Election results stoke fears of deportation

Each year, many immigrants arrive in Riverside County hoping to start a new life in the United States. However, if those people are undocumented, they face the prospect of being jailed or forced to return to their home country.

Since the results of the November 8 presidential election were announced, many are fearful of what future policies put into place by President-elect Donald Trump will mean for them. Jobs and the economy in the United States are negatively affected by undocumented immigrants, according to Trump. His proposals, such as building a border wall to keep immigrants from crossing into the country from Mexico, reflect this belief. Some predict that deportations could increase by more than 75 percent under his administration.

However, many officials in California are speaking out publicly in opposition to such policies. Currently in the state, immigrants without the proper paperwork enjoy many liberties, including the ability to pay in-state tuition rates for college and to obtain a driver’s license. A person who has been pulled over for a traffic ticket cannot currently be questioned about whether they are in the United States with the correct documentation, and the mayor of Los Angeles has indicated that this policy will remain in effect. It remains to be seen whether people who came to the country without papers as children will continue to be protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

In some circumstances, undocumented immigrants may be able to avoid deportation. People whose immigration status is under fire might wish to consult with an experienced attorney.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “California and Trump are on a collision course over immigrants here illegally,” Makeda Easter and Dakota Smith, Nov. 11, 2016