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Keeping Up the Pressure

BY JOSÉ ARNULFO CABRERA | January 15, 2020

Next Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States of America—the start of a new year, a new government, and the potential of new policies promised during the campaign that many of us, including myself, hope will change how our current immigration system looks. During these past four years, immigrants have lived in constant fear of the policies implemented by the Trump Administration. Our immigration system has been so radically changed that we will continue to see the policy and cultural effects far into the future.  

keeping up the pressure

At the same time, we will have a new Senate with a Democratic majority. Chuck Schumer from New York will be the Senate majority leader and will have the power to determine which bills will be granted a vote on the Senate floor. With all of these changes in our federal government, many feel hopeful that new policies will be introduced that will help immigrants and do away with harmful policies. Some are still hesitant to feel optimistic because they can clearly remember the disappointment they felt the last time Democrats had control of both Congress and the presidency.

President-elect Biden and Congress have a lot of work to do. There are many pending issues that will need immediate attention from the newly elected government, including those related to immigration. Asylum seeking families have been waiting in Mexico for over a year now. At the moment that I’m writing this, we are still waiting for the ruling of a federal case in Texas challenging the legality of DACA. TPS holders’ status will expire this year. People continue to die in detention centers. We must hold the new Administration and Congress accountable to following through on promises made during their campaigns. 

When I was young, I loved watching my mom work as a community organizer. She would say over and over that faith moves mountains and that our organizing is our faith. There will be times when we feel that our issue won’t be heard, but we must keep advocating, keep putting the pressure on the new Biden Administration and Congress to work toward just immigration policy. Keep our faith. Keep working towards humane immigration reform.

2 replies
  1. RJ Andes
    RJ Andes says:

    The immigration system has had problems since Obama’s tenture but DACA and other immigration bills need a major overhaul, this is not Trumps fault or even Obama’s but those advisors that have experience and specialize in immigration that analyze every detail of data and then make recommendations to the current president.

    It’s easy to pass blame and make demands that only you want but there are millions that will disagree and want the complete opposite.

    My question is how would you fix the current immigration bills to make it fair for both the US and south of the border without been biased and playing the family card ?

    Do we limit migrants from other countries ?
    Do we put a cap for each individual country ?
    Do we offer temporary stay has part of there applications with the permission of been monitored ?
    Do Mexico and other countries pay for programs that could help future migrants understand America culture, living and other essential needs before migrating ?
    Would you actually agree to deport those that entered illegally which is a crime this would include pass generations ? For those that want to enter legally ?

    These above needs are just a handful of questions imagine 100 of thousands of recommendations to fix immigration it isn’t a easy topic to solve with a biased mindset.

    I know immigration is a way of life and improves a country in some form but the people currently inside the US regardless of ethnicity etc our safety and our future generations resources etc should hold more priority when deciding on who enters and the number of people entering.

    This is why the government decides not us it’s harsh but fair.

    Reply

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