BY STUDENT
It is not a surprise that many
immigrants in the last couple of years, many whom are considered “illegal” and
“undocumented”, have settled in the United States in the last couple of years.
Their children whom are often born U.S. citizens make up most part of the
Latino demographic of these cities that are considered urban cities. There has
been a rise in counties of Virginia, West Virginia, and even the capital
Washington D.C., where an influx of undocumented immigrants come to reside and
work according to Audrey Singer et. al, authors of Immigrants, Politics and Local Response in Suburban Washington. The
authors come to find that specifically in Prince William county in Virginia has
undergone a huge population growth and dynamic change, of “illegal immigrants”
and the results that have undergone in this county and plenty of other small
counties within the regional United States. Why is it that residents in small
counties such as Prince William County and numerous others are so threatened by
the immigrant population?
It is shocking to see that
Community leaders and residents organized successfully to rid themselves of “illegal”
immigrants that have brought problems to their neighborhoods that include
overcrowding, decrease of property value, and even a rise in ESOL (English
speakers of Other Languages) in high schools. (Singer et. al, 2009, 13-15) The
immigrants in this county, and in many other areas of the United States are
addressed as so and not by the proper term of “undocumented” or “unauthorized”.
Policies were passed that were blatantly targeted towards Latinxs, specifically
undocumented immigrants, and supported by much of these counties, even forming
groups such as Help Save Manassas (HSM) with the motto to “reduce the number of
illegal aliens living in our community” (Singer et. al, 2009, 15) This caused
outrage amongst many but no strong opposition could be formed out of fear and
lack of organization. To see that a blatant act of racism that continues to
happen in these small counties and cities is absurd. All with the purpose to
have their “old” communities back before it was ruined by immigration or so
they claim. It is even worse that it was implemented where many were arrested,
and even some whom were legally present. “Of the 636 suspected unauthorized
immigrants questioned in the first six months, 45 percent were released with no
charges or with summonses, while fifty-four percent were arrested. Ten
individuals were determined to be legally present”. (Singer et, al, 2009, 19)
This was before it was then challenged and changed so that those arrested or
questioned had to have reasonable doubt before being approached by authorities.
These counties have faced foreclosures, economic downturns, along with high
legal costs and other expenses.
This is a result of
anti-immigration policies where undocumented and documented immigrants face the
greater risk. Many undocumented immigrants pay taxes on houses and being
detained has led to foreclosures on their homes. Plenty of legal action has
been taken to fight for their cause and local residents have fought back as
well. A fight that clearly continues today with a bit of hope. Corey A.
Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, was a huge
advocate for this policy. “Based on a
2010 University of Virginia study show that 14,000 arrest were made in 2009 in
Prince William County, six percent being illegal immigrants”. (Washington Post
2012) For a lucky few according to the Jeremy Borden, author of the article, kept
their jobs and businesses while others still feel like many think they are
“intruders” in their town. According to Borden, “…county statistics indicate
that violent crime is dropping, …, there is a debate about how much that
decline is related to the illegal-immigration crackdown”. Even with slight
changes that came from this policy, immigrants continue to fight to be heard.
Works
Cited
Audrey Singer, Jill H. Wilson, and Brooke DeRenzis.
February 2009. "Immigrants, Politics, and Local Response in Suburban Washington."
SURVEY SERIES FOR THE METROPOLITAN
POLICY PROGRAM AT BROOKINGS 1-20.
Borden, Jeremy. 2012. “Latinos returning to Pr.
William after immigration crackdown, but scars remain.” Washington Post.
I agree with you completely when it comes to the rise in economic output when the Latino population increases in an area. This post also reminds me of part in 9500 Liberty where a small business owner is being interviewed and is complaining about the lack of business his restaurant had in one day compared to the days where Latinos weren't scared of being stopped by police for no reason. Police being able to question anyone who appears to be of a different race solely on their skin color or the way they appear is very wrong in my eyes. The victim in these cases are not only the person being accused as "illegal", but also small business owners such as the one being interviewed in 9500 liberty who lost many customers, the abandoned houses being left behind by immigrant families fleeing their homes in the US, the neighbors who lose value in their homes and the many children who are just seeking an education.- A student
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I agree that latinxs are being targeted for deportation especially in small counties. I have noticed that small counties do not have much immigration resources so those counties are the best target. When it comes to deporting unwanted people their immigration status, like the quote you mentioned ' Based on a 2010 University of Virginia study show that 14,000 arrest were made in 2009 in Prince William County, six percent being illegal immigrants”. (Washington Post 2012)', only 6 percent were undocumented and the rest were documented. More documented people were deported than undocumented. Something in the immigration system is broken and we should fix it as soon as we can.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was written in a very clear and concise manner that allowed me to follow the negative way that government officials and law enforcement affect the Latino community. The way that anti-immigration policies are affecting the Latinos in a very negative way. Many are forced to sell their homes that they paid for through their hard work because of the policies that are discriminating against their community. I also feel as though many places that aren't very diverse in their populations tend to see a large amount of policies against the minority populations that settled there. making them feel unwelcome and wanting to leave.
ReplyDeleteIt's honestly how ridiculous that once there seems to be significant amount of immigration by a group that the whole group seems to be given negative stigmas. We've seen that throughout American history with European, Asian, and now Hispanic groups. And when programs that are implemented in order to "keep things safe", they just target everybody and do not really do any good.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was written very well. I think it sucks that Latinos and immigrants get such a negative connotation. It also sucks to see how people in small communities feels so threatened about someone being an "immigrant", "undocumented" or "illegal" as if these titles that society have created come with an automatic criminal sign. Immigrants play a vital role in the economic development of many suburban places. I hope that in the future the United States gets to a place where Latinos living in small communities do not pose a threat.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a great blog-post. I am glad you touched upon this topic and the negative anti progressive actions towards immigrants. The tactics that they engage seek to dis-empower the community rather than enforce justice. Using the term illegal alien is also a dehumanizing word to describe a person.
ReplyDelete