The US immigration laws have taken centre stage in the American political upheaval presently being experienced under President Donald Trump’s presidency.
There were some who had hoped that Trump’s hardline nativist rhetoric during the US presidential campaign was merely playing to the gallery to mobilise the significant bloc of Republicans who felt strongly on the issue.
But here it is, one year after he was sworn in, the Government was allowed to be shut down partially for three days because Trump would not change his position to find a common ground with the Democrats in the Senate, whose support he needed.
Last Thursday, however, the White House issued another plan on immigration, which many believe is more reasonable and which may be passed into law. Because immigration to the US has been such a central feature in the lives of ordinary Guyanese, to an extent it would be difficult to find a family that does not have relatives in that country.
The details of the plan – which is going to be issued officially tomorrow — are of great interest to them. It should also be of great interest to the political directorate, since the US immigration laws, including the breaching of them, have provided a safety valve for releasing social tensions here from building up to an explosive point to threaten the Government.
Basically, the new plan proposed by the Trump Administration addresses four fundamental issues: securing the border with Mexico; ending extended-family migration, also called “chain migration”; cancelling the visa lottery; and providing a permanent solution on DACA, which has allowed some who illegally entered the United States as minors to avoid deportation and be eligible for work permits.
Trump insists that the 2000-mile wall he wants to erect on the Mexican border will be built, but appears reconciled to the idea that Mexico will not pay for it. He is therefore proposing that the Democrats in Congress, who are more accommodating on immigration issues, agree to fund the wall in exchange for agreeing to his proposals – especially on the so-called “Dreamers”.
To be fair on Trump, the new plan varies significantly from its last iteration, which had caused the Democrats to dig their heels in and precipitate the shutdown. This wall therefore depends on the attractiveness of the other three prongs of the Plan.
The 50,000 visas issued annually via a lottery were never significant, excepting to some African countries to begin with; and there is no groundswell of support for it in the US, so it is quite “passable”.
On the “Dreamers,” or DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Trump has upped the number from the 700,000 immigrants who have applied by an additional 1.1 million who could have qualified but have not yet applied. This is considered extremely generous.
The ending of “family” sponsorship would be the most significant change for Guyanese and the rest of the world, since it presently provides the majority of the almost one million legal visas that are issued annually by the US.
In the new proposal, one would be able to sponsor one’s spouse or child under eighteen, but that would be it.
While this sounds, and actually is draconian, because those already sponsored and in the pipeline would be allowed in, the Democrats might go along. The new criteria would be along the lines of the Canadian system, which offers “points” for skills or qualities that would help to develop the US economically or otherwise. Not many would disagree with this move, but it would put a huge dent into immigration from Guyana.
The other aspects of the proposal would tighten up on enforcing the law, with automatic deportations without hearings for those who overstay their visa terms.
Many Guyanese who have benefited from the recent extremely generous visitor visa acceptance policy of the local US Embassy routinely overstay for months and work; they would be affected. Similarly, those who are part of the remaining 10 million “illegals” can expect more “roundups”.
