The United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced its “Enhanced Targeted Operations,” after President Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. I have personally been witnessing ICE getting into action in the metro and at other public places, which were before considered off-limits to make arrests of undocumented migrants. Undocumented migrants make up a huge number of consumers and worker populations in a country as large as the United States of America.
But the question is: Why are they being deported?
Supposedly, undocumented migrants with a history of crime hide in cities such as Chicago, Denver, and Minneapolis taking part in small works to avoid being arrested, which is not something that President Trump agrees with and hence is determined to remove them.
How does this affect International Students?
For most international students such as myself, studying in the United States comes with a huge debt hanging over our heads. We hope to find a comfortable job that may help us pay our debts back bit by bit. But to manage our day-to-day expenses along with the pressure of finding a legal on-campus job and maintaining our visa status is another pain that one lives through.
Then why let an influx of students be in a country with a weak job market for their own citizens, let alone international citizens?
In tough times like these, most international students opt to work off the campus in small restaurants, or clubs as servers/waiters/receptionists or as food deliverers which do not require them to have work authorization, a great way to make money to meet rent, grocery, and utility requirements. However, due to immigration status, this is highly illegal. As international students we do not have the eligibility to seek off-campus work that does not fit our domain of study. However, nobody would resort to the option of pursuing work illegally if the job market is not as dull as it is right now. Since relevant jobs are generally out of the question, students resort to the easiest ones available. With ICE having a mission of making at least 1300 arrests per day, pursuing an off campus job now comes with a head full of anxiety and fear of getting caught and deported. If an international student is deported, they lose their eligibility to re-enter the United States and finish the program that they are pursuing, reapply for another program, and may lose their ability to have a fulfilling career even after reporting back to their country. They might also end up losing their reputation and the whole lotta money that they would have invested in their education, finding no other way to repay their debt.
In conclusion, though I understand it is not fair to seek illegal means of work, if not succumbed to a situation such as this, no one will do things that are not meant to be done. Breaking a rule is bad but not fixing a rule that is not favorable to everyone living in a situation is worse. If every undocumented migrant or illegal immigrant broke a rule, they probably have their justice in doing so and hence should be allowed to at least justify their doing before they are dragged out by ICE with no chance to plead for mercy.
