Torn apart by deportation: from New York to Jamaica, families struggle to stay together.BEFORE HE WAS PRESIDENT, Barack Obama promised an overhaul of the immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. system in his term's first year. When other national fights pushed immigration reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of to the back burner Noun 1. back burner - reduced priority; "dozens of cases were put on the back burner" precedence, precedency, priority - status established in order of importance or urgency; "... , it didn't stop the Obama administration from fine-tuning its agenda on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. . [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Workplace raids were scrapped, but neighborhood sweeps have been stepped up. Partnerships between local law enforcement and ICE were renewed. These days, Obama refers to people without papers as "illegal." Families continue to be ripped apart by indefinite detention. Immigrant families are finding that waiting for reform is hardly the worst part. This summer, ColorLines went on the road to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Jamaica to investigate the collateral effects of deportation on immigrant communities. It turns out that harsh immigration policy An immigration policy is any policy of a state that affects the transit of persons across its borders, but especially those that intend to work and to remain in the country. , compounded by systemic inequities built into the criminal justice system, might not be thwarting terrorists or making our country a whole lot safer. But the laws are doing a great job of breaking up another entity: families of color. Many of those deported were actually green-card-holders who had been convicted of nonviolent transgressions--shoplifting, drug dealing, public intoxication--and had completed their jail terms decades earlier. They were doing the hard work of readjusting to life outside of jail. They were raising kids and building homes. We spoke to dozens of people in Jamaica who considered deportation exile. Their stories offer a rebuke to those who defend the criminal justice system as race-neutral and harsh immigration policy as necessary for our national security. They put justice on trial. The deportees we interviewed in Jamaica had been excited about the promise of justice--with Obama in charge. They wanted to know how and when he is going to help them get back to the families they were forced to leave behind. By Julianne Ong Hing, Jorge Rivas and Seth Wessler This series was funded in part by the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. Annenberg School for Communication's Institute for Justice and Journalism. |
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