This document discusses whether deportation policies and procedures in the United States are ethical. It outlines the history of deportation laws and conflicting views on the issue. Some believe current policies are too harsh and violate rights, while others believe they are not harsh enough. The media, statistics, and human sciences are areas that influence perceptions on both sides of the debate. Ultimately, reason, emotion, and personal experiences shape individual beliefs on this complex issue.
9. The main type of deportation used in the U.S is: -External Deportation: All countries reserve the right of deportation of foreigners, even those who are longtime residents. In general, however, only foreigners who have committed serious crimes, entered the country illegally, overstayed their leave to remain, or been extradited to another country to stand trial, or been considered a threat to the country are deport-able.
16. But how does one come to the conclusion that deportation policies and procedures in the U.S are ethical or unethical?
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18. The Alien Act was the result of growing hostility between the United States and France; with the accession to power of Napoleon Bonaparte, tensions eased dramatically, and no one was actually ever deported under the Alien Act.
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20. After World War II, the Cold War and a growing fear of Communist infiltration into the U.S. government resulted in more deportations for several years.
21. Until nearly the end of the twentieth century, deportation was considered separate from exclusion, the act of denying an alien entry into the United States.
22. With the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996, deportation and exclusion procedures were consolidated, effective April 1, 1997.
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24. International news is the main type of media that sheds light on deportation horrors in the United States and the harsh treatment that immigrants and foreigners go through. People who see the media portraying deportation in the light, view it as unethical and believe that it is too harsh but people also believe that this source of media is unreliable
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26. “ Not because of evidence (or even sound hunches) that they were involved in the terrorist attacks that brutally ended the lives of more than 3,100 people. Not because they were found to have ties to – or even knowledge of – terrorist groups who might threaten American security in the future.
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28. “ The exact number is unknown, because the United States government refuses to release that information. They had one thing in common: Almost all were Arab or South Asian men, and almost all were Muslim.”
29. “ The agents picked them up on the flimsiest of "tips" or as a result of chance encounters. One immigrant interviewed by the ACLU said a hospital co-worker gave the FBI his name because she thought he wore his surgical mask "more than necessary" at work. Another said he was arrested when agents came to his apartment looking for the previous tenant. They settled for him instead.”
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31. One can argue the point of how accurate these types of broadcasting are, do these international news stations have all of the facts regarding those cases? People find international media sources to be unreliable and inaccurate. But they begin to question why the media in the United States rarely covers a story having to do with deportation.
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33. - Tom Barry, analyst at the Center for International Policy.
34. More legal immigrants and foreigners living in the United States are deported for small offenses and people like Tom Barry find that wrong. He believes that if a legal immigrant has lived in the United States for so long and has committed a small crime, they should be punished like every other American- not deported back to their country.
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36. “ The alien is then scheduled to attend a hearing before an immigration judge. The government is represented at these hearings by an attorney; the alien can also have legal representation, but it must be "at no expense to the government."
37. “ In many jurisdictions, there are lawyers and legal agencies who will work for the alien for reduced fees or for free.”
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39. “ Once BIA makes this ruling, the losing side can appeal through federal courts, although the likelihood of an alien appealing would depend on his or her financial resources.”
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41. They are seized by the U.S. Immigration officers regardless of sex, age, occupation and whether they were America citizens or not: many of the foreigners are found illegal and deported.
42. Homes broken and complete families torn apart with many times on only a few hours notice.
43. When an immigrant is seized by the immigration officers, a hearing is supposed to be scheduled, at which the immigration judge asks if the alien is ready to proceed with the case, or if he or she needs time to secure an attorney.
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45. The family never hears from their loved one ever again and the immigration officers never look into and move on to another immigrant.
46. Many immigrants while awaiting the trial are placed in detention centers for years at a time and never allowed to see or speak to their family.
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48. ICE spokesperson Tim Counts defended the fast-tracked deportation of undocumented aggravated felons, arguing, "under the law, people who are in the country illegally and have committed crimes here are allowed only so much due process."
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50. "It’s inhumane," said Marchabeyoglu, who spent two years at the San Diego Correctional Facility, which was detailed in the audit. "It’s degrading; you have no rights."
51. On June 13, 2007, the ACLU filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of immigrant detainees at San Diego Correctional Facility (SDCF), charging that inadequate medical and mental health care have caused unnecessary suffering and, in several cases, avoidable death.
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53. Thousands arrive in the United Stated fleeing persecution and torture, only to be locked up like criminals in one of over 400 detention facilities around the country.
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55. People listen to Rosemary Jenks and agree that even small crimes committed by legal immigrants should give the government the right to deport them because it is for the common good.
56. Others disagree saying that is unfair to someone who has been loyal to the United States for years.
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58. But the other side says that by not letting the immigrant have a fair trial, you are taking away all their rights; the law is then broken. It is unethical that the certain rights given to them by the law are taken away and they are deported. You are then not only breaking the law, but putting the common good of Americans over the law and millions of foreign people.
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60. Since aggravated-felony cases often target those who "already served their sentence for their crime" and may now be rehabilitated or play a strong role in their communities, he argued, "All people are really saying is that you should have a reliable hearing in front of a fair immigration judge that can consider all of these circumstances and then decide whether it’s a good idea to deport you or not."
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62. But the opposing side hears about the treatment of immigrants and believe that the immigrants deserve even harsher laws and do not deserve certain rights- like the right to a trial because they are not American citizens or they have committed some type of minor or major crime.
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64. Opposing this belief, there are people that reason that legal or illegal immigrants that have committed either a minor major crime should be deported immediately for the good of the country. Having a trial is not necessary because they pose a threat to society and therefore should be made to leave.
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68. They are afraid of another massive attack and believe that it can be prevented by first controlling the foreign population in the United States strictly.
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70. Since September 11th, Indians, Arabs, and Muslims have been targets of extreme amounts of deportation. After 9 11, when people heard about deportation, immediately believed that they persons being deported were Muslim
71. Many Americans also associate Mexicans with deportation and coming to America illegally.
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73. An estimated 8.4 million of the 11.6 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in 2006 were from the North America region, including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.