Call to Reform Deportation Policies

By Aarti Shahani,

While most lawmakers, media, immigrants and restrictionistshave focused on legalization and guest worker programs for the 11 millionundocumented immigrants in the United States, few have questioned the harshdeportation measures in the proposed bills. The “best” and”worst” bills consistently propose to:

* Deport long-term residents for increasingly minor crimes, even when they aregreen card holders, U.S. veterans, or the parents of American-born children

* Expand immigration detention facilities, using domestic military bases andfor-profit prison facilities

* Overturn Supreme Court rulings and legalize the indefinite detention ofnon-citizens

* Turn local and state police into immigration agents

* Erect a massive border fence and further militarize our border communities

* Enable Homeland Security agents to expel suspected foreignersindiscriminately

* Create a national identification system for all workers.

These hidden provisions in the immigration proposals would make a bad situationworse. American immigration laws are already harsh, resulting in thedestruction of immigrant families. Since Congress made deportation anddetention mandatory minimums in 1996, 1.4 million people have been exiled fromthe United States. Immigrants have become the fastest-growing segment of ourprison population. Families and taxpayers are paying dearly, as the Departmentof Homeland Security lines the pockets of for-profit prisons.

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