Immigration...No Simple Solutions

 Illegal Sanctuaries for Illegal Immigrants

When reading Conviction of the Gospel by Darlene Nicgorski I have conflicting thoughts. One part of me feels that no one should break the law under any circumstance, and if they do, they should expect punishment if they are caught. On the other hand, if I have a friend or family member that is an illegal immigrant, I would protect them. I would want them to be supported if they can by a sanctuary. When talking about U.S. immigrants, it is important to consider where these immigrants are coming from and what the U.S. has to offer. It is important to try to have empathy; imagine what it would feel like if you were in their shoes and without their privilege. Sanctuaries are in place to ensure that people are given a fair and just process to determine if they are eligible to stay in the United States. Despite being illegal, they are a necessary evil to protect people from dangerous situations.  

             Being deported can be just as dangerous as coming to the U.S. I know a situation where a family is in the U.S. as illegal immigrants. I was speaking with the daughter of the family about her potential plans on returning home to visit and what it would be like if we went together. She was explaining how going home was not something she could do because of the violence and hatred surrounding her family name. The family escaped to the U.S. and this did not go over well with the people they left behind. I felt embarrassed for mindlessly speaking about how much fun we would have in a place that is dangerous for her. At that moment, I learned more about what illegal immigrants have to go through to protect themselves and their family. If her family was deported this would be deadly. According to Daniella Burgi-Palomino in article “Nowhere to Call Home: Internally Displaced in Honduras and El Salvador,”  unfortunately, “turning these individuals and families back or actively deporting them to their home countries—sometimes after first criminally prosecuting them and sentencing them to time in U.S. federal prison—may mean returning them to places where they may face persecution, displacement, and, in some cases, even death.’

             If needed by an individual, sanctuaries protect illegal immigrants and provide them with the legal support that they may need. Sanctuaries also according Jeff Gammage in article titled, “Undocumented immigrants and churches that give them sanctuary face breaking points”, “buy time — for legal cases to go forward, for advocates to generate pressure, for elections that might change the government’s direction”. If caught, individuals are arrested by ICE, and taken back to their home country. Volunteers assist individuals and protect them. Living in this isolated situation is stressful and depressing, but it is what some illegal immigrants are willing to go through to stay safe and away from their home country.  Peaches Andrews

Daniella Burgi-Palomino, “Nowhere to Call Home: Internally Displaced in Honduras and El Salvador” (Washington: Latin America Working Group, 2017), available at http://www.lawg.org/action-center/lawg-blog/69-general/1936-nowhere-to-call-home-internally-displaced-in-honduras-and-el-salvador

 Gammage, Jeff, “Undocumented immigrants and churches that give them sanctuary face breaking points” (The Philidelphia Inquirier, 2020)

 

White House’s Claim That Sanctuary Cities Are Violating the Law

            When the topic of immigration arises, many different points of view and opinions will be present since the topic can be immensely controversial. As Americans, deciding between allowing or not allowing immigrants can be difficult considering that some of the immigrants could potentially be dangerous to America, but the innocent immigrants that are searching for a new life and opportunities should not be ignored or cast aside. These immigrants face many daunting tasks with the process of becoming a citizen in America, but these requirements also help eliminate the possible risk of dangerous immigrants living in America. Although the deportation of immigrants can cause grief and emotion for families, the safety of Americans should be the upmost priority for America.

            Many families are often separated and impacted by deportation because coming to America illegally can be strenuous and difficult with all the adversity that is associated with immigrants. Even coming to America legally has many requirements that are needed to be met in order to become a citizen which can cause the process to be difficult for immigrants. Although these requirements are necessary for the safety of Americans, they can present America poorly considering we are rejecting innocent people who are searching for safety. Certain changes could possibly be made to these requirements to help immigrants enter our country, but American safety should never be imposed upon since many countries desire to inflict harm upon America. Micah Alfano