What is deportation? Explaining what led to protests around the U.S.

CBC

5 hours ago

⭐️HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
Protesters in the U.S. are unhappy with how President Donald Trump is deporting people who live in the U.S. illegally.
Trump campaigned on a promise of removing criminals from the country.
Opponents say he's sending away many people who are contributing positively to the U.S.
Read on to find out why it's controversial. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
During his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump promised to embark on the 'largest deportation operation in American history.'
The promise involves forcing people who live in the United States illegally to leave, and it's part of why Trump was elected.
But since he's taken office, some Americans aren't happy with the way that promise is being carried out.
Since June 6, people across the U.S. — especially in Los Angeles, California — have been protesting against Trump's approach to deporting undocumented immigrants.
Trump and his supporters say their focus is removing people who pose a threat to American safety, but those who are opposed say that's not what's happening.
Deportation and undocumented immigrants
Deportation is the expulsion of someone from a country.
They are usually sent back to their country of origin.
In this case, the people being deported are undocumented immigrants — people living in the United States without permission to be there.
These people come for a variety of reasons, including better job opportunities or because they're afraid of violence or persecution in their home countries.
It's estimated that in 2022, there were 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States according to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS).
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Arguments for deportation
Trump and his administration say that undocumented immigrants are a source of violent crime and other criminal activities like drug smuggling.
He has also said that undocumented immigrants take jobs from Americans and deplete social services like welfare that provide money and resources to Americans in need.
'So when you see the border, it's not just the crime. Your jobs are being taken away too,' Trump said during the election campaign.
Deportation isn't a practice specific to Trump or Republicans.
Former U.S. presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama (both Democrats) deported millions of undocumented immigrants during their terms.
Arguments against deportation
Megan Guzman, chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association for the Southern California Chapter, has worked in the U.S. immigration system for many years.
She said the vast majority of undocumented immigrants are not criminals, but are hard workers who contribute a lot to the U.S. economy.
'Undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes each year and often take on the hardest jobs that others don't want to take, like farming,' she told CBC Kids News.
'They're out there for 20 hour shifts sometimes, showing up before the sun comes out and leaving long after it's dark.'
She said deporting these kinds of workers could negatively impact the U.S. supply chain.
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It's also complicated to deport people — Guzman said many have strong roots in the U.S. and could face violence if sent to their home countries.
'Most undocumented immigrants have been living here for 10, 15 years or more, and have children born in the U.S. who are American citizens,' she said.
California Highway Patrol used smoke grenades to advance and push protesters off Highway 101 in Los Angeles on June 8 during protests over Trump's deportations. (Image credit:)
How are people deported?
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for carrying out deportations.
They often work with local police, access government databases and use other methods to locate undocumented immigrants and make arrests.
Those under arrest are often taken to detention centres, where they may wait months before their deportation is arranged or before they can see an immigration judge to plead their case.
Only those who can prove they've been in the U.S. for more than two years are entitled to plead their case in front of a judge, according to Guzman.
She said those who can prove they'd face violence if returned to their home country may also be able to avoid deportation.
Why are people upset and protesting?
Earlier this month, thousands of people flooded the streets of Los Angeles, California, and other parts of the U.S. in protest.
The protest erupted after ICE raided several locations across L.A. — including workplaces like Home Depot — and detained huge swaths of undocumented immigrants.
Many come from countries in Central and South America.
Guzman said the major reason people are protesting is because of the approach Trump is taking to deporting people.
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Although the Biden and Obama administrations deported more people than Trump has so far, Guzman said they had clear criteria for who they'd target.
'They prioritized people with, for example, criminal history, immigration violations or those who were a possible danger to the public,' she said.
Protesters in Los Angeles are unhappy about the sheer number of arrests ICE has made in recent weeks. (Image credit:)
Trump is taking a different approach, Guzman said.
She said Trump's administration seems more focused on deporting as many undocumented immigrants as possible without considering their background.
Indeed, the White House has recently demanded that ICE triple the number of arrests it makes.
'They're is no criteria on who they're targeting and for what purpose, and that's creating a lot of fear in many communities,' Guzman said.
'We're seeing people who have lived here for 10, 15 or 20 years showing up to their shifts and getting picked up with no warning.'
Guzman said detention facilities have been far over capacity with so many people being detained, which is also fuelling the protests.
'They are putting people into a system that doesn't have the infrastructure to house people and detain them in a way that honours humanity and dignity.'
Deportation and constitutional rights
Along with concerns over who is being deported, there have also been reports of violations of constitutional rights.
For example, since March, the Trump administration has been deporting hundreds of Venezuelans living in the U.S. who it claims are part of a gang called Tren de Aragua.
These people have been deported without a chance to plead their case in court.
Guzman said this is a violation of a right called due process, which requires the government to go through specific legal steps before deporting someone.
Trump has said he thinks there are far too many people to deport to give everyone the opportunity to see a judge.
There is a backlog of 3.6 million cases waiting to be heard in immigration court in the United States, according to a report from Syracuse University.