to the colonizers. This gave rise to a culture of racism, which still exists today in many parts of the world.

Colonizers believed that their culture and way of life were superior to that of the colonized peoples. The colonizers forced their culture, religion, and way of life on the natives, destroying their way of life. This led to the concept of cultural imperialism, where one culture is imposed on another. The colonized peoples were viewed as subordinates who needed to be civilized, converted, and taught the ways of the colonizers. This cultural imposition led to a lack of respect for the native culture and the people.

The effects of colonization are still felt today, although the colonizers have long since left. The social stigma surrounding foreigners is a direct result of the colonization period, which created a divide between the colonizers and the colonized peoples. The colonizers saw themselves as being above the native culture, and this created a culture of superiority and aloofness towards foreigners.

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences are another reason for the social stigma surrounding foreigners. Culture refers to the way of life, customs, traditions, language, and beliefs of a people. When foreigners immigrate to a new country, they often bring with them their culture, which can be vastly different from the host country’s culture. This cultural difference can cause a sense of alienation and mistrust between the foreigner and the host country’s people.

The foreigner’s culture may be viewed as strange, exotic, or even frightening by the host country’s people. For example, a foreigner from a Muslim country may be viewed with suspicion because of the negative stereotypes associated with Muslims in the media. Similarly, a foreigner from an African country may be viewed as primitive or backward because of the stereotypes associated with Africa.

The host country’s people may also view the foreigner’s way of life as unethical or immoral. For example, a foreigner who does not eat meat may be viewed as being too picky or difficult to please. Similarly, a foreigner who does not drink alcohol may be viewed as being boring. These stereotypes and prejudices can create a sense of stigmatization for the foreigner and make it difficult for them to integrate into the host country’s society.

Lack of Understanding

A lack of understanding is another reason for the social stigma surrounding foreigners. When two cultures meet, there is often a lack of understanding between them. This lack of understanding can lead to misunderstandings, which can cause friction between the foreigners and the host country’s people.

The host country’s people may not understand the foreigner’s language or way of communicating. This can create a sense of frustration and isolation for the foreigner, who may feel they are not understood. Similarly, the foreigner may not understand the host country’s customs, culture, and language, which can create a sense of alienation from the host country’s people.

Politics

Politics are also a reason for the social stigma surrounding foreigners. The political climate of a country can create a sense of hostility towards foreigners. For example, if a country is at war with another country, the people of that country may view foreigners from that country with suspicion and hostility. Similarly, if a country has a high level of immigration, there may be a sense of resentment towards foreigners who are seen as taking jobs and resources from the host country’s people.

Recent Developments

In recent years, the social stigma surrounding foreigners has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to a rise in xenophobia and discrimination towards foreigners, particularly those from Asian countries. This discrimination has been fueled by the media, which has portrayed the virus as being a foreign import, and by politicians, who have used the pandemic as an opportunity to further their anti-immigrant agendas.

The United Nations has warned that the pandemic has led to an increase in hate crimes towards foreigners, and has called on governments to take action to prevent discrimination and hate crimes. In October 2020, the United Nations launched a global campaign called Respect for All to combat xenophobia and discrimination towards foreigners.

Conclusion

The social stigma surrounding foreigners is a complex issue that has deep-rooted historical and cultural reasons. Colonization, cultural differences, a lack of understanding, and politics are all contributing factors to this stigma. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem, leading to an increase in xenophobia and discrimination towards foreigners from certain countries.

It is important for individuals, governments, and organizations to take action to combat the social stigma surrounding foreigners. This can be achieved through education, intercultural dialogue, and the promotion of respect for diversity. The challenge is to create a world where foreigners are not seen as outsiders but are welcome members of society, where diversity is celebrated rather than stigmatized.

Advocates for immigrants’ rights are usually quick to point out to adversaries that immigration is a tenet on which the United States was founded, as even the residents of Jamestown–the first established colony in America, which was established in 1607–had arrived on American soil from a foreign land. Yet, illegal immigration and legal immigration are two different subjects.

For most Americans of European descent, whose ancestors arrived at Ellis Island and made a new life in this country, did so by legally immigrating to the States. Thus, some detractors from the original argument would insist that it does not make sense to apply immigrant rights to those who unlawfully reside on American soil, because they never formally applied for legal residency. These same people might even refuse to employ the term “immigrant” to this debate, instead using the word “alien” with hostility and full implication that the illegal entrant does not legally belong in the United States.

Meanwhile, lobbyists for the enhancement of rights allowed to illegal immigrants would be apt to modify the term in favor of calling someone an “undocumented” immigrant, suggesting no person, as a human being, can be considered “illegal” in and of themselves.

As hinted at by considerations listed above, even the names by which illegal immigrants and immigrants’ rights are called can involve some sense of social stigma. Extrapolating from the term “alien,” the word has connotations of strangeness or otherness.

Nevertheless, that general feeling of the individual being foreign, almost to the extent of not even being the same species, still applies. Those most heavily affected by such sensibilities would be apt to think that not only would immigrant rights fail to pertain to illegal aliens, but too, that basic human rights should not come into play.

Yet immigrants’ rights and civil liberties are two different concepts in themselves. While immigrant rights are often loosely defined by what a lawful permanent resident/green card holder may be entitled to, there are basic constitutional freedoms that are valid for all inhabitants of the United States, which after the 20th century, are in line with United Nations convention on universal rights.

Illegal immigrants, and by association, their children are often discriminated against when their status is discovered. While elements of racism may exist irrespective of immigrants’ rights in this discrimination, Mexicans–who comprise the biggest bloc of illegal immigrants–are frequent targets of racial prejudice.

Despite any valuable services a foreign worker might be able to provide, or any community service/scholastic aptitude the child of an illegal immigrant might exhibit, many staunch adversaries of the enhancement of rights allowed to illegal immigrants have already established both their own personal value judgments, as well as generalizations of what they perceive an illegal immigrant to be.

However, regardless of the contrast between any right or wrongdoing, a child under the age of 6 cannot possible be held accountable for their participation in any activity. As a result, the policy of immigrations transcends mere politics, thrusting it into a forum of ethics and humanity.