A Campaign of Fear Towards Immigrants

Nineteenth Century US political cartoon of Uncle Sam kicking out the Chinese, refering to the Chinese exclusion act.The question I am asked over and over lately: “how do I get temporary guardianship for my children in case I am detained and deported?” The fact that I hear this question, or some similar form of it, so frequently in recent weeks is indicative of the level of fear in the immigrant community. This fear is a direct result of the new policies of our President, his executive orders, the follow up memoranda from Homeland Security, and the waves of “targeted enforcement” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that have been unleashed nationwide.

Let’s be clear, ICE has been carrying out its daily work of initiating deportation proceedings long before this presidency. That has not changed. ICE currently has the same number of officers and the same amount of resources. There is no “deportation force” over and above what we already had – at least not yet. However, the tone and tactics being used have clearly changed. Virtually any undocumented immigrant is now a priority for removal, regardless of whether they have a criminal record. Media recently reported that ICE detained a domestic abuse victim in El Paso, Texas after going to court to file a restraining order. ICE also detained a young Dreamer from Argentina in Jackson, Mississippi just after leaving a press conference where she spoke out against these changes. People hear reports of these high-profile cases and wonder if they will be next.

It is the beginning of a campaign of fear directed towards not only the undocumented, but immigrants in general. Fear feeds rumors, which can turn fear into panic. This is the first step. Order a travel ban for Muslim-majority countries in the name of protecting us from terrorists. Call for more deportations of undocumented immigrants while labeling them as criminals. This scares immigrants, but also creates fear of the “other” among the wider general population. Is this the America we want to be?

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Roggensack Calls for Defending Legitimacy of Courts from “Tough Talk” of Critics

Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack wanted to use her Hallows Lecture at Marquette Law School on March 7 “to start what I hope will be a public conversation about a rising challenge to the institutional legitimacy of our courts, both state and federal.”

Roggensack launched the conversation with strong words for those she thinks are harming the standing of courts as a whole. She named names and spoke forcefully about the impact of those inside and outside the legal system who have disparaged some judges and justices in personal terms or who have said the Wisconsin Supreme Court and other courts make decisions based on political allegiances. She criticized what she called their “tough talk.”

“Most tough talk comes from those who have no conscious intent to harm the institutional legitimacy of courts, but have not considered the unintended consequences that may follow from their fully protected speech,” Roggensack said.

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Welcome Our Alumni Blogger for March

Cain Oulahan headshotWe are pleased to have Cain Oulahan join the Faculty Blog as our alumni blogger for March. Cain is an attorney with Straub Immigration in Milwaukee. His practice focuses on family-based immigration, deportation defense, naturalization, U visas, deferred action, post-conviction relief and the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. Attorney Oulahan graduated cum laude from Marquette University Law School where he was an associate editor of the Marquette Law Review. His comment, titled “The American Dream Deferred: Family Separation and Immigrant Visa Adjudications at U.S. Consulates Abroad,” was published in the Summer 2011 edition of the Marquette Law Review and was the winner of the 2011 Golden Quill Award for outstanding student comment.

Cain is currently President of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association, Treasurer of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and Legal Advisor to the Wisconsin State Board of the League of United Latin American Citizens. He volunteers regularly with the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic and frequently presents on immigration issues for local non-profit organizations, churches and schools. He has appeared on the PBS program Adelante, the Telemundo evening news and program Buscando Soluciones, and has been interviewed by Wisconsin Public Radio.

 

 

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