Indicting During Immigration?

By Grace Garner

CMHS Journalism Alum

It’s one of the most controversial topics in America and everyone has an opinion on it. The laws of immigration has changed and shifted as years have gone on. Civilians from other countries are being told they can no longer live in America and are being forced out.

Everyday in the news, there’s another story about politicians' opinions on what should be done about immigrants coming into America. Sandy Gonzalez, a Mexican student, feels that people are blowing it out of proportion.

“Sometimes I feel it’s not that serious. Everywhere you see nowadays, someone has something to say about it. The detention centers and separating kids from their parents is going too far now. No one deserves that.”

When it came down to personal experience, Brown was the only one who’s seen the personal struggle someone has to go through to get a visa into America. Her aunt took five years to become a legal citizen in the United States.

“When you hear about someone who’s lived here their entire life, but their visa runs out, that’s cruel. It’s disgusting,” said Shawnteny Brown, an African American student. “I could never imagine being separated from my mom and I’m seventeen years old.”

In the eyes of the government after hailing from France. It wasn’t an easy road and Brown admits there were times when it didn’t seem like it would happen.

The biggest breaking news story that has come out lately that has made a clear divide among people for and against easier immigration laws was the introduction of immigration detention centers that are now separating families at the borders. They are to hold individuals suspected of visa violations, illegal entry, or unauthorized arrival in centers with no contact to the outside world. Almost like prison.

Daron Hayes, an African American student, weighed in with his opinion stating, “Those kids didn’t deserve all that. They didn’t do anything to be ripped away from their families. They’re literally babies being taken from their mom’s arms. …, they’re even arresting them when they turn eighteen for being illegal. ICE isn’t fair.”

After being possibly detained, there’s another step in getting that okay from the government. The citizenship test. On the test are 100 civic questions. The test can be either be written or in an interview style. During the interview process, applicants will be asked up to 10 questions and have to be able to answer at least 6 questions correctly. If the applicant don’t pass on the first try, they will be given a second appointment a few weeks later. If the applicant then fails a second time, then they will have the USCIS will deny your application.

But the number one thing that most Crete-Monee students can agree on is that none of them could pass a citizenship test, despite all of them being born and raised in the United States of America.