Is ICE Humane? Should the Agency be Reformed?

By: Khushi Patel

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency created in 2003 after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The two main branches of ICE (Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations) specialize on terminating various types of crimes at the borders and inside the U.S including sex trafficking, illegal exchange of drugs, exploitation of children, and those that threaten public safety (“Who We Are | ICE”). This agency was formed by the government in hopes of keeping the country secure from undocumented immigrants, and its benefits had been relatively distinctive. But has ICE transformed into America’s moral enemy? Let’s discuss.

ICE has sparked massive controversy among U.S. citizens as the organization remodeled over the years. Many pointed out several issues regarding this group. During President Trump’s presidency beginning in 2017, the “Zero Tolerance” policy was an ordinance enacted by the Trump Administration to legalize the separation of innocent families, completely altering what ICE had originally stood for. Why were innocent, undocumented immigrants being separated and deported to their countries? Is the agency doing more harm than good? It is understandable why this policy was being made under government authority, as crimes such as sex trafficking and dealing with illegal drugs across the border are intolerable in every aspect. But in the process of revoking these scandals through harsh enforcement, ICE has become a corrupt organization. Even after this mass deportation effort was put on hold, the U.S. was unable to unite all separated families back together. This means that there are thousands of children who will never see their parents again.

Instances such as sexual assault by staff members also became a rising problem at ICE detention centers, where the victims (if reported) had been known to walk out of court hardly having their voices heard. In fact, roughly sixty to eighty percent of Mexican females who have crossed the border to come across the U.S. were allegedly sexually assaulted by the ICE staff (Victoria Lopez and Sandra Park, “ICE Detention Center Say it’s Not Responsible for Staff’s Sexual Abuse of Detainness”). So if the whole point of ICE was to demolish crimes including sexual assault, then the agency is contributing to the very thing they’ve vowed to destroy. When has citizenship become the determining factor for humanity in the U.S.?

Speaking of detention centers, let’s discuss a method of transportation used to arrive in these areas. According to Luiselli, children of undocumented immigrants were sent in massive numbers on freight trains traveling to the United States, where they would be sent to the detention centers, with thousands falling to their deaths due to collapsing off the vehicles during the night-time and the unstable railing (“Riding ‘the beast’: Child Migrants Reveal Full Horror of their Journeys to America”). Whether a child of undocumented parents or not, everyone deserves humanity. Most of these people are crossing the border for a chance at a better life in a country that their own couldn’t offer to them, and they are not criminals. ICE under President Trump believes the agency prior to his presidency was not bold enough, but the “Zero Tolerance” approach is not the way either; it is inhumane to hardworking individuals. By deporting all undocumented immigrants, those that had crossed the border seeking better lifestyles are now being forced to return to dangerous living conditions that are threatening their lives.

Additionally, another issue with the “Zero Tolerance” policy is the deportation of those with overstayed visas. According to Robertson, about half of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and sixty-five percent of net arrivals had overstayed their visas to reside in the United States in 2015 (“Illegal Immigration Statistics”). When immigrants from foreign countries visit the U.S. on a visa, hoping to obtain a green card throughout their stay for a permanent residence, the process is intricate and inconvenient. It can take up to 7-33 months to process an application for a green card allowing permanent residence, and occasionally even longer if a family is unable to pay extra money for the process to be shortened. Family Preference green cards, in fact, can take up to 1-10 years (“Green Card Processing Time”). Those who overstay their visas are being deported after approximately 180 days of the expiry dates, but how is this fair if it can potentially take up to 10 years to simply even obtain permission for permanent residency? It isn’t the immigrants, but rather the ICE and the American Immigration System that have failed.

As a 1st world country, it is America’s responsibility to offer greater opportunities for the less fortunate, especially in a country that has benefited from the labor of diverse ethnic groups. This country exists today due to the hard work of immigrants that had arrived in the 18th-20th centuries through indentured servitude, chattel slavery, and several forms of coerced labor. Just like past immigrants, nothing has changed; people are still searching for better opportunities in this country. Many immigrants expect to do labor that many citizens of this country benefit from. As corporations in the U.S. continue to expand, the demand for foreign labor increases. This is fulfilled by immigrants, in which they aid the expansion of businesses that positively affect native-born citizens through increased job offers (Kugler and Oakford, “Immigration Helps Workers’ Wages and Job Opportunities”). Immigration and Customs Enforcement is deporting the groups of people who are greatly benefiting the U.S. economy that Trump has been known to tout his accomplishment upon. According to Unidosus, “Undocumented immigrants pay an average of 11.64 billion in state and local taxes a year. All immigrants, regardless of status, will contribute approximately 80,000 dollars more in taxes than government services used over their lifetime” (“7 ways Immigrants Enrich Our Economy and Society”). The U.S. government should allow amnesty to undocumented immigrants fleeing from their countries, as it can be a win-win situation; the immigrants will be safe from danger, and the U.S. economy will advance, as multiple new jobs for American citizens will be created through their hard labor. If undocumented immigrants are voluntarily paying more and committing to harder labor than the services they are receiving by the government, then it is morally unacceptable for ICE to deport them back to their countries. It highlights how this unfair system in the U.S. is still a fairytale for them compared to the lifestyles offered to them in their native lands.

Overall, the Immigration Customs and Enforcement System in the United States needs massive reform due to their lost purpose. At this point, it is a moral argument. This agency has proven to commit more of the same crimes they’re supposed to prevent, and a lack of empathy and accountability within this group goes against the so-called American principle of “freedom and justice for all”. Living in America is a privilege, which wouldn’t have been the case without the immense support of immigrants...so why are we so against our roots?

Edited By: Austen Wyche

Posted May 31, 2020