Last month the United States ended its twenty-year war in Afghanistan, creating an acute and visible refugee crisis. While the outpouring of support for Afghan refugees is heartening, we must also consider who the US immigration system deems worthy of access and entry. The system is not broken; it is working exactly as designed to perpetuate white supremacy and prevent people from entering the country by insisting they follow a set of impossible rules.
The flawed system is most evident in the severe crisis at the southern border, where refugees remain trapped in Mexico in hopes that ever-changing rules will permit them to enter the US. Waiting in inhumane conditions with minimal access to legal representation, these asylum seekers are particularly easy prey for gangs and violence. Those who try to get around restrictions at “legal” crossings are treated as criminals and detained. The only people not being systematically turned back are unaccompanied minors -- forcing families to make heartbreaking choices.
With its network of detention centers and lack of accountability, ICE has become a large and violent branch of the prison-industrial complex that further exemplifies the punitive nature of US immigration policy. Most migrants in detention have only committed the “crime” of coming to the US. During the pandemic ICE detention centers have failed to follow basic health protocols, causing COVID to run rampant. Detainees who have spoken out face retaliation.
After facing imprisonment, family separation, forced sterilization and gratuitous cruelty, asylum seekers may finally make it across the border only to encounter another set of systemic barriers. A migrant may have to wait a year to obtain a work permit. In most states, undocumented immigrants can’t get a driver’s license, making even a commute to work incredibly risky. And any minor interaction with police can escalate to a deportation proceeding.
The cycle never ends. There is no path to citizenship for people who come here the “wrong” way. Non-citizen essential workers responding to COVID continue to face roadblocks to relief, as do those who aided with 9/11 recovery. People who arrived as children nearly had a solution with DACA before it was threatened with repeal. The racial element to these barriers is clear.
But there are positive developments. Locally, there has been a movement to reduce ICE’s influence: New Jersey recently passed legislation to ban future ICE contracts and similar legislation - the Dignity Not Detention Act - is now under consideration in New York. Read below for ways to get involved!
How to get involved:
Asylum Seekers Sponsorship Project matches asylum seekers in detention with people able to offer housing and support. Many asylum seekers have to have a sponsor to be released from detention. Donate or consider becoming a sponsor.
Email your state representatives to support the Dignity Not Detention Act to end ICE detention in New York State!
Email template here; legislation background here.Join the next #FreeThemAll phone zap - every Friday at noon.
Join the SURJ immigration squad if you want to hear more, have a conversation with someone, or just join our email list. Our next meeting is October 5 at 7pm--keep an eye on this newsletter for more details as we near that date!
In solidarity,
SURJ NYC