We were relieved to see the presidentap press secretary reassure Americans that “there is no effort” to those living here illegally.
The draft memo suggesting such a dangerous policy appears to be from U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to top officials within three U.S. immigration enforcement agencies. The Associated Press obtained the memo and first reported it on Thursday.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer denied that the memo was a “White House document” and insisted it wasn’t being considered.
Asking National Guard soldiers to go into their own communities and raid homes or businesses looking for evidence of undocumented immigrants would be cruel. Crueler still would be the very act of having a military force terrorize communities, including, at times, the homes of those who are here legally or are U.S. citizens.
The concept is so antithetical to our peaceful and free society that itap difficult to believe anyone gave real consideration to the concept.
An official with Homeland Security said the document was not seriously considered and didn’t have approval from Kelly.
And yet, the document exists and it is the kind of proposal that can stoke fear throughout minority communities across the U.S., hence why we’d like to see President Donald Trump reassure Americans that he’d never consider such a tactic to achieve his goal of increased deportations. As of Friday afternoon Trump hadn’t made a statement on the issue.
Already Colorado is seeing the impacts of Trump’s immigration order, which is separate from the draft memo.
People with pending deportation orders who had been staying in the U.S. on the good graces of U.S. Immigration Enforcement and Control officials were deported in recent weeks. In Denver last week, rather than face deportation from her American children, in a church.
A mass deportation effort, especially raids led by a military force, would be dangerous.
History would not judge us well should we go down this road. The approach announces itself as an inhumane crackdown.
Imagine the impact on our communities. In Denver alone, there are , according to a recent survey by the good folks at the Pew Research Center. Many of these people have put down deep roots in their communities. They go to church and work with Americans and, of course, their kids go to school with American kids. They are all around us and they help our society sustain itself. In a city like Denver, if you removed them swiftly, there would be serious and devastating social and economic disorder.
Thankfully the White House is backing away from the memo.
But the memo is just a more extreme version of what is already taking place. Congress must act quickly to provide those here who haven’t committed violent crimes or have pleaded guilty to crimes necessitated by their undocumented status, like driving without a license or using a fake Social Security number, a legal status.
Congress can secure our borders, reform our visa and immigration system and deport real criminals. Congress can listen to governors and leaders of our nation’s largest cities and respond to those who came here without legal status in a fair and humane way that won’t disrupt law and order.
Congress can fix our immigration system without the help of deploying soldiers in our communities.
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