Adrian, can you help us understand the various statuses that immigrants can have? The blanket term "illegal" seems to be used for any immigrants who have not attained permanent legal residence or citizenship, regardless of how they entered the US or if they are "following the rules"
Cinnawhee - I don't recall that Adrian has written the kind of background piece you may be seeking - he's usually doing current events reporting, and doing that wonderfully!
Yes, it's kinda long. At least a little complicated. Imagine our brothers' & sisters' challenges trying to understand & work through such a complicated system.
In my opinion, "illegal" is at best a lazy term that reflects a minimal understanding of immigration statuses; at worst it's intentionally or thoughtlessly mean and dehumanizing. We don't call speeders illegals, though their behaviour violates traffic laws. We don't call tax cheats illegals. We don't even call murderers illegals. Alleged and even convicted criminals are typically referred to by a term referencing their alleged offense. I subscribe to the saying, "no human is illegal" (starting the clock on how quickly I get flamed for my belief)
I have a neighbor. As American as apple pie and football. She and her red-headed husband own their house, and have improved their property. They have 3 delightful young sons, the oldest of which is probably 11 years old, the young guy about 5 - they are excelling in school. She is a graduate of UC Irvine and she works full time, as does her husband. She is young and dynamic, maybe between 35 and 40, and I was shocked to learn recently that she is DACA. I doubt she has ever stepped foot in Mexico, she was undoubtably a young infant when she was brought here. What is to become of this family? What about the rest of my (majority immigrant) neighborhood?
What puts DACA recipients mostly at risk is their skin color - they are facing an administration that at core seeks to make America all white. Brown Hispanics, blacks and Asians are all targets who will be gone after in one way or another - those that can't be deported will find their voting rights limited (the Texas gerrymander battle is not just a Republican grab for seats but a plan to make black and brown Texans have less voting power); the assault on Medicaid hits poor blacks and browns disproportionately; the move to change the names of military bases back to the names of Civil War Confederate generals (traitors) is a message to blacks that the administration wants them to remember their roots as slaves. The assault on DEI is an assault on diversity, equity and inclusion - who were those who gained from this - blacks and browns. It may all seem like an attack on liberals and wokeness but underneath it is an attack on every effort made to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion for non-whites.
People worry about "leopards eating their face"? That happens if the leopards can smell you've smeared your face with their favorite blood.
It hurt the Dems tremendously, in Henry Cuellar's heavily Hispanic district in west TX, when the highly educated Cuellar was re-elected, while his voters swung to T. for Pres. Reason? His swing voters knew and liked Cuellar, they mis-trusted national Dems after the George Floyd tragedy was mishandled. (Like victimizes like, a child's killers when the body has disappeared are more often parents than strangers. T's promise to deport Hispanic criminals, thus, was seen as keeping Hispanics safer. Ones we know hated his following over-reach, then deporting good people.)
Wipe up the blood, so the leopards go elsewhere. Either write to what's left of your newspapers and TV stations or post at the "loud influencers", saying, "Please fund the police", while we reform the police. We can..
(1) tell their unions a certain percent must live in the neighborhoods they police if they want that next pay raise,
(2) insist on adding police with social work degrees to handle mental health calls,
(3) insist on id checks to see who belongs in which house and car before shooting,
(4) make it illegal to have their camera's off,
(5) give junior officers the right to call in, without penalty, if they suspect the senior office present is (a) about to make a mistake and (b) won't listen to their concern,
(6) insist on microphones recording if the suspect says anything ("i cant' breathe" for George Floyd).
Have heard that so many calls are related to spousal abuse, yes. Was told that one problem is the bullying party and the beaten-up party continue to share housing as they can't afford to live apart. The victim then drops charges. If there are witnesses, the witnesses' complaints should be enough, victim's agreement should not always be necessary.
A surprise to me. Thought cops cannot be employed as officers if they have ANY felony conviction, abuse or otherwise. Can he name a dept that employs convicted felony abusers? Maybe he's thinking of security guards?
The DHS rationale (pretext) for detaining Santiago is that she (at sometime and some place) was charged with "crimes" including possession of narcotics. Your readers are owed an explanation and detail about that aspect of her case. Basic who, what, when, where and why journalism.
She was "charged" but was she tried and convicted?
None of this justifies the way she was treated. But out of all the DACA participants that could be targeted strangely it was an immigration activist that got picked out.
Yes, agree with Harley, suspicious to pick on an activist (Santiago) and not check for a conviction. Criminality is not official until there's a conviction.
Another case of Pres T's Repubs who want an "A" grade, despite not doing their homework?
What is so disgusting and infuriating is this administration and if cult members ARE UNAMERICAN and definitely not pro-life! The right way doesn't exist. But how can we help.
It's absolutely heartless to punish DACA recipients for the sin of being brought to the US as children. I have no problem with strictly enforcing borders; immigration should be regulated at the border. A wide swathe of Americans agrees, including many on the Left, because, among other things, it's very difficult to maintain a welfare state without doing so. But since Reagan's amnesty, the US has lacked the means and the will, mostly because immigrant labor has been such a tremendous economic blessing. Trump's "Great Big Beautiful Wall" wasn't and isn't going to cut it. But we are, in fact, reaching a point where technology can enable the country to actually enforce the border properly. Regulate immigration. But as to the people who are already here, and excluding truly dangerous criminals, we need either an amnesty or a humane path to legal residency and then citizenship. That applies with the greatest force to DACA recipients.
Stop engineering an immigration crisis to use it as a wedge issue. It's been going on for well over a decade, and it's terribly harming human lives. Change the law (pass "bipartisan immigration reform"!) to humanely accommodate those already here, and to create legal status for the new immigrants, and also non-immigrant migrant workers, we need and should welcome. And strictly enforce the borders going forward.
So if you’re 16 your teacher can’t mention gay people or call you by the name you go by. Your librarian can’t let you check out anything by Judy Blume. Forget about getting birth control. But when you were two, you were supposed to have known you weren’t supposed to be in Arizona and refused to go there with your parents. Got it! Awesome!
I met Gaby Pacheco some years ago in a workshop in which she was a speaker. I knew of her and all she’d done and was doing. We’d never met yet just as she does for DREAMers as CEO now of theDream.us, she did for me then. Because of her and my strong beliefs that we are nothing without immigrants, like both my grandfathers, who work hard and contribute we must do all we can to stop ICE and keep DREAMers and all immigrants. We are big enough and have jobs enough to help them reach citizenship.
Thank you. Wonder if they have any proof that this remarkable young woman working for an immigrants rights group cut off a cop at 80 mph in AL? Knowing how I was warned by a kind white friend to be careful how I drive and to keep my Dow Chemical badge visible when driving from Houston to New Orleans in 1995, I don't believe it.
Yes, it is racism, but they also represent the liberal vision of America and that is really what they are working on destroying. The dreamers? Just collateral damage and of course they don’t care.
Republicans hated everything Obama ever did, and among their longterm goals the end of DACA and ACA have been at the top. I am not surprised but am a little surprised at the surprise of DACA recipients. They are absolutely in peril. Every single one should have a plan B and a lawyer. Ugh I hate this so much. I don’t know if I can ever forgive the people involved and the people who voted to make this happen. My heart is so bitter but thankfully tomorrow I work at the food pantry. That helps, doing something productive for the community.
Adrian, can you help us understand the various statuses that immigrants can have? The blanket term "illegal" seems to be used for any immigrants who have not attained permanent legal residence or citizenship, regardless of how they entered the US or if they are "following the rules"
Cinnawhee - I don't recall that Adrian has written the kind of background piece you may be seeking - he's usually doing current events reporting, and doing that wonderfully!
I hope this link gives you an overview:
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/how-united-states-immigration-system-works-fact-sheet/
Yes, it's kinda long. At least a little complicated. Imagine our brothers' & sisters' challenges trying to understand & work through such a complicated system.
In my opinion, "illegal" is at best a lazy term that reflects a minimal understanding of immigration statuses; at worst it's intentionally or thoughtlessly mean and dehumanizing. We don't call speeders illegals, though their behaviour violates traffic laws. We don't call tax cheats illegals. We don't even call murderers illegals. Alleged and even convicted criminals are typically referred to by a term referencing their alleged offense. I subscribe to the saying, "no human is illegal" (starting the clock on how quickly I get flamed for my belief)
"It’s obvious under this administration they’re going after anyone they don’t believe should be American."
That's just depressingly true.
Has there been a focus on family separation? We have a family locally that has been separated from their 2 year old - despite being here legally https://www.investigativepost.org/2025/08/08/ice-separates-parents-2-year-old-child/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMIQMJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHvHzuqP91Uf3YWO-h57joLWUXrYSmQmwdO8pKvu2RwV5gR1y1vNH43UGe1jR_aem_Po6ddlzDDSIMHypZn3ZANg
I have a neighbor. As American as apple pie and football. She and her red-headed husband own their house, and have improved their property. They have 3 delightful young sons, the oldest of which is probably 11 years old, the young guy about 5 - they are excelling in school. She is a graduate of UC Irvine and she works full time, as does her husband. She is young and dynamic, maybe between 35 and 40, and I was shocked to learn recently that she is DACA. I doubt she has ever stepped foot in Mexico, she was undoubtably a young infant when she was brought here. What is to become of this family? What about the rest of my (majority immigrant) neighborhood?
It is always about the cruelty. So be as cruel as you can be. Note the dismissals of Trans soldiers with long service and refusing to approve an exception to allow retirement benefits. So these folks dedicated their lives to the US and the US says fuck you. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/u-s-air-force-to-deny-retirement-pay-for-transgender-troops-being-separated-from-service
What puts DACA recipients mostly at risk is their skin color - they are facing an administration that at core seeks to make America all white. Brown Hispanics, blacks and Asians are all targets who will be gone after in one way or another - those that can't be deported will find their voting rights limited (the Texas gerrymander battle is not just a Republican grab for seats but a plan to make black and brown Texans have less voting power); the assault on Medicaid hits poor blacks and browns disproportionately; the move to change the names of military bases back to the names of Civil War Confederate generals (traitors) is a message to blacks that the administration wants them to remember their roots as slaves. The assault on DEI is an assault on diversity, equity and inclusion - who were those who gained from this - blacks and browns. It may all seem like an attack on liberals and wokeness but underneath it is an attack on every effort made to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion for non-whites.
People worry about "leopards eating their face"? That happens if the leopards can smell you've smeared your face with their favorite blood.
It hurt the Dems tremendously, in Henry Cuellar's heavily Hispanic district in west TX, when the highly educated Cuellar was re-elected, while his voters swung to T. for Pres. Reason? His swing voters knew and liked Cuellar, they mis-trusted national Dems after the George Floyd tragedy was mishandled. (Like victimizes like, a child's killers when the body has disappeared are more often parents than strangers. T's promise to deport Hispanic criminals, thus, was seen as keeping Hispanics safer. Ones we know hated his following over-reach, then deporting good people.)
Wipe up the blood, so the leopards go elsewhere.
Wipe up the blood, so the leopards go elsewhere. Either write to what's left of your newspapers and TV stations or post at the "loud influencers", saying, "Please fund the police", while we reform the police. We can..
(1) tell their unions a certain percent must live in the neighborhoods they police if they want that next pay raise,
(2) insist on adding police with social work degrees to handle mental health calls,
(3) insist on id checks to see who belongs in which house and car before shooting,
(4) make it illegal to have their camera's off,
(5) give junior officers the right to call in, without penalty, if they suspect the senior office present is (a) about to make a mistake and (b) won't listen to their concern,
(6) insist on microphones recording if the suspect says anything ("i cant' breathe" for George Floyd).
Invite others to add more to the list
A friend of mine working on police reform has a "zero tolerance for spousal abuse" plank I'm sure he'd like to add to your platform.
Have heard that so many calls are related to spousal abuse, yes. Was told that one problem is the bullying party and the beaten-up party continue to share housing as they can't afford to live apart. The victim then drops charges. If there are witnesses, the witnesses' complaints should be enough, victim's agreement should not always be necessary.
He is talking about police officers. A total and 100% ban on police officers who have been convicted of spousal abuse.
A surprise to me. Thought cops cannot be employed as officers if they have ANY felony conviction, abuse or otherwise. Can he name a dept that employs convicted felony abusers? Maybe he's thinking of security guards?
The DHS rationale (pretext) for detaining Santiago is that she (at sometime and some place) was charged with "crimes" including possession of narcotics. Your readers are owed an explanation and detail about that aspect of her case. Basic who, what, when, where and why journalism.
She was "charged" but was she tried and convicted?
None of this justifies the way she was treated. But out of all the DACA participants that could be targeted strangely it was an immigration activist that got picked out.
Yes, agree with Harley, suspicious to pick on an activist (Santiago) and not check for a conviction. Criminality is not official until there's a conviction.
Another case of Pres T's Repubs who want an "A" grade, despite not doing their homework?
What is so disgusting and infuriating is this administration and if cult members ARE UNAMERICAN and definitely not pro-life! The right way doesn't exist. But how can we help.
It's absolutely heartless to punish DACA recipients for the sin of being brought to the US as children. I have no problem with strictly enforcing borders; immigration should be regulated at the border. A wide swathe of Americans agrees, including many on the Left, because, among other things, it's very difficult to maintain a welfare state without doing so. But since Reagan's amnesty, the US has lacked the means and the will, mostly because immigrant labor has been such a tremendous economic blessing. Trump's "Great Big Beautiful Wall" wasn't and isn't going to cut it. But we are, in fact, reaching a point where technology can enable the country to actually enforce the border properly. Regulate immigration. But as to the people who are already here, and excluding truly dangerous criminals, we need either an amnesty or a humane path to legal residency and then citizenship. That applies with the greatest force to DACA recipients.
Stop engineering an immigration crisis to use it as a wedge issue. It's been going on for well over a decade, and it's terribly harming human lives. Change the law (pass "bipartisan immigration reform"!) to humanely accommodate those already here, and to create legal status for the new immigrants, and also non-immigrant migrant workers, we need and should welcome. And strictly enforce the borders going forward.
I can dream ...
This is so sad.
So if you’re 16 your teacher can’t mention gay people or call you by the name you go by. Your librarian can’t let you check out anything by Judy Blume. Forget about getting birth control. But when you were two, you were supposed to have known you weren’t supposed to be in Arizona and refused to go there with your parents. Got it! Awesome!
I met Gaby Pacheco some years ago in a workshop in which she was a speaker. I knew of her and all she’d done and was doing. We’d never met yet just as she does for DREAMers as CEO now of theDream.us, she did for me then. Because of her and my strong beliefs that we are nothing without immigrants, like both my grandfathers, who work hard and contribute we must do all we can to stop ICE and keep DREAMers and all immigrants. We are big enough and have jobs enough to help them reach citizenship.
Meanwhile, Alabama…https://www.al.com/news/2025/08/beloved-immigration-advocate-detained-after-leeds-traffic-stop-moved-to-louisiana-ice-detention-center.html
Thank you. Wonder if they have any proof that this remarkable young woman working for an immigrants rights group cut off a cop at 80 mph in AL? Knowing how I was warned by a kind white friend to be careful how I drive and to keep my Dow Chemical badge visible when driving from Houston to New Orleans in 1995, I don't believe it.
What possible sense is there in prosecuting the Dreamers? It's racism. Just racism.
Yes, it is racism, but they also represent the liberal vision of America and that is really what they are working on destroying. The dreamers? Just collateral damage and of course they don’t care.
Republicans hated everything Obama ever did, and among their longterm goals the end of DACA and ACA have been at the top. I am not surprised but am a little surprised at the surprise of DACA recipients. They are absolutely in peril. Every single one should have a plan B and a lawyer. Ugh I hate this so much. I don’t know if I can ever forgive the people involved and the people who voted to make this happen. My heart is so bitter but thankfully tomorrow I work at the food pantry. That helps, doing something productive for the community.