Obama refocuses immigration policy

Being uprooted from the life they have grown accustomed to is a constant fear for undocumented immigrants in the United States.
President Barack Obama took a step towards easing their minds on August 18, when the White House announced a policy shift that will focus federal resources on deporting convicted criminals and those who pose a threat to public or national safety. The change will spare undocumented students and other law-abiding immigrants facing deportation by allowing them to apply for work permits.
The shift is a vital one for Queens, a borough where countless undocumented immigrants reside.
“This policy is very significant,” said Ana Maria Archila, the co-executive director of Make the Road, the largest grassroots immigrant rights organization in New York City. “It comes after many efforts to highlight the fact that during the Obama administration, more families were being torn apart than ever before. Most people being deported had no criminal history and were not a threat to their neighbors or themselves. This change creates, for the first time, a process for immigration judges to review the history of people who are being deported.”
Katie Smith breathed a sigh of relief when she learned of the new policy. Smith, whose name has been changed for the protection of her and her family, has several family members living in Queens that are undocumented immigrants.
“I am ecstatic that the government is finally doing something to help extinguish the terror living inside many undocumented immigrants,” said Smith. “Undocumented immigrants wake up every day in fear that they live with consistently. Their fear magnifies every time they introduce themselves and participate in social experiences. My cousin and her husband have told me that they and their friends all frequently experience nightmares of being discovered and deported.”
According to Smith, her family has contributed to the betterment of society, not subtracted from it.
“My family members have worked very hard, often participating in jobs that are tiresome and time-consuming,” Smith said. “They deserve to be in America as much as anyone.”
For undocumented immigrants enrolled in college, the new policy may make their dreams a reality by allowing them to remain in the country and earn a degree.
“Education is an important avenue for undocumented immigrants to be constructive participants of our society,” said Diana Call, the interim president of Queensborough Community College. “It would be beneficial for them to have access to education to earn a pathway to their citizenship.”
Call, who believes some Queensborough students are undocumented, admits that the ultimate goal is the passage of the DREAM Act, a bipartisan legislation that would allow certain immigrant students who were raised in the U.S. to become eligible for citizenship if they attend college or serve in the military.
While Smith is hopeful the government will further expand upon the legislation, she believes the country’s treatment of undocumented immigrants up to this point has been disgraceful.
“America has been the icon of prosperity to many undocumented immigrants,” said Smith. “The country that depicts freedom and equality has refused to accept them as equals and has shunned them from society. Undocumented immigrants have come to America with perseverance and a dream. They deserve to let that dream come true.”