Deportation As Tough United States Immigration Law - Assignment Example

 It’s always many people’s dream to one day get a chance to leave in United States’ that is more often referred to as the land of opportunity. Which is arguably right, but many families have found themselves in problems with the tough United States’ immigrations laws. United States for the past decade hasn’t made any amendments on its immigration laws thus has been very thorough on immigration enforcement especially to the unauthorized immigrants. Over the past years there has been an upward surge on the number of immigrants that are sent out of United States and unfortunates these numbers had raised to the tune of 46000 in the first six months of 2011 alone (Merino 30). Deportation is always any immigrants leaving in United States nightmare, this is because the effects of deportation on families is so adverse that no one can ever wish to fall a victim. To begin with deportation has a severe effect on families since deportation always end up forcing children into foster care. This is usually due to the fact that during deportation children always end up losing the caretakers like fathers and mothers as their parents are shipped out of the country. According to the findings of the Applied Research Council, “Most of U.S citizen children whose parents were deported yet no proper documentation were done always end up into foster care on the basis that the status of their parents cannot be accounted for”. Foster care are usually funded by the federal government so when these kids end up in foster care they usually present a burden for the state since each child can cost up to about $25,000 to maintain and thus its effects can never be ignored (Merino 39). Secondly, deportation has lead to many families being torn apart torn apart. This always takes place when arrests, detainment or even deportation is done by the immigration department. The most unfortunate thing is that the ones who suffer most in such situations are the children since this forces them to live with only one parent but sometimes when situations are so extreme some end up losing all their parents and this really causes suffering to the children who in most occasions don’t seem to understand the change of events in their lives. Whereas for others, deportations may have a longstanding effects on their lives like financial and emotional hardship even if after sometimes the family successfully reunite. Other end up having quite a different family set up after their parents have been deported and in some extreme causes some families just dissolve (Merino 27). Thirdly, deportation have led to some children being raise only by one parent which in one way or the other is emotionally and financially very expensive for the children especially when there faced with such a situation due to deportation. Single parenthood is very disturbing for many parents and even children (Merino 13). Take for example a situation where the sole bread winner for the family is the one who has been deported. This is definite brings a lot of suffering to the children because to the life has just turned upside down and they can hardly do anything about. This really cause suffering to many families. Other than the above mentioned, living with single parents because a lot of emotional traumas for the children since in some causes most are too young to even understand the disturbing changes that are taking place in their lives. In addition, deportation has lead to very extreme economic fallout which is the most devastating consequences of the immigration enforcement. Due to deportation most families have lost their primary breadwinners since in many situation one will find that it is the father who is the primary breadwinner for the family or even the mother is the sole provider so when deportation takes place and they are separated it will be a big blow to the remaining family since they shall have lost their source of basic needs and that is when life turns the other way round for most of them (Merino 70). The most of all unfortunate thing is that most cannot even apply for welfare or food stamps for themselves and their families since most of them have no proper documents and thus this will really affect even the children because they might be left with the unemployed mother or even father and thus in most causes unemployed. Other than financial problems, deportation also causes emotional stress to the affected families. The stress of a separation is felt by all members of a family. Mothers take on the burdens of family subsistence. In some cases many may withdraw due to stress caused by government intrusion into their families. When it comes to children who in most cause are less verbal their emotional stresses is very disturbing as many experience so many behavioral changes when their parents have been deported or detained. Some show increased frequency of crying, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, clingy behavior, and an increase in fear and anxiety. Deportations’ social consequences are also very devastating to the individuals whose families have been deported for example many children due to fear of deportation they routinely conflate with police and immigration officials. Due to this many children who are United States citizens end up growing up with extreme fear for the law enforcements officials. Many in turn live a life of trying to avoid the police which is not so good considering the big part played by the police in the community. Other that many children always begin to associate all immigrants with the perception that they are living in United states illegally without regarding their own identity of legal status thus many children find themselves dissociate from immigration heritage (Merino 59). Aside from the long-term financial and emotional consequences, a detention or deportation directly affects families’ lives on a more minute level by drastically altering their daily routines. This is because many of the affected families end up shifting their concentration to solving they suddenly arising problems like the finances, the separations the social impacts which directly affects their normal routine they were used to when they were living their normal life. Again, many of the issues that newly single immigrant parents face are similar to those faced by other single parents, but the trauma of having a loved one deported, coupled with their own precarious legal statuses, makes their situation doubly disadvantaged. Nobody according to me is against deportation in some situation its always the best thing that can always be done to our country in order to keep our country safe or even ensure the law is adhered to the latter a fact that we all appreciate. The bone of contention is the severe effects and consequences it has on the remaining families and the so innocent American children who don’t seem to understand what has suddenly happened. That is why we have to make some policy adjustments to the currents immigration laws. In order to improve support children and families who are affected by deportation then the following policy recommendations would be very instrumental in fighting for their sufferings: To begin with, I recommend that there be an enactment of a commonsense and comprehensive policy change. This will ensure that in the long term only comprehensive immigration reform that are directed towards earned legalization for unauthorized immigrants and it will also help to grant security to parents and children in mixed-status families so that the children don’t have to live in fear that their family might be broken up due to irregular statuses and this will also help to ensure that they learn not to be ashamed of their immigration status. Secondly, I recommend that there should be fixation of modest legislative. For example major enactment of the Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard’s Help Separated Families Act which was introduced on July 16, 2012. This would ensure to ensure that children are not taken away from their relatives simply because of their parents’ immigration status (Merino). Also the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act that was introduced In July 2011 by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) which would mandate standards for immigration enforcement when children are involved. The bill would ensure that parents are kept informed of and are able to continue to make decisions about the care of their children, and that the interests of the children are taken into account in detention, release, or transfers. Passing these bills would go a long way toward preventing children from ending up in foster care while their family members are detained or deported (Merino 71). Lastly, there should be an expansion of executive action. In the short term administrative action can greatly alleviate threats to immigrant families. Thus the president can and should allow parents, especially those supporting U.S. citizen children, to stay in the country if they have committed no crimes and are only guilty of the civil offense of being in the country without status. Works Cited Merino, Noël. Illegal immigration. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Print. Read More