Daniel Cely

English 1010
May 2017

Children of Undocumented Immigrants

We have always heard about the prosecution of illegal immigrants in the

United States, but when do we take a moment to think about what happens to the

children brought into the country by these undocumented immigrants? Do they get

deported with their parents? Or do they have the right to stay in the United States?

If so, who takes care of them? Also, it is important to think about what happens to

the children that are born in the United States and get the U.S citizenship but their

parents remain in an illegal situation. Families get separated and fear spreads

quickly among the community of undocumented immigrants; now more than ever

under President Trumps administration where this issue is being prioritized and

things start to look a little bit rough for these people. This is a very sensitive matter

that Id like to inform people about.

The children of undocumented immigrants have no say in their parents

decisions of moving to another country unlawfully, and must comply with the

consequences no matter what. As bad as this may seem, these foreign-born

children that come to the United States with their parents illegally can obtain an

almost-legal right to stay in the U.S through the DACA program (Deferred Action for

Childhood Arrivals). According to the Official Website of the Department of

Homeland Security, the DACA program consists of helping people who have come
to the United States as children, and meet specific guidelines by giving them, what

is called a consideration of deferred action for two years, and can be renewed.

This means that there will be prosecutorial discretion against these people for a

certain amount of time but this does not provide a legal status. Some of the

guidelines you must follow to be eligible for this program includes being under the

age of 31, coming to the U.S before you are 16 years old, continuously residing in

the U.S, being currently in school or have a GED certificate and not posing a threat

to national security or public safety. There is also the DREAM Act, acronym

for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors. The DREAM Act

addresses the plight of young undocumented immigrants growing up in the United

States who wish to go to college and obtain lawful employment (American

Immigration Council). This offers children temporary residency through education

or armed services. So even though, these children come to the U.S illegally, they

dont have to suffer a harsh consequence, they can choose to let the government

help them with their situation. If people dont meet these guidelines and they get

caught by immigration authorities, deportation will not happen without the child

and/or other family member being able to defend themselves in immigration court.

According to Ilona Bray from the University of Washington Law School, the

odds of being chased by immigration authorities if being in a family with children

are quite low because the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) follows a

set of guidelines for what cases to prioritize. Priority number one are threats to

national security, border security and public security and in the very last priority

(other immigration violations) families with children sit. According to a report from
the ICE, 240,000 people had been deported this federal fiscal year that ended in

September 30; of those 94% were threats to security, felony convictions (priority 1)

and almost all of the remaining 6% were caught near the border and thrown out.

This all proves that children do not have to be deported because there are ways to

get help through programs like DACA and the DREAM Act.

Some people may argue that immigrants are taking advantage of having

kids in the United States granting the kids citizenship and making it easier for them

(the parents) to stay in the country because they are their legal guardians. Having

kids in the United States does not grant the parents lawful immigration status.

Children of undocumented immigrants who are born in the United States become

legal U.S. citizens. The problem comes when ICE agents show up at the door and

the parents are to be deported but the children have legal right to remain in the

country. When this happens, someone from their extended family must take care of

them, but then another problem comes in, most relatives that are candidates to

take care of the children are in the same undocumented position and have to either

come forward to adopt them and risk deportation or let them be placed in foster

care. Antonia Noori Farzan and Sean Holstege from the Phoenix New Times say,

they go into the foster-care system because the parents are not around. At one

point, they are adoptable. A lot of times there isnt a family member who can take

them, and if there is, they are in the same situation, here illegally.

I personally agree with the programs the government provide for the

children of undocumented immigrants. I think it is a very good way to show that the

country cares about them and not only want to get rid of them. I hope President
Trump continues to provide these programs like Obama did because if he, for

example, repeals the DACA program, then could break the trust Obama built with

these people, as the government would be breaking its promise to over 700,000

people that thought everything was going fine with the program. Immigrants from

around the world risk not only themselves, but their kids to have a better chance at

life. Trying to get rid of undocumented immigrants instead of trying to help them

would be contradicting Americas allegation that America is the land of freedom and

opportunity. Millions of undocumented children and adults face fears of detention

and deportation and are afraid to be denied an education. Many immigrants face

trauma of separation from family and loved ones. Allowing Undocumented children,

a chance to live the American Dream could be beneficial, not only for them but for

the Americans because the loss of potential in these kids is a loss to the whole

country.

In conclusion, regardless of president Trumps allegations to deport all illegal

immigrants, immigrants are still trying to stay open minded and have hope.

Children of illegal immigrants are caught in a system where there is little or no

means for making their situation better, capable, hard-working, and smart kids

have an uncertain future due to their legal position which doesnt allow them to

carry on with their education, work, or join the military. Thanks to programs like

DACA and the DREAM Act, children of undocumented immigrants can still go

forward in life and be a part of the community regardless of their parents

immigration status. These children hope to one day be given the chance as an

American to rebuild society using their abilities and knowledge.

 Citations

Bray, Ilona. "What Rights Children of Illegal Immigrant Parents Have in the

U.S." Children of Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.: Rights and Opportunities

- Lawyers.com. Lawyers.com, 09 Apr. 2015.

<http://immigration.lawyers.com/general-immigration/children-of-illegal-immigrants-

fight-for-parents.html>.

Mahatmya, Duhita. Gring-Pemble, Lisa M. DREAMers and their families: A family

impact analysis of the DREAM Act and implications for family well-being.
Journal of Family Studies. Apr2014, Vol. 20 Issue 1, p79-87. 9p. Academic

Search Premier. 10.5172/jfs.2014.20.1.79

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=561d31f7-7c48-4cf8-

bde3-1f5531abce3a

%40sessionmgr4009&vid=0&hid=4213&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU

%3d#db=aph&AN=96424129

Bray, Ilona., Richard, Link. U.S. Immigration Made Easy.

CHAPTER 26: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). p599-607.

"Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)." USCIS.

<https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-

arrivals-daca>.
Farzan, Antonia Noori, and Sean Holstege. "What Happens To U.S. Citizen Kids

After Their Only Parent Is Deported?" Phoenix New Times. 17 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/what-happens-to-us-citizen-kids-after-

their-only-parent-is-deported-9134889>.

"The DREAM Act." American Immigration Council. 13 July 2010.

<https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/dream-act>.
 What I learned in English 1010

In this course, English 1010 with James K. Beatty I learned how to critically

analyze texts. In class, we read various articles and we analyzed them as a group.

Now I know how to do a good analysis after reading an extense text. I also learned

how to citate articles and books from research databases the online library at

slcc.edu provides. I learned about APA and MLA style and how to use them both. I

learned how to write a rhetorical analysis because I had never done that before.