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< | The Dehumanization of Immigration Politics: An Immigrant’s Perspective | >
> | (Revised) The Dehumanization of Immigration Politics: An Immigrant’s Perspective | | | | |
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< | -- By EdsonSandoval - 23 Apr 2024 | >
> | -- By EdsonSandoval - 23 May 2024 | | | | |
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< | The dehumanization of immigration is a prevalent issue in our society as politics, strong individual beliefs, and the inability to understand diverse perspectives lead to a social stigma over immigrants and the future of immigration in the United States. The unbiased understanding of the immigrant’s perspective is necessary to overcome this stigma, as one must put their biases aside and see things from an unbiased perspective. As a person who continuously finds himself at the intersection of immigration, law, and politics, I seek to share my lived experiences to help others understand that everything isn’t as black and white as it may seem. I hope to play a contributory role in shifting this perspective, leading others to expand their understanding of immigration. | >
> | The dehumanization of immigration is a prevalent issue in our society as politics, strong individual beliefs, and the inability to understand diverse perspectives lead to a social stigma over immigrants and the future of immigration in the United States. The unbiased understanding of the immigrant’s perspective is necessary to overcome this stigma, as one must put their biases aside and see things from an unbiased perspective. As a person who continuously finds himself at the intersection of immigration, law, and politics, I seek to share my lived experiences with others to spread understanding of this perspective. This goal is most effectively attained through my role as a law student and practicing attorney, as I will incorporate my lived experiences through my practice. | | | | |
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< | Migrating to the United States at the young age of three, my worldview became shaped by my development in a country I grew to call my home. English quickly became a familiar language as I grew to understand it in the new environments I was placed in. As a young child, I never questioned my social differences as the childish blessing of ignorance granted me this benefit. At this point, I simply understood that I was equal to my peers and enjoyed spent my time learning English from the Rosetta Stone computer program. | >
> | Migrating to the United States at the age of three, my worldview became shaped by my development in a country I grew to call my home. As a child, I never questioned my social differences as the childish blessing of ignorance granted me this benefit. | | | | |
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< | My understanding of the complications my legal status created presented themselves when I tried to obtain legal employment to support myself and my family. Limited by the inability to work, I sought any jobs I could. Working in swap-meets on the weekends, seeking entrepreneurial efforts, I made the most of the circumstances awarded to me and was able to succeed by doing so. The establishment of the DACA program provided me with essential benefits such as the ability to obtain legal work authorization and delay any potential deportation. When I turned 18, I registered for the selective service and continued to pay taxes. Yet, I did not qualify for federal loans to pay for my college education and instead relied on scholarships provided by the undergraduate institution I attended.
I cannot vote, I cannot receive federal benefits, I cannot leave the United States without risking deportation. Yet, does this make me any less of a person? Does this mean I do not belong here? While policymakers and people with strict beliefs against immigration may claim that it does, I beg to differ. Why should a U.S. citizen who sits on his ass all day and contributes nothing to society be able to exploit the U.S. government for federal benefits while I have to work two jobs as a college student to stay afloat? I did not choose to come to the United States, yet I am punished for my simple existence in the country I grew up in. I have simply learned to make the most of my circumstances, fueled by the desire to maximize my potential as an aspiring attorney.
Sympathy towards the person whom policymakers and voters make decisions over is often lost. It is extremely difficult to understand the fear of deportation from the country you grew up in if you never feared municipal agents or the risk that any blemish on your record would deny you the ability to obtain legal work authorization. | >
> | The complications my legal status creates became apparent when I sought legal employment and the opportunity to attend university. Limited by the inability to work, I did what I could to support myself. The establishment of the DACA program provided me the ability to obtain legal work authorization and delay any potential deportation. | | | | |
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< | Shifting the individualistic, stigma-driven perspective in policy arguments grants the opportunity to create increasingly-effective policy. Migrants are often used as political pawns to make a statement in accordance with the immigration policy those in power seek to implement. On December 25, 2022, Governor Abbott dropped off 50 migrants on Kamala Harris’s property in Washington, D.C. Leaving people outside in the freezing cold to make a political statement is shameful, a common occurrence in U.S. politics. Yet, Abbott’s actions may be perceived as understandable and even encouraged by people who employ a negative stance on immigration as others’ experiences with migrants are vastly different. Regardless, I firmly believe the principle remains the same as a benefit can be incurred by anyone who turns to an unbiased perspective in understanding complicated immigration reform.
As a law student, my perspectives on immigration, law, and politics are conflicting. I seek to comprehend conflicting perspectives of immigration reform to understand other stances. From my perspective, I cannot fathom how policymakers could have ideals which negate basic human rights and the ability to push for social advancement. After all, the very foundation of the United States was based on the social advancement of immigrants and the ability to achieve success if you were willing to work for it. Yet, this is not how our current world works and I accept it. The long and complicated history of immigration in the United States provides for precedent we continue to take into consideration with developing immigration reform. | >
> | I can not vote, I can not receive federal benefits, I can not leave the United States without risking deportation. Yet, does this make me any less of a person? Does this mean I do not belong here? While policymakers and people with strict beliefs against immigration may claim that it does, I beg to differ. Why should a U.S. citizen who sits on his ass all day and contributes nothing to society be able to exploit the U.S. government for federal benefits while I have to work two jobs as a college student to stay afloat? I did not choose to come to the United States, yet I am punished for my simple existence in the country I grew up in. I have simply learned to make the most of my circumstances, fueled by the desire to maximize my potential as an aspiring attorney. | | | | |
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< | Yet, I acknowledge that I am biased in my perspectives due to my individual upbringing. As an immigrant, I remain sympathetic to the journeys other migrants and refugee-seekers make as I understand the risk they put themselves in by entering a country which refuses to acknowledge their existence. Nonetheless, I make an effort to understand differing perspectives and where they stem from. The nationalist desire for self-preservation and retainment of benefits for U.S. citizens is understandable. I acknowledge that there are good arguments from an anti-immigration perspective as well. Admittedly, I am provided the immense benefit of being a beneficiary of the DACA program and my experience may differ from someone who migrates under more extreme circumstances. The difference here (and what I strive to push for) is for others to attempt to look at issues from an unbiased perspective and take more time to understand these differences, resulting in thoughtful and forward-looking discourse. We as a society have a lot to benefit from implementing such a practice. | >
> | My decision to pursue law school was motivated by my purpose of utilizing my J.D. degree as a tool for social change. The combination of my lived experiences and a year of law school have led me to pursue the role of an advocate amongst my peers. After a year of political turmoil and unjustifiable policing on campus, I have become further cemented in this purpose. Columbia’s failure to protect its students allowed me to realize that if you are not willing to stand up for yourself, nobody will do it for you. Therefore, I have taken foundational steps to advocate for my community by being open about my status with my peers and instituting a community for undocumented students at Columbia. Looking forward to my 2L and 3L years of law school, I am more motivated than ever. I will advance my goal by increasing my outreach to other educational institutions, building the network of undocumented students, and spreading awareness and advocacy. When my time at Columbia Law School comes to an end, I hope to have increased the network substantially and receive funding to pay for students’ DACA renewal fees. | | | | |
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> | As a practicing attorney, I seek to draw upon these experiences to be a strong advocate for my clients. My lived experiences will undoubtedly influence the way I practice law, as I will be better able to connect with my clients on a personal level. Many of my law school peers do not understand the fear instilled by a singular legal decision which will affect every aspect of their lives. Customarily, such decisions are a consequence of a voluntary crime. In my case, the crime is my existence in a country I do not even remember migrating to. Living my life in a state of political uncertainty has made me accustomed to the feeling of fear that comes with a pending ruling on a legal issue. Although the legal conflict will be different for many of my clients, the principle remains the same. I will work tirelessly to show others that the law can be used as a tool for social change rather than being feared as a system of oppression. Teaching clients the necessary responses against police interrogation and guiding them through the judicial process will serve this purpose. Thus, I am better-prepared to connect with my clients on a deeper level, as I understand the perspectives of those who come from historically underserved communities. | | | | |
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As your concluding paragraph begins by acknowledging, there is no "unbiased perspective." In a society offering the possibility of reinvention, and shaped in all of its essences by immigrants, that must be particularly true. Democracy doesn't require objectivity of us; it requires that we agree to govern ourselves on the basis of our equality. Together, in whatever version of together we can forge, we are the sovereign here. | >
> | My ultimate goal is to own and operate my own immigration practice. Unfortunately, I am yet to reach the financial freedom to fulfill this goal. A potential solution is to put in time at a private law firm to pay off my privately funded law school loans. Although my goal will be temporarily delayed, working at a private firm will also allow me to refine my lawyering skills and gain valuable connections in the corporate world. As a corporate lawyer, I will continue to advance my mission by working to spread advocacy and understanding amongst these attorneys in the same way I have at Columbia Law. My lived experiences will contribute to my role at a private law firm as I strive to help other attorneys understand the undocumented experience. Although this aspiration may be limited by the amount of billable hours I will have to put in, I remain committed to using a firm’s resources to maintain an active commitment to pro bono work. | | | | |
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< | Yours is a powerfully-important but by no means unbiased point of view. Because a President of one party, unable to get simple justice for you and people like you legislatively, chose to use an executive leniency to accord you as much basic dignity and freedom to exist in society as no statute forbade, the other party has made it a point of power to contest in practice what they cannot quite bring themselves to say out loud: that they consider you unworthy of even these few basic freedoms to live life here. You are not supposed to be unbiased in that context. Advocacy of an "unbiased view" that doesn't exist doesn't make your essay stronger. | >
> | Although the future is not yet written, I am proud of my journey and look forward to fulfilling my purpose. My journey as a legal practitioner will undoubtedly be unique as I have the opportunity to utilize my experience through my practice in a unique manner. I will occasionally look back on this essay as a source of inspiration. | | | | |
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< | But the state of DREAMers and other DACA beneficiaries doesn't need to be retold at length; you can use a couple of sentences and some well-chosen links. What would make the essay much stronger and more useful to you and its readers would be a stronger focus on your lawyering as you intend it. How does your experience affect, specifically, how you would like to practice? What steps can you take in law school to help you achieve that objective?
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