Putting The ‘I’ In Immigrant: Yes, ICE still poses great threat to immigrant communities and should be abolished

The ever-looming and punishing hand of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is inhumane and anti-BIPOC, to say the least. 

The manner in which arrests, detentions and deportations are carried out targets brown communities in particular, hammering home the notion that danger and criminality can be found associated with skin color. We have seen families separated, forced hysterectomies and some of the poorest access to coronavirus resources in these detention centers. We know and hear stories of those fearing for their lives.

While, yes, we’ve come some way in putting pressure on the system, but abolishing the department altogether is still worth the fight. 

The use of the label “customs enforcement” has given the institution free rein to treat individuals and families as dangerous criminals, suggesting their rights as human beings within the care of the United States are forfeited — which is simply not the case. The blanket purpose of dealing with and preventing illegal immigration does not justify the significant human rights violations that ICE has carried out. 

I had the great privilege of having an avenue to come to this country legally. In the simplest of terms, I got lucky, and I know very well that some individuals aren’t quite so fortunate. However, that doesn’t make them less entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

For me, it was and still is: abolish ICE.

Families deserve to be together. Children should not be made to stand trial alone. Women have a right to their wombs, and people should not be neglected for aspiring to have better lives. 

The system is archaic, discriminatory and profoundly plagued with questions of whether the policies in place are humanly moral. Altogether, we’re talking about how we treat whole demographics of people, and I, for one, am deeply ashamed and frustrated that we have tolerated such atrocities in the name of enforcing our citizenship laws. 

The latest in ICE transgressions have revolved around the block of coronavirus vaccine distribution to undocumented citizens and the shameless defiance of President Joe Biden’s pause on deportations — among many others issues. It has been brought to light that communities of color are presented with greater difficulty in getting their shots, with undocumented citizens being among them. 

For undocumented citizens, the issue becomes two-fold as fears of ICE presence at these sites add to the existing hurdles. 

In response, Biden issued a statement last Friday, urging the department to refrain from interfering. The Department of Homeland Security issued a response, detailing that ICE officers would not be conducting their so-called “enforcement operations” at these sites as a means of encouraging all people to get their vaccinations. 

While this response might be lauded by some, it still does not come away free of the fear mongering ICE enforcement has in all other places around our communities. To clarify that ICE presence would not be felt at these vital health care sites is base-level humanity, and it is by no means apologetic of the aggressive ICE presence everywhere else in the country. 

Moreover, ICE’s continued defiance of Biden’s 100-day halt on deportations cannot be indicative of a department that is true to its word. 

In early February, harsh criticism and general outcry fell upon customs enforcement once more, following the deportation of 72 individuals to Haiti — 21 of which were children. This was directly following a Biden Administration moratorium demanding the pause of expulsions beyond those deemed potentially dangerous — the conditional being dangerously vague in and of itself. 

This undermining act awarded ICE the label of a “rogue” agency, creating greater mistrust between the institution and the American public. 

ICE has had great influence in the immigration policy of this nation. The nature of that influence is controversial at best, but it is uncontested that the nation has given great agency to this department as a whole. 

The agency has been abused and has been used to carry out great crimes against a significant number of human beings. It no longer becomes a political issue, but rather one of human care. 

As vaccinations become more available for some, many are reporting that that is not the case for undocumented individuals. As we begin to think that perhaps there is some hope of mending ICE in a new administration, we hear of the ongoing threat of deportations and realize that the institution is wrought from the desire to criminalize and punish. 

Individuals have bravely shared those stories to give agency back to the people. 

Where our communities are concerned, it’s only right that we push back against this department for its continuing threat to our neighbors. 

As many were, I might assume, I was taught as a child that how you treat others matters. What does it say about us if we are complicit in this system that degrades and dehumanizes those that hold very similar aspirations to our own?

So, yes, it’s still: abolish ICE

Noelle Natividad is a sophomore writing about the immigrant experience in the United States. Her column, “Putting The ‘I’ In Immigrant,” runs every other Friday.