Living with fear

Guest blogger: Khojiakbar Gayratbekov, Masters in Migration Studies, graduate student, University of San Francisco

Lately, I have been actively working with undocumented immigrants who are facing ICE raids and threats. As a recent immigrant to the United States myself, my reaction is overwhelmingly sympathetic. Coming from a hybrid regime and post-communist country where autocratic regime is still active and human rights violations become part of the government’s everyday agenda, I had expected United States to be more respectful towards human rights. However, I noticed a number cases in which certain government organizations become the main human rights violators. 

Creation of ICE was the first step after many years of colonization to treat people in an inhumane way that is morally unacceptable. I have had to listen to many stories by undocumented immigrants about their experiences living in the United States.  Many of them share one common feeling – fear.  Waking up to the thought that you are in danger not by criminals but regular government officials is the worst part of being undocumented in the United States. Current laws and immigration enforcement policies make people think that everyone is untrustworthy. From my personal experience working with undocumented immigrants I learned that trust becomes the least feeling they have. Immigration officers often want to find more undocumented immigrants by threatening those who are already detained. Some of the demanding questions for detained immigrants seem to leave no choice but to reveal the identities of their friends and loved ones.  Being held at an immigration detention center is traumatic, and the way officers treat them adds fuel to the flame.

I have noticed that officers approach immigrants differently depending on how well noncitzens know their rights. If one speaks pretty good English and knows their rights well, they get released or treated better than those whose English or knowledge about their rights is weak. In addition, undocumented immigrants are exposed to invasion of privacy. They even have to sacrifice their most expected privacy: at their homes and in their private vehicles. ICE enforcement strategies are troubling. ICE agents’ unnecessary questioning, abuse of privacy, racial profiling are violations of fundamental human rights and U.S. constitution. In fact, current immigration law enforcement policies strike fear in the minds of millions of vulnerable immigrants. This is hypocrisy: often the United States demands fair practice of human rights from other countries, while at the same time, it fails to comply with basic principles of the law. 

While we may not be able to change the laws, we can encourage and teach immigrants to demand their rights. Immigrant advocates, activists and immigrants themselves should act collaboratively to fight against the abusive system. That is the only way to preserve dignity and fairness in the lives of undocumented immigrants.

bh