Written by Stephany Mandujano, Staff Writer
For millions of people in the world, the migration to another country can be life- changing. The decision to inhabit a foreign nation can be made for numerous reasons, whether that be for political asylum, escape from violence, a better education, or just for preference. Every individual, each from a different corner of the globe, has a reason for making such an important choice.
The United States is viewed as the “land of freedom and opportunities” by many who desperately wish to better their situations. However, many of the policies that have been issued under the current president, Donald Trump, were passed to stop many immigrants from achieving that goal. For the families already residing within the country legally and for those still awaiting their court hearings to make their stay permanent, a heavy obstacle has been placed in their path to gain citizenship or in some cases, even to remain in the country.
Trump’s anti-immigrant policies are making it harder for immigrants to flourish in this country and are complicating many areas of their lives. Hard-working, immigrant families, with children who are U.S. citizens, are now debating whether or not they should apply for assistance programs, due to the public charge rule, which makes it harder for many who receive government assistance to gain citizenship. If they decide not to apply for governmental help that they need, it might spell disaster for the many children of those families.
For those awaiting legalization, recent changes to the U.S. immigration policy have made the deportation of many who are still awaiting court decisions a much greater possibility. Men and women who have waited patiently to gain citizenship are now in danger of being sent back to their home countries, which is an act that not only negatively impacts the individuals facing deportation but it plants the seeds of fear within their children.
In 2018, about 20 percent of adults in low-income families with one or more non-citizen members without a green card either didn’t apply for or withdrew from participation in non-cash bene t programs, because they were fearful of immigration consequences, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan body seeking to improve immigration and integration policies through authoritative research and analysis.
Also, according to Human Rights Watch, a nonpro t global organization that investigates and reports abuses happening in all corners of the world, since 2016 the number of arrests of immigrants with no criminal convictions has tripled. This dramatic jump in arrests has had more of an impact on the younger members of these affected families.
Since Trump’s new immigration policies have been implemented, the American Psychological Association, an organization with more than 118,000 members that represents psychology in the U.S., has expressed its concern saying that the potential discovery of loved ones by an ICE official is one of the greatest stressors for the children of non-citizens. The detention and deportation of parents can complicate the child’s stress levels and end up causing mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
This immigration policy should definitely be revised and rewritten, since its content has affected millions of people within the United States and has instilled fear within many of them. It is making the nation’s youth fear for their parents’ fate, destroying the quality of life that many receive in the country, and erasing the chances that many hard-working immigrants have to gain citizenship in America.
As it stands right now, the current immigration policy is doing more harm than good. It’s destroying the opportunities and dreams of a better life for the many immigrants that are scattered throughout the nation but are sadly united by one common fear.