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Release ICE detainees.
Fleeing death threats in his home country of El Salvador, Alexander Martinez entered the United States without papers two months into the Biden presidency. During his detention, he’s been shuffled between six different detention facilities while facing homophobic harrassment and abuse from guards. He remains detained despite passing initial screening for asylum. “I never imagined or expected to receive this inhumane treatment,” said Martinez. The Biden administration doubled the number of immigration detainees since the end of February (The Guardian). U.S. citizens may believe that mass detention of immigrants and asylum seekers is no longer an issue under a Democratic president. 27,000 immigrants — many detained indefinitely in overcrowded, unsanitary facilities with little access to medical care during an ongoing pandemic — might have a different perspective.
TAKE ACTION
Follow Asian Americans United, Juntos, Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA), New Sanctuary Movement, VietLead, and Woori Center.
Find a local immigrant refugee organization near you, and identify the best way to support.
Contact your elected officials at the local, state, and federal level and demand that no other government institution share information with ICE. This includes school districts, local and state police, health and human services, and unemployment departments.
GET EDUCATED
By Andrew Lee (he/him)
When the American electorate denied President Trump a second term, it was in response to a number of outrages: the so-called “Muslim ban,” a failed attempt to construct a border wall, a bumbling response to Covid-19. Top among them was a “zero-tolerance” immigration policies that the United Nations Human Rights Council suggested “may amount to torture” (Independent). Candidate Biden rallied support in part by promising to “welcome immigrants in our communities” (Democratic National Committee). His election prompted many to share actress Idina Menzel’s sentiment when she tweeted, “My son just hugged me and said ‘mommy no more kids in cages!’ Tears of joy and tears of sadness” (Hollywood Reporter). Immigration policies and immigrant rights soon faded from front-page news.
But as Silky Shah from the Detention Watch Network reported, “His policies so far haven’t matched his campaign rhetoric” (The Guardian).
Fleeing death threats in his home country of El Salvador, Alexander Martinez entered the United States without papers two months into the Biden presidency. During his detention, he’s been shuffled between six different detention facilities while facing homophobic harrassment and abuse from guards. He remains detained despite passing initial screening for asylum. “I never imagined or expected to receive this inhumane treatment,” said Martinez. The Biden administration doubled the number of immigration detainees since the end of February (The Guardian). U.S. citizens may believe that mass detention of immigrants and asylum seekers is no longer an issue under a Democratic president. 27,000 immigrants — many detained indefinitely in overcrowded, unsanitary facilities with little access to medical care during an ongoing pandemic — might have a different perspective.
Community organizations around the country have forced significant concessions from an unjust and inhumane immigrant detention system, but they can use ongoing support to achieve justice and liberation for all immigrants. Advocates were able to push Pennsylvania’s York County Prison to stop accepting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees and secured the freedom of around 100 of those already detained. However, 200 of those already in York were transferred to other detention centers while others were deported (WHYY). Last Tuesday, a coalition of organizations including Asian Americans United, Juntos, Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA), New Sanctuary Movement, VietLead, and Woori Center rallied outside the Philadelphia ICE office to demand liberty for all detainees.
“There are a lot of organizations, a coalition. We’re here because we now know that because of community pressure they freed 80-100 people,” Ivonne from MILPA told Anti-Racism Daily, describing what community organizations see as a significant but partial victory. 200 York detainees were transferred to other centers. Some were deported. “Now we want those within the center in York and those within any detention center in the U.S. to be freed.”
While immigration issues are sometimes associated solely with the Latinx community, VietLead executive director Nancy Nguyen told Anti-Racism Daily that she’s fought deportations of the Southeast refugees for ten years and that Black immigrants suffer some of the longest detentions with the least legal representation. “Obama was considered the deporter-in-chief,” she said. “The way that folks should understand it is that, yes, things got worse under Trump but Trump only drove the vehicle that Obama created… This certainly is not just a Latinx issue and it certainly is not an issue that started just with Trump.”
“There are many nefarious ways ICE gets into communities. It’s not just about detention centers. ICE is always trying to collude with the police, ICE is always trying to get into your Health and Human Services data, ICE is trying to get into schools,” Nancy said, “So in every community everywhere folks should be making sure to contact their electeds, to make sure that there are no ICE agreements with police. These are info agreements that the police or that your health department or your school districts share information with ICE,” said Nancy from VietLead. “And also donate to your local immigrant and refugee organizations that are fighting ICE on the ground.”
“Allyship” with immigrants that vanishes once one’s preferred political party gains office isn’t true solidarity. It’s using oppressed communities as a political football. There are organizations of immigrants across the country fighting for justice against a disgraceful system at great risk and against incredible adversity. Supporting them is a moral and political responsibility, especially for those with the privilege of citizenship.
“We’re different colors, from different countries, and they aren’t going to stop us,” said MILPA’s Ivonne. “We have the power to say: enough. We want everyone out. We want them with their families.”
Key Takeaways
Immigrant rights receive significantly less attention from news outlets and many members of the public now that the election is over.
In reality, the Biden administration doubled the number of ICE detainees since this February.
Immigrant organizations across the country have won victories but need resources and support regardless of who’s in office.
Build language justice.
These days, more than one in four Major League Baseball players hail from outside the United States. Bilingual interpreters facilitate communication between Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, or Korean-speaking players and English-speaking teammates, coaches, and reporters. It’s not that athletes living in the United States and operating in largely English-only environments don’t speak English at all. For example, Ohtani gave a two-minute speech to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America exclusively in English in 2019 (MSN). Interpreters nonetheless help professional athletes to navigate the intricacies of sports terminology and slang as well as public appearances recorded for posterity (Sports Illustrated).
Happy Thursday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! Language barriers only exacerbate the racial inequities many communities face in the U.S. The recent news around baseball legend Shohei Ohtani only emphasizes how far we need to go to embrace the multilingual population of the U.S.
Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is fully funded by contributions from our readers. Make a monthly or annual donation to join in.
– Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Defend the use of languages other than English in any context.
Sign up to be a volunteer language translator if you speak a language other than English.
Use this toolkit to build language justice in your community.
GET EDUCATED
By Andrew Lee (he/him)
On Monday, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith questioned whether baseball’s “box office appeal” was harmed by the fact that star player Shohei Ohtani — a “once-in-a-century” player “better than Babe Ruth” (Sports Illustrated) — uses a translator for English-language interviews. Ohtani, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels, is Japanese and speaks Japanese as his first language. “The fact that you got a foreign player that doesn’t speak English, believe it or not, I think contributes to harming the game to some degree,” Smith said. “It needs to be someone like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, those guys. And unfortunately at this point in time, that’s not the case.”
These remarks suggest that the most talented player of his generation may be a liability to his sport purely because English isn’t his first language, causing a firestorm of criticism. That night, Smith offered a written apology describing his comments as “insensitive and regrettable” (USA Today).
These days, more than one in four Major League Baseball players hail from outside the United States. Bilingual interpreters facilitate communication between Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, or Korean-speaking players and English-speaking teammates, coaches, and reporters. It’s not that athletes living in the United States and operating in largely English-only environments don’t speak English at all. For example, Ohtani gave a two-minute speech to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America exclusively in English in 2019 (MSN). Interpreters nonetheless help professional athletes to navigate the intricacies of sports terminology and slang as well as public appearances recorded for posterity (Sports Illustrated).
This issue is larger than one athlete and one commentator. Discrimination based on language is pervasive in American society, and language justice is a crucial component of racial justice.
Alongside the legacy of British imperialism, contemporary American power ensures that U.S. movies, soldiers, tourists, and corporations now circle the globe. Accordingly, is English the now most commonly studied foreign language in the world (Babbel, Washington Post).
This overreach and wealth hoarding forced others to learn English.It also discouraged English-speaking Americans from any pressures to pick up a second language. Three out of four Americans only speak English (YouGov). Though the United States has no official language, immigrants are pressured to adopt fluent, unaccented American English as a token of assimilation and belonging. A Philly cheesesteak shop proudly displayed a sign reading “This is AMERICA. Speak English when ordering” sign for a decade (Billy Penn). Department store shoppers (NBC), pedestrians (KIRO 7), and high school students (NBC) have all been accosted for having the audacity to speak Spanish in public. People attacked for speaking a second language may very well speak conversational or fluent English with English-speaking friends, coworkers, managers, and neighbors. They may speak English when talking to family members inside their own homes. But when confronted for speaking a non-English language in public, their bilingualism is a liability.
Though Smith’s comment was thoughtlessly worded, his underlying point may have actually been correct. There are almost certainly baseball fans less enthused with the sport now that its leading player’s primary language is different than their own.
The cruel irony is that for privileged white families, bilingualism is only ever an asset. As the well-off compete to ensure their children’s place in selective universities, many have latched on to multilingualism as a way to make sure their kids get ahead. To convince admissions officers that their children are competitive aspiring “global citizens,” parents now apply for private Mandarin immersion programs for toddlers of 18 months (LePort). A Chinese person speaking Mandarin and accented English is a failure of assimilation. A white child speaking English and shoddy Mandarin is a prodigy.
The elite appetite for bilingualism even pushes English learners (ELs) out of multilingual schools designed for their benefit. “Left unchecked, demand from privileged, English-dominant families can push ELs and their families out of multilingual schools,” read one report, “and convert two-way dual-immersion programs into one-way programs that exclusively serve English-speaking children” (The Atlantic).
This issue further exacerbates inequities Even in progressive spaces, language is often an afterthought. Many organizations make all of their decisions in English. Though a flier might be translated into another language, there is often no real plan to incorporate non-English speakers into the organizational structure.
The alternative to English-only ignorance and linguistic tokenization is language justice. Trained interpreters should translate between languages so that all can participate in collective spaces. Translation should not be a one-way street; spaces should be truly multilingual. Organizations and workplaces need to recognize that translation is a highly technical skill: materials should not be translated by any bilingual speaker at hand or, even worse, by translation software (NESFP). Ensuring that everyone is able to communicate with their language or dialect is a way to “disrupt privilege and colonization” and “challenging English dominance” (Move to End Violence). To refuse to prioritize language justice, on the other hand, perpetuates all of those things.
We need to build language justice.
Key Takeaways
Non-English speakers are attacked for publicly speaking another language. Some are bi- or multilingual.
When white Americans become bilingual, it can boost their academic and career profiles. When others are bilingual, it’s seen as a liability.
Language justice means creating spaces where we can all speak in the language we’re most comfortable with.
RELATED ISSUES
Respect AAVE.
An analysis on the origins of AAVE and its role in education and pop culture. Read >
Learn the key terminology.
A helpful overview of phrases often heard when discussing race. Read >
Respect the relationship between name and identity.
Unpacking the "Anglicization" of names and erasure from minimizing names from diverse cultures. Read >
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
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Understand the asylum process.
Last Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they would start considering migrants whose cases were terminated by the Trump administration. The Justice Department also reversed an immigration ruling that barred individuals from seeking asylum due to domestic violence or gang violence (NYT). Expanding protections to individuals who are fleeing domestic violence or gang violence will offer protection to women, the majority of whom seek asylum due to interpersonal violence, gender-based abuse, and organized crime (NY Times).
Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. There's intense pressure on the new administration to address the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Today, Nia shares more on the difficult journey many asylum seekers from Mexico face.
Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is made possible by your support. Consider making a donation to support our work. You can start a monthly subscription on Patreon or our website, or give one-time using our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).
– Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Donate to RAICES, a nonprofit that provides pro-bono legal support to immigrants.
Tell the Biden administration to end Title 42 expulsions, which allows the U.S. to turn migrants away under the public health rule. Border agents have turned away migrants nearly 850,000 times since the beginning of the pandemic.
If you have room, consider hosting a refugee family so they have a place to stay while their case is decided.
GET EDUCATED
By Nia Norris (she/her)
Last Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they would start considering migrants whose cases were terminated by the Trump administration. The Justice Department also reversed an immigration ruling that barred individuals from seeking asylum due to domestic violence or gang violence (NYT). Expanding protections to individuals who are fleeing domestic violence or gang violence will offer protection to women, the majority of whom seek asylum due to interpersonal violence, gender-based abuse, and organized crime (NY Times).
Asylum is a protection granted to individuals who are foreign nationals who meet the definition of a “refugee,” someone not safe in their home country “on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion” (American Immigration Council). Under the Trump administration, many asylum seekers who were crossing the U.S.-Mexico border were sent to Mexico to await hearings for their cases.
In 2019, the Trump-era DHS introduced the Migrant Protection Protocols, which required asylum seekers to return to Mexico to await immigration hearings in the United States (DHS). There were about 70,000 migrants enrolled in this program, which was also known as Remain in Mexico. The majority of migrants who were affected by this policy were from Central America. Migrants waiting at the border often live in inhumane conditions and are often victims of violence, kidnapping, and rape (The Guardian). Many have reported missing court hearings because it was too dangerous to attend, or because of extreme situations such as being kidnapped. Those who missed their court hearings were ordered to be deported and lost their chance to get asylum (Buzzfeed).
DHS suspended the Migrant Protection Protocols on Biden’s first day in office. This allowed many of the migrants already waiting for case decisions to cross the border in February (The Guardian). However, the Biden administration only allowed unaccompanied minors to stay in the U.S. as new asylum applicants. This resulted in a new type of family separation where families remained in Mexico as they sent their children across the border alone (Politico).
Regardless of administration, applying for asylum is not as simple as walking up to the border. Asylum seekers must somehow get into the U.S. to claim asylum, which may involve crossing multiple countries and a militarized border, and prove that they meet the criteria of being a refugee. The majority of cases are denied (NYT). By February of 2020, most asylum seekers who were granted relief waited more than 930 days, and are incarcerated in detention centers while their case is processed. Individuals who wait in detention are five times less likely to secure legal counsel for their cases (American Immigration Counsel). Asylum seekers who find a way to bypass detention still aren’t authorized to work in the United States, making it impossible to earn a legal source of income (NOLO). Children who cross the border alone are imprisoned by Customs and Border Protection. In early May, U.S. officials held over 22,500 refugee children in custody (BBC).
With the new provisions, some migrant camps in Mexico are finally starting to empty (Reuters). Whether these migrants will be granted asylum is yet to be seen since most cases are denied. Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran people have their asylum cases approved at rates much lower than the average of 35% (Seattle Times). That means two out of three people who tell immigration authorities their life would be in danger in their home country because of a social group or identity they belong to are forced to return to those very conditions.
We must advocate for individuals who are fleeing violence and offer a safer path to survival. Some of the new protections that are granted by the Biden administration are a step forward, but we need to continue to offer protections to individuals who are fleeing dangerous conditions. Amnesty International argues that “the people are not the problem. Rather, the causes that drive families and individuals to cross borders and the short-sighted and unrealistic ways that politicians respond to them are the problem” (Amnesty International).
Key Takeaways
The Justice Department recently reversed the Trump Administration policy barring individuals from applying for asylum due to domestic violence or gang violence.
The process of applying for asylum is much harder than the media and lawmakers make it out to be, and the majority of applications for asylum are not approved.
Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran asylum applicants are less likely to have their applications approved than asylum seekers from other countries.
RELATED ISSUES
2/15/2021 | Advocate for Black immigrants.
12/9/2020 | Amplify mental health resources for immigrants.
10/5/2020 | Protect undocumented Americans.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
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Amplify mental health resources for immigrants.
The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn has affected people globally, immigrants are especially vulnerable. As they grapple with job loss, family death, stacking bills, eviction, health issues, and remote schooling and caregiving, immigrants’ mental health is being impacted by these conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Happy Thursday and welcome back! A new Gallup survey found that "Americans’ assessment of our mental health is 'worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades'" (NYTimes). Although we covered the intersection of COVID-19 and systemic oppression frequently, we haven't discussed its impact on our mental health. Kayla joins us today with her perspective on how we can amplify mental health resources for immigrants, who are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Thank you for all your messages alerting me that I didn't switch yesterday's Key Takeaways in the newsletter. My sincere apologies. They are correct on the web version of the newsletter. Usually, I make real-time edits where needed on the web version, found here: antiracismdaily.com/read.
Thank you for your generous support! Because of you, we can offer this newsletter free of charge and also pay our staff of writers and editors. Join in by making a one-time gift on ourwebsiteorPayPal, orsubscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go toantiracismdaily.com.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Learn more about mental health resources for immigrants and refer immigrants to the resources from the Immigrant Learning Center’s list
Share this curated list of diverse and inclusive therapists (from InclusiveTherapists.com) that can meet the needs of immigrants
Check your local mental health organization for ways you can support and/or spread the word about their resources.
Have conversations with family members to destigmatize mental health. First, educate yourself about your own mental health situation. Second, explore what support systems you have, and lastly, if you feel comfortable, share with loved ones what you are experiencing.
GET EDUCATED
By Kayla Hui (she/her)
While every administration has dealt with immigration differently, the Trump Administration has gained its notorious reputation for separating kids at the border. A few weeks ago, Trump blocked the Justice Department from paying for mental health services for migrant families who had been separated at the border especially amid a global pandemic (NBC News).
The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn has affected people globally, immigrants are especially vulnerable. As they grapple with job loss, family death, stacking bills, eviction, health issues, and remote schooling and caregiving, immigrants’ mental health is being impacted by these conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, 14.3% of immigrant workers live in overcrowded housing, making it difficult to practice social distancing (Center for Immigration Studies). Immigrants and children born from immigrant parents are also more likely to experience food insecurity (PubMed). Coupled with COVID-19 stress, they are dealing with job and health insurance loss, hampering mental health access.
Common mental health issues include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric disorders related to exposure to war, violence, and torture (PubMed). A study found that immigrants were much less likely than nonimmigrants to utilize mental health services, especially among communities of color.
There are two types of barriers that hamper mental health access for immigrants, cultural and structural (PubMed). Cultural barriers include stigma, norms, and attitudes whereas structural barriers include factors such as costs, transportation, and discrimination.
When trying to seek mental health care, my sisters and I were always met with the same response: “You don’t need it. There’s nothing wrong with you.” Growing up in an uninsured immigrant household, stigmatization was just one of the barriers that prevented my family and I from seeking mental health services. When the pandemic hit, our mental health was hit hard. Some of my family members had lost their jobs, experienced stress from surmounting bills, and were socially isolated. I witnessed the repercussions of the pandemic on my family and knew that we weren't alone in experiencing these barriers to mental health access.
Oftentimes, access to mental health services can be seen as an extra or unnecessary expense especially in communities where stigma is prevalent, making it hard to justify its need to family members (The University of Chicago Press Journals). When mental health is left unmanaged, it can lead to physical health problems, homelessness, job instability, and suicide (Psychology Today).
In addition to the lack of health and mental health coverage for immigrants, language barriers persist in the mental health space. A study found an association between the under-utilization of psychiatric services with language proficiency (Psychiatry Online).
“What does this mean?” was a common question my grandmother would ask whenever we visited the doctors. Because English was my grandmother’s second language, I translated healthcare information in the doctor’s office from Cantonese to English so that she could understand. For many immigrants where English is not their Native language, understanding health information can be daunting. Therefore, there is a need for multilingual mental health providers who are culturally competent and can understand the mental health needs of immigrants.
Beyond cultural barriers, there are structural roadblocks including the lack of access to health insurance. Unfortunately, health insurance coverage for immigrants is a complex issue that predates the pandemic. Back in the 1940s, the United States federal government tied health insurance to employment by incentivizing employers to start offering health insurance to workers. As health insurance industry grew, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began chipping away at the tax-exempt status. To save the tax-exemption for employer-based insurance, the Eisenhower administration secured tax-exemption permanently. Thus, employer-based health insurance was born. (The Observer).
Health insurance access is even harder for undocumented immigrants, many of whom are not eligible to work jobs due to the racist and discriminatory nature of our employment and health system. Under federal programs such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive those benefits, leaving the state of their mental health vulnerable (Health Insurance). Of the 44.8 million immigrants living in the United States, nearly 20% were uninsured in 2018 (Pew Research Center).
And this issue was exacerbated because of COVID-19. Between February and March, the number of unemployed immigrants increased by 30%, doubling the unemployment rate of U.S. born workers. (Migration Policy Institute). Because health insurance coverage is tied to employment, immigrants lost their health insurance and mental health coverage.
Federal programs are fueled by taxpayer dollars. It is disheartening to see how immigrants are not covered under some federal programs, despite undocumented immigrants paying a total of $11.7 billion in state and local taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (Vox). Due to the 1996 welfare law, it categorized immigrants for eligibility for federal programs such as “qualified” and “not qualified” (National Immigration Law Center). The “qualified immigrant category includes people with green cards, refugees granted asylum, certain survivors of sex trafficking and abuse. For the “not qualified” category, those include undocumented individuals. Many federal benefit programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, non-emergency Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) leave immigrants out. And because health insurance coverage is not distributed equally, the health system was designed to only benefit a select few, leaving immigrants with worser mental health outcomes. Sadly, the United States does not provide universal healthcare for all.
When members of our community thrive, we all thrive. Immigrants are members of our community and their health should be a priority. We can support their mental health by destigmatizing it, supporting policies that shape health insurance access for immigrants, and support community organizations that are amplifying their mental health needs.
Mental health impacts every facet of our lives. It governs our daily actions and shapes our behavior. Therefore, access to affordable mental health should be prioritized and made available. Mental health is a human right.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting immigrants' mental health.
Cultural and structural barriers hamper immigrants mental health access (PubMed).
Albeit undocumented immigrants pay taxes, they aren’t protected or covered under federal programs like the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid programs
RELATED ISSUES
12/1/2020 | Fight inhumane medical care at ICE facilities.
10/5/2020 | Protect undocumented Americans.
9/17/2020 | Abolish ICE.
8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
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Protect undocumented Americans.
Happy Monday!
We are 29 days from the election, and it's critical to remember how many voices deserve to be heard at the polls. Today, Jami calls us to action to protect undocumented immigrants here in America (and around the world), and provide sanctuary no matter where we live.
As always, you can support the newsletter by giving one-time on PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you for your support.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Protect your community and know your rights. Check out United We Dream’s (@unitedwedream) Deportation Defense toolkits for undocumented immigrants and allies.
If you witness an ICE raid or spot them in your community, call the MigraWatch Hotline at 1-844-363-1423. This will spread the word and keep others safe.
RAICES’s (@raicestexas) Take Action list provides many ways you can support—from tweets to petitions to donations to starting conversations with your family.
Donate to your local immigrant mutual aid network or to organizations like UndocuBlack
GET EDUCATED
By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)
As we reach the last weeks of the presidential race, the Trump administration, hoping to persuade voters with a strong “law and order” message, is preparing immigration raids in sanctuary cities, according to the Washington Post. On September 24th, Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) officials announced that they arrested over 500 people within a few days (LA Times). Across the country, undocumented immigrants and activists in the targeted cities, including Philadelphia, are getting their communities ready (Philadelphia Inquirer). In the 2018 fiscal year (the most recent year combined data is available), ICE and Border Patrol deported over 337,287 undocumented immigrants from the interior United States (Pew Research Center). This number is separate from people apprehended while attempting to cross the border; these were people who had built lives here.
For those of us who are documented citizens, we can’t understand the pervasive fear, stress, and anxiety that goes along with being undocumented. In a New York Times podcast, an undocumented mother from Nicaragua explains to the host: “Sometimes I cry… you’re like, oh, my God, what I did bad? Just staying in a country where I want to feel safe? I don’t know. I don’t know. Right now, I’m in my car talking to you, and I know, when I get through that door, I have to turn off that light and stay in my room. Why?” (NYTimes The Daily)
The woman goes on to describe the way she and her family live when there are rumors of immigration crackdowns: never opening the door, only using a small light, parking in a neighbor’s space instead of their own. Even if the threat never materializes, fear is a powerful tool, one that this administration wields like a hammer to keep undocumented Americans underground, unable to access basic needs like health care during the pandemic (NYTimes). While living in a sanctuary city can be safer for undocumented Americans, due to local protections, it can never be—or feel— truly safe.
The term sanctuary city, in fact, has no specific legal or government-defined meaning. “Lots of people use the unofficial term “sanctuary city” to refer to local jurisdictions (not just cities but counties and sometimes states) that don’t fully cooperate with federal efforts to find and deport unauthorized immigrants,” explains Dara Lind, in a useful primer on the history and context of sanctuary cities at Vox. “If that sounds vague, that’s because it is, and it gets at the tension between federal policy and local law enforcement generally used to carry out those laws.”
Most of us have a limited view of undocumented Americans—often because of the narrow, biased single narrative that our government and media push: Mexico, border crossings, DACA. In the new book The Undocumented Americans, author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (the first undocumented student to graduate from provides a nuanced, deeper context, pushing back on the limited narratives we usually see. “This book is for everybody who wants to step away from the buzzwords in immigration, the talking heads, the kids in graduation caps and gowns, and read about the people underground,” she writes in her introduction. “Not heroes. Randoms. People. Characters.”
As she says, undocumented Americans are not a monolithic block. An estimated 619,000 Black undocumented immigrants are residing in the United States (Pew Research Center). They are more likely than non-Black undocumented immigrants to be deported. “Although Black immigrants comprise just 5.4% of the unauthorized population in the United States, they made up a striking 10.6% of all immigrants in removal proceedings between 2003 and 2015,” reports the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. For more information, read interviews with undocumented Black Americans at ThinkProgress and the Atlantic.
If you or your family are (or have ever been) undocumented and want to share your experiences, feel free to share your experience at submissions@antiracismdaily.org; we will not share identifying details.
We can help provide sanctuary no matter where we live. United We Dream (the largest immigrant youth-led organization) states: “In a sanctuary… members of that community are united and prepared to protect immigrants from deportation forces… are united against police brutality... [Sanctuary spaces] are places in which the dignity and integrity of every individual as a human being is respected and preserved” (UWD Here to Stay Toolkit). We need to work to ensure that our actions are guided by such principles.
Part of that is becoming more intentional in thinking about how we privilege citizenship, and what barriers our communities, often unintentionally, present for undocumented people. Some of that means expanding our definitions: in one case, Black students discovered that they weren’t eligible for the few college scholarships open to undocumented students because they weren’t Latinx (The Atlantic). Often, it means asking ourselves how welcoming our spaces are for undocumented people. I used to work for a public library—an institution that prides itself as being for everyone— but at libraries like mine, you need identification, a discriminatory policy that prevents many undocumented people from receiving our services (Time). Undocumented Americans pay billions of dollars in local, state, and federal taxes per year (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy), but they are not able to receive many of the benefits they’re paying for.
Lastly: remember that the dehumanization of undocumented Americans didn’t start—and won’t end—with Trump. ICE, deportations, and border camps existed under the Obama, Bush, and Clinton administrations as well (NYTimes). Our immigration policies have been discriminatory since their implementation. We can fight for better policies, but we need to always remember that communities and people can provide sanctuary in ways that laws cannot.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In the 2018 fiscal year, 337,287 undocumented immigrants were deported from the United States (Pew Research Center).
Black undocumented immigrants are more likely than other undocumented immigrants to be deported (Black Alliance for Just Immigration).
Undocumented Americans pay billions of dollars in local, state, and federal taxes per year (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy).
The dehumanization of undocumented Americans didn’t start—and won’t end—with Trump. We need to support them no matter who is president.
RELATED ISSUES
9/17/2020 | Abolish ICE.
8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.
6/17/2020 | Analyze representation in media.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza