Deporting the American DREAM

"Deporter-in-chief"? Really? How could that be?

Believe it or not, that was the topic for discussion on "Ralston Reports" last night. Immigrant civil rights advocates right and left (including Astrid Silva) slammed President Obama's astonishingly high number of deportations. And they reminded Ralston (& his audience) of what's happening at home as immigrants continue to be rounded up and hauled into Henderson Detention Center.

(The good stuff starts at 20:00. The video counts time backward.)



Even today, immigrants with no actual criminal record are being rounded up as "criminals" and thrown in jail simply because of their immigration status. And however one feels about President Obama's record number of deportations, one can't deny that President Obama is indeed enforcing current immigration law.

So why on earth did Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) accuse President Obama of failure to enforce current immigration law at his Henderson town hall meeting last month? He claimed his vote last June to deport DREAMers was due to the "lawlessness" of the Obama Administration. Earth to Rep. Heck: Presidents can legally use discretion when making decisions on deportations. Yet even as President Obama has exercised his authority to use discretion, he has nonetheless proceeded with many other deportations.

And that's the sad reality of the present situation. While DACA has given many DREAMers a sorely needed reprieve from constant fear of being torn away from everything & everyone they know, it's not a long-term solution. Really, only one thing is: comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). The longer Rep. Heck & other House Republicans twiddle their thumbs and deflect blame onto others while failing to pass CIR, the more painful this problem becomes.

No matter how often Rep. Heck & other G-O-TEA politicians try to deny it, it's their choice to block reform. And so long as reform is blocked, the President is forced to make hard decisions on how to enforce current law... And millions of American families will remain at risk of forever losing their American dream.

Boon(doggle)

Martin Martinez was never considered to be a "criminal" before. He worked and paid taxes. And he was providing for his family.

So why was he recently detained in the Henderson Detention Center? He fled gang violence and extortion in El Salvador in 2006. And he arrived in the US undocumented.

“I work and I pay taxes. I care for my family,” Martinez said. “Then, when I start to try to legalize my status, I’m detained. So I’m not working, and meanwhile the government is paying to lock me up. Now, if they deport me, who will take care of my wife and son, who are U.S. citizens? They’ll be public charges. It makes no sense.”

So he was sent to jail over a lack of papers... But why was he sent to Henderson?

With an average detainee population of more than 200 per day, the Henderson Detention Center has been the primary facility in Nevada for housing federally detained immigrants since early 2011, according to ICE documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The federal contract has been a windfall for city coffers, with annual revenues between $10 million and $11 million. The contract has generated revenues above expenses ranging from $5 million to $6 million annually, with the surplus money going into the city’s general fund.

A report from UNLV’s immigration law clinic, being released today and already reviewed by the Sun, argues that the Henderson Detention Center has failed to comply with federal detention standards and procedures, including reasonable access to medical care and legal assistance. After conducting interviews with dozens of immigrant detainees at the facility earlier this year, the report’s authors are a calling for an independent review of the city jail.

To be fair, not all detainees have complained about conditions at the Henderson Detention Center. However, that's missing the point. Why are all these resources being used to incarcerate people who are productive and making positive contributions to society?

These raids typically don't work. New evidence suggests that immigration crackdowns (like the ongoing one here in Southern Nevada) just tend to scare high-skilled and productive documented and undocumented immigrants... Into other municipalities that don't conduct such crackdowns. Meanwhile, the immigrants who are locked up can't work. Local economies lose productivity, and federal, state, & local governments have to spend money to incarcerate people who committed the "crime" of acting on their desire for a better life.

Apparently, this ICE contract has generated at least $5 million in annual revenue for the City of Henderson. But at what cost to others is this windfall for Henderson City Hall? How much have Clark County and the City of Las Vegas spent to enforce federal immigration law? How many families have been torn apart? And how many communities have been losing business?

Of course, this brings up an issue that's currently held captive in some dark back room on Capitol Hill. If Congressional Republican "leaders" were to stop trying to duck & cover from comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), they could see how the failing immigration system of present is both cruel and inefficient. Perhaps we'd be wasting less money by simply flushing it down the toilet.

This should be a wake-up call for Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson). He says he wants CIR, but he's yet to sign onto HR 15. If he's looking for a "fiscally responsible" reason to push CIR, he only needs to look just beyond his own backyard.

And in the mean time, local governments in Southern Nevada need to reevaluate their decision to spend so much on enforcing federal immigration law. So far, it looks like Henderson City Hall's boon is becoming everyone else's boondoggle.