Week 7_Harry Kang_A01

The article The Criminalization of Immigration and the Privatization of the Immigration Detention: Implications for Justice reminds me of something happened just around me when I was little. The article again talks about illegal immigration in US. For another time, this kind of issue has become a hot spot on both media and politics since the current US president Trump made the promise of building a “barrier” during his election.

I was born in an age when most people in our community still believe that US means freedom, that US means more chances and better lives. During my childhood, I just kept hearing news about my friends or cousins who were trying to move to US. Some of them succeeded and never came back; some of them were kicked out; and there’s another group of people who also stayed and were called “stowaway”. Those stowaways, or formally called illegal immigrants, would either be caught and sent back or keep hiding until they figured out a “legal” way to stay like giving birth. That was what stopped me from dreaming about coming to US like others around me. After hearing about the living situation of those stowaways, I started to question myself what really made America the American I dreamed about? Isn’t it the freedom? Isn’t it their so-called welcome to multi-culture? But how can I didn’t see it at all? Why they are keep building barrier between them and the rest of the world? If you are still thinking about moving to US, I think you try to ask yourself these questions.

Question: I have heard that giving birth no longer works for those illegal immigrants, is that true? Is it a new law?

References:

Ackerman, A. R. & Furman, R. (2013) The Criminalization of Immigration and the Privatization of the Immigration Detention: Implications for Justice

Rolley, S. (2017) Report claims $135 billion in taxpayer funds spent on illegal immigrants each year, https://personalliberty.com/report-claims-135-billion-taxpayer-funds-spent-illegal-immigrants-year/ [Accessed Feb 17^th 2019]