During his reelection bid, some of the largest promises President Donald Trump campaigned on were the mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
While the current number of total arrests made by the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents nationwide are unclear, ICE’s presence and activity have increased. During the first days of Trump’s second presidency, immigration authorities made approximately 1,200 arrests on Jan. 26, including three in Western New York.
Kallia Hernandez, a junior majoring in sociology and linguistics, feels that the university isn't doing enough to demonstrate its support for international and migrant populations. UB advertises that 20% of its student population is international, with 29% being considered first generation. Despite this, Hernandez said that “it doesn't really feel like [UB] cares about our safety.”
Though UB President Tripathi sent out an email to the university community on Feb. 7 addressing the uncertainty caused by a number of executive orders signed by President Trump and their impact on university policies, faculty, staff and students, Hernandez was disappointed that the email “came so late” and that Tripathi himself “hardly even alludes” to the effects these executive orders may have on international and migrant students within the university.
According to a statement from UB, the university is “committed to supporting our international populations and ensuring students and employees feel safe and secure.” The university is following guidance from SUNY officials to ensure uniform and consistent handling of how employees interact with ICE officers and other external law enforcement officials working to enforce immigration policies. UB encourages international students to contact International Student Services and to refer to a resource page developed by the Office of Inclusive Excellence with any questions.
While the constitution cannot be amended by executive order, President Trump’s decision to sign one targeting the Fourteenth Amendment and birthright citizenship is still deeply distressing to many people.
Hernandez, a dual citizen of both Canada and the United States, is not immediately troubled by this executive order since she knows President Trump cannot get rid of birthright citizenship, but she is more concerned for other people than she is for herself.
According to Associate Law Professor Paul Linden-Retek, the Fourteenth Amendment and Citizenship Clause are deeply rooted to our nation's history and the legacies of chattel slavery and the Civil War.
“It stands out in the world—the United States is among only a few dozen countries that currently affirm the principle of birthright citizenship without restriction; it is a moral commitment to freedom and equality of which we should be proud,” Linden-Retek said.
A move to undo birthright citizenship would “entail embracing what remain fringe interpretations of the textual meaning and intent of the Clause,” said Linden-Retek. This interpretation would overturn 125 years of judicial precedent and bypass what Linden-Retek feels are “overwhelmingly persuasive grounds” to read the Fourteenth Amendment as a guarantee of citizenship to any person born in the United States, regardless of their parentage.
Hernandez still worries about the targeted enforcement operations enacted by Trump’s Administration and ICE. The recent arrests and detainment of citizens, people with “suspect” citizenship status, and people without criminal records has been a great cause for concern.
“That's where I've been getting nervous,” said Hernandez. “I’ve witnessed this pattern now of anyone vaguely Hispanic looking [being targeted] so they’re racially profiling which brings up a lot of problems.”
The thought of refugees and asylum seekers being arrested and deported as a result of Trump Administration policies made Hernandez feel sick.
“It makes me sick to my stomach and dizzy because it's terrifying,” Hernandez said, “How can someone who's ‘doing it right’ still be harmed by the system that's supposed to help?”
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