Julie Myers Wood, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President George W. Bush, told the magazine that she could “think of some very outside-the-box options” that would allow Trump to cut costs and deport millions of people relatively quickly.
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One of Trump’s most effective campaign promises was to crack down on illegal immigration and build up President Obama’s deportation strategy.
“Before when [Trump] talked about what he would do with immigration, how he would get rid of Deferred Action, and build a wall and do the other things to protect our borders, that really brought me back to faces of people I know who would be affected by these laws if they were to be implemented like he said”, Aguayo said.
Lynn Marcus, co-director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the UA’s James E. Rogers College of Law. Ramos said the Latino and immigrant communities in Alabama are stronger as a result of having made it through the crackdown.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had a mostly congratulatory tone when discussing the president-elect, but he shot down Trump’s proposal to impose term limits on Congress by saying, “It will not be on the agenda in the Senate”. Most of the House GOP members who called for legal status for undocumented immigrants were re-elected, and even senators who lost their races, such as Sen. “We’re here to fight for you and your family”. Almost a third of the 742,000 so-called Dreamers live in California and are potentially at risk of losing legal status.
“Am I going to be here all by myself with my kids and who is going to come in and help me?” Though fear-mongers like the incoming President have attempted to malign immigrants, they by and large immigrate just to make better lives for themselves and their families.
Others with the same status declined to comment, either on or off the record.
“They are afraid”, he said.
“What is useful for the purposes of mobilization of people in an election is not necessarily useful for governing effectively on behalf of your total agenda”, said Abraham.
“Definitely anxious. Oh my God”. But many here say that right now it is the lesser evil.
ERICK HUERTA: I knew eventually that in the world of possibilities if something like this were to happen, that I was in that basket. “If Trump wins … what will happen to me?”
Guillermo said for him and other Dreamers that shock was starting to settle in, along with fears that the election outcome will alter the course and quality of his life. The questions I have are: Will DACA, as we know it, continue?
Around 500,000 people in California are eligible for this temporary amnesty, according to the California Immigrant Policy Center. They could lose the promise of the American Dream. They have not provided that information at this time.
Kinoshita also encouraged individuals to prepare assuming the “worst case scenario” that Trump would take away DACA soon after his inauguration in January.
“Immigrants here are vital to our workforce and tourist-driven economy”, she said.
The young woman I spoke to, who was too fearful to give her name, also works at a school as a teacher’s aide.
But the most effective method of deterring illegal immigration remains allowing the market to dictate how many newcomers we need.
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Soto, who attended a community event at the Mexican Heritage Plaza this week aimed at helping people heal, said she’s determined to move forward. “He even said he’s going to strip Puerto Ricans of their citizenship”.
