President Donald Trump’s administration has caused controversy with their appalling policies targeting a myriad of individuals, including immigrants. The administration’s most recent move involved attacking immigrants residing in the United States who hold legal status. According to Al Jazeera, Trump’s administration plans to revoke the temporary legal status of over 530,000 immigrants including Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans. The decision has ignited fear and anxiety in many, especially in international students and non-citizens who currently hold legal status in the country to pursue their studies. This action, which effectively shortens the two-year “parole” granted to immigrants under former President Joe Biden’s administration, has significant implications for these individuals, many of whom had already begun to build their lives in the U.S. The decision to revoke this status has not only raised questions about the ethics of such a policy but also about the potential consequences for the immigrants and their families. However, in spite of everything, one thing can be argued, and that is that this new action against immigrant communities is a vile and fearful action that threatens to alter the lives of millions.
In my opinion, this decision represents a direct attack on vulnerable individuals who have been granted temporary legal status after following the prescribed immigration processes. The policy breaks the trust between the U.S. government and those immigrants whom they let into the country, in many cases with the help of sponsors. As a result, many individual advocates for immigrant rights have been increasingly vocal in their condemnation of the Trump administration’s stance by reposting stories on social media.
Immigrants who were given the chance to stay in the U.S. temporarily now face the looming threat of deportation, disrupting their lives and the lives of their families. According to The Guardian, immigrants are afraid that new immigration policies under President Trump could be harsher and have devastating impacts on their families.
Additionally, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), immigrant families and communities have shared how Trump’s unlawful immigration policies and rhetoric have taken a toll on their lives. The ACLU, along with other civil rights groups, has taken a stance against Trump’s recent attempt to revoke immigrants of their legal status by filing a series of lawsuits against him and representing the interests of immigrant communities in Congress. The ACLU, a non-profit organization with great fame, has, in fact, previously sued Trump for his executive orders concerning the elimination of birthright citizenship. To this day they continue to build their firewall of freedom to empower states to stop Trump’s egregious policies.
A central point of focus is also the timing and fairness of the move. As a student myself, I view this action as an unjust reversal of an agreement made by the previous president’s administration, which had granted parole status to a select group of immigrants. The revocation feels like a betrayal to those who have lived under the promise of safety and temporary legal standing. Furthermore, the decision undermines the credibility of the U.S. government’s promises and commitments, making it harder for many immigrants to trust the process and to feel safe around law enforcement officers and any individuals who work for the federal government.
An article by Pew Research Center reports that 44% of Americans say that Trump’s administration is doing “too much” when it comes to removing immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. President Donald Trump’s fear-mongering rhetoric about immigrants, which depicts them as dangerous and inhuman even if they are here legally, reinforces bigotry and ignorance towards a pivotal group of people that compose the bedrock of the nation and are usually honorable workers who do the best they can to get by everyday.
As an international student myself, I’ve felt frightened given Trump’s actions towards immigrants, despite holding a legal status under an F-1 visa. On some occasions I’ve feared the possibility of being deported now that Trump’s shifting the target onto legal immigrants. In conclusion, the Trump administration’s new policies are matters of concern, and immigrants must be on the lookout for any possible changes in the law that could affect their status or rights. While immigration policy is a tricky subject, this policy is harmful and unnecessary and has the potential to separate countless immigrant families.
Eduardo Mateo, FCRH ’28, is a political science major from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
