Another American Caught Up In Immigration Hell

I have made it well known that the basic premise of my book, “The Dishwasher’s Son” is about an American teenager being deported from the US under our extraordinarily lax and dysfunctional Immigration system. In the dedication to that book, I also mentioned this has happened Approximately 20,000 times since 2003. Just today, I read a report from GQ magazine that the

Border Patrol Has Kept a Teenage U.S. Citizen Locked Up for Nearly a Month.

“Customs and Border Protection (CPB) stopped two brothers at a checkpoint in Texas on June 27. The younger one, Marlon Galicia, was born in Mexico and entered the U.S. illegally; the older one, 18-year-old Francisco Erwin Galicia, was born in Dallas. CBP took both brothers into custody.”

Erwin Galicia had a wallet-sized copy of his birth certificate, his Social Security card, and a Texas ID that’s only available to citizens with Social Security numbers, on his person at the time of the arrest.

Now, whenever a specific portion of our society finds it necessary to carry around all of this identification on their person wherever they go, just to keep from being arrested, that should be a red flag for everyone to see. This is America, not a Nazi-occupied country.

No community of Americans should feel the need to carry around this much ID just to prove they are here legally. As many of us already know, if you carry this much identification around with you at all times, there is a good chance you will become the victim of identity theft. If Erwin were to be robbed, someone could not only steal his money, watch, cell phone, car, whatever– they could also open credit cards, buy items online, and many commit many other crimes in his name. This is the whole reason none of us carry around our Social Security numbers, birth certificates around with us. It is just too easy for someone to steal our identity, and then we would be in a form of hell that can take years to clean up. The fact that this American citizen felt the need to do this just to protect his American identification is just too sad to witness if it weren’t for the fact that even carrying all this ID didn’t help him. He still is in custody for something he isn’t capable of committing. a

The Republican party has already shown its true anti-immigration colors after years of rebuffing any and all attempts to repair our broken immigration system, and, most recently, by making asylum claims practically illegal and after yesterdays announcement of making stipulated removal a nationwide procedure, instead of just along a 100 miles of the US/Mexico border. This change also enables low-level officials to decide if someone should be deported and give them the ability to proceed with deportation immediately.

When I think about reading the news about several CBP facebook groups, from the very people our nation has entrusted to carry out our immigration policies, that was full of anti-immigrant messages and photos, and then hearing about the stipulated removal changes and then reading about this incident of an American citizen getting caught up in the anti-immigration hysteria, I had to ask myself,

“is this improving our immigration system, or making it worse?”

One thing is for certain: when the bottom of this garbage can full of ideas comes off, we will be left with a huge mess and Donald Trump will be blaming the Democrats for the problem as well as the lives that will be broken and lost.

 

The Real National Border Emergency: Brought to you by Trump & GOP

There is a real national emergency at our southern border with Mexico, but it’s not the one Trump is promoting—it’s the one he is creating himself. The fact that the GOP is backing him up on his wild lies makes them complicit.

Many news reporting agencies have documented that in 2018 the Trump administration introduced a “zero-tolerance” policy calling for the prosecution of all individuals who illegally enter the United States. The devastating effect has been the following:

  • Parents have been separated from their children.
  • There was no plan to reunite children with their parents until after a major backlash from the public.
  • Minor children were locked up far longer than legally allowed.
  • More than 4,500 incidents of child abuse against minors in immigration custody have been reported.
  • Twenty-two immigrant deaths in US immigration custody in the past two years has also been documented.
  • The emotional effects of this separation and abuse on these children will be revealing itself for decades to come. Traumatized children tend to exhibit mental and emotional problems as adults. This horrific abuse will likely affect their entire lives.

As if these tragedies weren’t bad enough, the Trump administration continues to persecute immigrants and asylum seekers by:

  • Reducing the number of courts and judges that hear asylum cases which increased incarceration periods and reduced asylum approvals to hereto unheard of numbers.
  • Denying an overwhelming majority of asylum seekers cases making it almost impossible for asylum seekers to achieve protection against threats back home.
  • Sending asylum seekers to a foreign country that we have no control over housing, feeding, medical care or even communications to await their status hearings.

The thinking of the Trump administration with this policy shift was that by destroying families, the will of people to come here would be reduced. Breaking this logic down, it reads—if you are afraid for life as well as that of your children, don’t come here.

The big question is; since when did women & children become a threat to national security? 

Well, they aren’t, which is why Trump makes up lies about MS13, drugs and human trafficking adding into the mix. To gain more support for his border wall, he tries to frighten us with the bogeyman. 

No one cannot trust a pathological liar for a President. But he is much more than that. He is also a Hypocrite, just like all the other sons of immigrants who call for an end to “Chain Migration.” 

If Chain migration is so bad for America, as Donald Trump states, then as our elected leader he should be willing to send his wife Melania’s parents back to their home country. That is what great leaders do; lead by example. The fact that he won’t ever do this proves that either he is not the great leader he thinks he is, or Trump does believe in uniting and protecting families. Instead of promoting an immigration policy that is in conflict with his personal history and making him look untrustworthy, Trump should embrace family-based immigration policies. 

Trump also employed many undocumented workers at his golf courses, and probably in his construction crews as well, so his stand against illegal immigration falls flat. If it’s okay for him to do it, why should it be illegal for others? The fact that he fired these immigrants recently is only for damage control. He has never even apologized to the American people for the “oversight”. Let’s forget it ever happened, right Donald?

Donald Trump has stated on many occasions that our immigration laws are highly broken. Focusing on a wall instead of immigration reform is just a political ruse. 

Walls don’t work. Ask China or the Romans, two famous examples of militarizing borders. Walls didn’t stop the Huns from invading China or the Barbarians from invading Rome. We could also ask the Germans why they tore down their wall, the most fortified and guarded wall in recent history. Thousands of people escaped East Germany in spite of those efforts. All walls are breach-able. Building a wall won’t stop immigration by itself. Walls are tools, not solutions.

In truth; a set of fair and just immigration laws in conjunction with support for our neighbors to combat gangs and crime would go a lot further to slowing down immigration from our neighbors into our country. 

Improved investment in jobs and a stable economy would further reduce strain at our southern border. Families and a rich history with the geography that gave them birth are a huge reason most people love the countries they already live in. Why would anyone want to make a long and treacherous journey to live somewhere else if they could live free and happy lives at home?

America has spent Billions of dollars and thousands of American lives defending citizens of foreign nations from oppression and death around the world. We should be able to do better for our neighbors here at home for less money and with far less human casualty. 

We are the great United States of America. Shouldn’t we expect more from ourselves than just a simple wall?  

Even US military Generals agree there is no military threat at our southern border. On the insistence of Trump and with the full support of the GOP, the only military at the border is ours—we are literally at war with ourselves. 

Trump and the Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. Real people are dying, families are being destroyed, and young lives are being permanently damaged while Trump tells us that fictional bad guys are storming our borders and a wall will fix everything. Only an idiot would think that solving all of our immigration problems were really as simple as building a wall.

The national emergency at the border is real; Trump created it, the Republicans support it—only we can end it. 

America: the Mother of all Glass Houses

Proving, once again, that America is the mother of all glass houses when it comes to immigration and our national identity.

America is uniting for immigrants

Labor unions, women’s movements, muslims and more are marching together to stand with their immigrant friends and relatives to show support against an antagonistic President who has recently enacted an unjust travel ban, ended Michelle Obama’s “Let Girls Learn” program and has just begun a push to build his oppressive and highly un-neighborly Wall.

The president seems to be trying very hard to disassociate America from so many of the people that make up this country one has to imagine what country he thinks he is the president of.

And the people of this nation are rising up against his idea of what makes America Great.

If you look at the makeup of people who are uniting against him, one thing is going to be certain; making America great will mean getting a new president.

Zuckerberg vs Trump

UnknownDonald Trump wants to deport all undocumented immigrants in the US. He’s said it many times. That seems to be his platform. He says Mexicans love him because he employs so many.

Mark Zuckerberg employs a lot of immigrants, not necessarily Mexicans, specifically, but immigrants just the same. Mark wants to help immigrants get access to legal status so they can continue to contribute to society.

One Billionaire wants to help immigrants, the other wants to vilify them.

Mark was recently quoted in Inc magazine as saying, “[D]eporting 11.5 million people would cost U.S. taxpayers $400 to $600 billion dollars, and would take at least 20 years to complete. Even worse, this mass deportation would reduce our GDP by $1.7 trillion–over 5 percent. Many industries would be hit hard, others–like agriculture, construction and hospitality–would be devastated.”

These numbers would suggest that Donald Trump doesn’t particularly care about our economy. Either that, or he really hasn’t studied the problem at all, and like all good reality TV personalities, he’s just running  for the fame and publicity.

Mark Zuckerberg is younger, wealthier and obviously smarter. Too bad he’s not running for President.

“Doing nothing” is not a political strategy- it’s a STRIKE

When the Republicans take on the position that doing nothing is the way to proceed on immigration, I have to think it’s not a political strategy, it’s more like a strike.

When workers walk out on a job and refuse to do any work until certain terms are met, that is called a strike–look it up–yet this is the strategy the Republicans are taking on immigration reform. Their terms? They didn’t say, but according to the Conservative Read, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said there’s:

“overwhelming support for doing nothing this year.”

gop-strike2

That’s it. According to the huge amount of press this has garnered, the Republicans are not going to move on immigration reform “this year” because:

  • Obama can’t be trusted to enforce whatever laws they do come up with.
  • This is not a good time to do this right now, with mid-term elections coming up.
  • If immigrants got to vote, they would vote Democratic because the Republicans have done such a great job of alienating immigrants, they would lose any hope for a presidential hopeful for years.
  • The Tea Party would have a fit and call for the removal of any Republican that helped get this problem resolved.

None of the above have anything to do with the American people or the problem of having 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the country. American citizens and the undocumented immigrants are the ones who suffer and pay the price for this problem, lingering year after year. We are also the ones who pay the lawmaker’s salaries and who give them their jobs.

I think they’ve forgotten who they work for.

Refusing to pass legislation because they are afraid the president won’t enforce the law has got to have their  head examined. The Obama administration has deported more people than any other president in history, including the all past Republican presidents.

That’s not enforcement?

The argument that this is not the right time to bring up this subject is absurd. When is it EVER a great time to bring up this issue? Immigration reform is a polarizing and highly contentious topic, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be put off until later, it should mean it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Immigrants voting is just a fact of life.

“Every month fifty thousand hispanics turn 18 and become eligible to vote.”

This should be the motivating factor to champion this issue, not aggravate it.

The problem seems to be that the Republicans fear the Tea Party because they are a very vocal and active group.

What would happen if WE became very vocal and active?

What would happen if WE bombarded their phone lines and filled up their email boxes with angry messages telling them if they didn’t get back to work, they wouldn’t have a job when their seat came up for election?

If it works for the Tea Party, it should work for us.

Click on this link for your congressman’s contact info and let them know what YOU want from them.

It really is up to you, if you want it to be. Or, you could just sit by the sidelines and watch as others get their way.

Rick Perry– Immigration Zero

Texas Governor Rick Perry is sending the National Guard to help stop refugee children from reaching our borders.

So, let me get this straight, he’s using an army of 1000 National Guard troops to stop little children who are escaping drugs, gangs, exploitation and death, and sending them back to the horror they are escaping. And he’d like to rewrite a law that allows them to come here–a law approved and passed by a Republican president.

So this makes him a good person? How? What on earth could be going through is mind?

Would he like to stand there and slap every little kid in the face for even thinking about coming here and escaping death too?

How far can the Republican party sink?

And the Democrats. . .

Where are the screaming and energized politicians voicing their strong opposition, ridiculing them for such poor judgement? Silent too eh? With leaders like these, America is in a world of shit. What more can be said?

At least Nancy Pelocy has the cajones to stand up against this ugly threat.

The Republicans problem is not with immigrants, it is with themselves.

The Republicans have backed themselves into a corner on, not only the immigration debate, but in the electoral process as well. Each and every day more and more young voters, latino voters, asian voters, and more, turn 18 and become eligible to vote. Will they vote Republican? What possible reason would they have to do so?

The old white Republican voter base is dying and their replacements are not even close to the numbers they are losing. Without standing behind immigration reform that backs immigrants, small business and tech-startups, they are shrinking their popularity and their numbers, and will lose any hope of retaking the White House for decades to come.

It will be a long time before America forgets the way they treated immigrants, and women, the elderly and the poor. The stigma they have brought down upon themselves will last for many years, and because of that, America will be the poorer for it.

America needs a strong Republican party. America needs good values and a balanced government. Give anyone too much power, and they will become corrupt, selfish dictators.

America can’t afford to be ruled by fascists. We need a strong Republican party, just like we need a strong Democratic party. We need a balanced government, and because of this, Republicans need to stop trying to take over our government and focus on becoming a part of this great system we have built. If they don’t, they will alienate themselves from America and become hapless, angry voyeurs, who watch the parade of history go by, without ever having a float of their own.

How sad is that?

Obama: GOP scapegoat of the year

 Obama has just been voted “Scapegoat of the Year.”

Or at least he should be.

What would you do if you gave a speech at your company, and then people started calling for your termination?

  • Reverse your statements? Too late; that would make you look like a liar.
  • Blame someone else in the room? That would also remove possible supporters from your side as well, and if you’re about to lose your job, you need all the friends you can get.
  • Take the heat and defend your position, enlightening your detractors with all the reason and forethought you put into your speech? Pretty risky, what if it didn’t work?
  • Distract everyone by focusing on something bigger?
  1.      The war on Terror, that always worked for Bush(s). Nope, Obama has that one under control; it’s always best not give your adversary cudos.
  2.      Obamacare? Nope, the nation has had it with us complaining about that, not to mention it probably wouldn’t be prudent to bring up the reason we closed the government down and took a beating in our approval ratings.
  3.      Abortion? No, that will just further anger women.
  4.      Social Security? Ditto, for the elderly.
  5.      Foodstamps? Nope, we just took some money away from that for our budget deal. Best to keep a low profile on that one.
  6.      Taxes? Again, best not bring up the current resentment towards our wealthy constituents.
  7.      Blame the immigrants? That usually works. . .
  8.      Blame the competition? Even better! It insults no one in the room and reinforces allegiances against a common adversary.

Sound familiar?

That is the strategy Rep. Boehner used after he announced the GOP principles on immigration reform, and got a lot of flack. After their retreat in Maryland last week, many Republicans rejected the House leadership’s one-page “standards for immigration reform.” 

Others within the GOP said that, with trends going their way as midterm elections approach, it was a bad time to take on a number of contentious issues.

The conservative activist L. Brent Bozell called for the entire House Republican leadership to be replaced. His group, ForAmerica, blitzed the speaker’s office with thousands of phone calls to jam the lines and protest his stance on immigration this past wednesday.

Representative Raúl Labrador of Idaho, an early negotiator on the issue and now a fierce opponent, told the newspaper, The Hill, that an immigration push by Mr. Boehner this year “should cost him his speakership.”

So Boehner, thinking his goose is cooked, comes out a week after outlining the Republican principles for immigration reform and says:

“There’s widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws,”

and he further stated,

“ it’s going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.”

Good one!

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, commented further about the whole Republican organization:

“That caucus he has is really unusual,”

Mr. Reid said of House Republicans.

“They went down and did this salute to how good they were last week at their retreat. They outlined principles of immigration. I guess today they decided they have no principles as it relates to immigration.”

That’s what happens when the opposition doesn’t appreciate getting blamed for your B.S.

California State Trust Act- making our communities safer

The California Trust Act that Gov Jerry Brown signed into effect in May 2013 is having a very positive response from law enforcement.

Monterey County Sheriff Scott Miller and Salinas police Chief Kelly McMillin are stating publicly their intention to opt out of any detentions and arrests based solely on a person’s immigration status, whether known or unknown.

So why would such high ranking law enforcement officers take such a stand? For many reasons:

  • It makes our jails less crowded.
  • It makes the judges calendars less crowded, affording them to take more time and consideration when reviewing cases, reducing errors in sentencing due to rapid pace hearings.
  • It enables law enforcement to focus on solving crimes rather than assisting ICE in doing their jobs.
  • It helps immigrants trust law enforcement, not having to fear getting deported just for reporting a crime.
  • Increases in crime reporting reduces actual crime numbers by letting would-be criminals they are not just going to be given a blank check to do whatever they want without fear of justice.
  • It keeps more bad guys off the street by apprehending more criminals instead of undocumented immigrants.
  • IT makes our neighborhoods safer.

When all is said and done, having law enforcement focusing on law enforcement instead of spending much of their time on immigration enforcement, helps our communities where we really need it.