Months after Donald Trump's win as the 45th and current President of the United States, much has unfolded politically in our country. However, one aspect of his campaign that was considered to be among the most shocking if not, the most shocking, was his feared, strict immigration policies that would be put in place - building a wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico, and deport many of the illegal immigrants that contribute vastly to our nation's economy. ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, has stepped up their "game" amid the controversy surrounding their practices, and the policies of the federal government in response to the U.S. migrant crisis.
This has led to a number of media sources documenting the migrant crisis and the measures placed against illegal migrants/workers, with a notable example being the story of a man who faced deportation after a transit worker on the Minneapolis Light Rail questioned his immigration status by uttering the words, "Are you here illegally?"
Out of nowhere, this man, Ariel Vences-Lopez, was approached, without a warrant or any sort of identification presented by the officer, and was asked for his name and state identification. The officer was clearly out of line, overstepping his authority during the confrontation, as he took on the role of an immigration enforcement officer, and much to his surprise, he no longer works for the Metro Transit Police Department.
However, the impact made was huge. The officer tased the man (Lopez) being questioned after he refrained from following his unnecessary orders, and now, he is pending deportation from the United States after a federal immigration judge issued a deportation order towards him. All politics aside, there was no reason for the officer to overstep his legal boundaries and take on the role of an officer of a different agency, whether the suspect was an undocumented worker or not. The man should not have had to answer his questions, as the matter was not under his jurisdiction, at all.
With immigration patrols such as this starting to become more and more common, it is easy to see why. With the executive government's administration being in favor of so many anti-immigration policies and even instating their own executive orders to carry out such policies, it is clearer than ever as to how these four years will play out in terms of how our country will respond to this deportation crisis - with more deportations, instead of giving these people, who are normally here with families, a pathway to citizenship, or any assistance in their bitter situation back home.
