Acts of deportation have been making headlines and fascinating the public often in the past two years. For quite some time now the mainstream media has had a large focus on the deportation of illegal immigrants and the crimes they have committed on U.S. soil. Illegal immigrants are often portrayed as the villainous antagonist in America’s narrative. The public is told that they prohibit the progression of our economy and contribute severely to the nation’s crime rate. Therefore, it is a common misconception that several major problems, such as those outlined above, will disappear if the immigrants residing illegally within this country disappear as well. It may appear that all problems are solved when immigrants are deported back to their “native countries”, but in reality, the act of deportation has created a global immigration crisis that affects the United States, “native countries”, and the lives of the immigrants themselves.
Deportation itself is an unknown entity, only privy to those who have to endure the fear it causes and those who are employed to enforce it. A common misconception of the American public is that immigrants with criminal backgrounds are the ones who experience the terrifying process of deportation. However, illegal immigrants are often taken into custody for slight, non-violent misdemeanors, or for simply not having the proper paperwork when they come into contact with law enforcement. A simple thing such as getting pulled over for a traffic violation can have disastrous effects on immigrants without the right paperwork, such as Laura. At around two in the morning in the summer of 2008, Laura was pulled over and placed into custody after an officer claimed she was driving between lanes and she was unable to present a residence card due to the fact that she is an undocumented immigrant. She was taken to a detention center, signed paperwork for a “voluntary return” and crossed the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge at dawn into the violent city of Reynosa. She was unable to contact her mother or her children before being sent into a dangerous, foreign land with nothing but what was on her body at the time of her arrest (Stillman). Unfortunately for many deportees, Laura’s story describes the terrifying deportation process perfectly. Individuals are held alone, overnight, without the ability to contact their loved ones for help; they are left to sit alone with their thoughts and contemplate the strange and foreign world waiting for them once they are forcibly removed from their home. When they complete the journey out of the United States, whether it be by plane, an overcrowded van, or a walking overpass at dawn, they enter a world unlike none they have ever known.
A common misconception many Americans have is that when illegal immigrants are deported they are returning to their homes, otherwise known as their “native country”. Countries such as El Salvador, Mexico, Cambodia, and many others are not considered to be home in the eyes of deportees; rather it is the United States. “My life is not here,” claims Oscar Ordooez whilst speaking from his “native country” of El Salvador. “My life is there.” (Bazar). Oscar lived in the United States for more than 18 years; he was married in the U.S. and had a decent paying job in Colorado before he was deported in 2002. Home is where one’s family, friends and career are located and for many immigrants that place is the United States. More often than not, these deportees have spent their formative years in America and were raised within American culture, with little to no knowledge of their “native” cultures. Pete, who grew up in Brooklyn proudly states, “I could recite you the whole Pledge of Allegiance! You know I can’t recite you the [Salvadoran] Pledge of Allegiance or the Salvadoran anthem. I can’t do that never.” (Goodfriend). Pete lived in the United States for 20 years before being deported to San Salvador in 2008. Another barrier in culture deported individuals tend to face upon return is language. For example, many deportees have a better grasp of the English language than the predominant language of their new residency, thus making it more difficult for them to forge new personal connections, find employment, and overall operate as a functioning member of the country’s society.
“Native countries” cause deportees many different forms of psychological distress, but they also have the high potential to cause physical distress/damage as well. In certain countries, female deportees are in more danger than their male counterparts simply because they are unaware of the cultural differences between their “native country” and the United States. A report completed in 2010 entitled “Removing Refugees: US Deportation Policy and the Cambodian-American Community” contains an incident involving a female deportee who was unable to find feminine hygiene products in her village and was therefore assaulted twice (Cengal). A violent act such as that would have caused a wide array of protests against a patriarchal society in the United States, but unfortunately, for those deported back to Cambodia, this is a cultural norm. Women deported to this country have to adjust to a significant amount of oppression and gender discrimination that was not as prevalent in the United States. In certain countries, such as Mauritania, black deportees are at risk for imprisonment, torture, slavery, and even death due to the country’s inherent history of racism and practice of slavery. Adotei Akwei said it best when describing America’s actions in deporting these individuals who are at risk as “disdain for their human dignity and basic human rights…” (Gomez). It is outrageous for the United States to deport a non-violent individual whose only crime was not having the proper paperwork to a country where they will surely suffer.
While some deportees face heavy threats upon re-entry into their “native countries”, many are just looking for a way to survive their time in these foreign cities they are now forced to call home. It is extremely difficult for newly returned citizens to find their place within society, and a large amount of people are left unemployed upon return. The jobs they were working on in the States are no longer needed and are not as large of an industry in their new countries. While some deportees may stay unemployed or turn to criminal acts in order to gain wealth, a large amount of former U.S. residents are taking the cultural and language skills they learned from their time in the country and putting them to work in their new areas of profession. Call centers for instance, are a prime example of how English-speaking deportees gain employment within their new countries of residence, but still get to maintain a connection to the country they were forced out of. Call centers promote an English-only language environment which allows deportees to regain a sense of belonging after their sudden appearance in a country that operates in a foreign tongue (Goodfriend). The call center environment is filled with reminders of home as most workers are former deportees and in their little free time, coworkers often discuss their life in the States and what they miss about it now that they are in these new countries. “We all miss the States.” shared Karla, a current employee of a call center in El Salvador, “And so to me, hanging out with people that are from over there, it helps me get a piece of what I’m missing, you know?” (Goodfriend). Not only do call centers allow for a cultural connection to the United States, but also an economic one, for it is often U.S. based companies operating these companies and benefitting financially from the work of deportees.
Paragraph 5: Discuss the affects of deportation as seen in the United States
Outsourcing the work of call center industries to countries such as El Salvador allow for U.S. based companies to feed off of the capitalistic benefits of the neoliberal cycle. The concept of outsourcing has always been one associated with factory sweatshops located in countries such as China or India, but the latest labor exportation trend has manifested itself into call centers. These call centers are placed in countries where the United States government has had a recent history of sending unwelcome illegal immigrants. U.S. based companies such as AT&T and Hotels.com have taken advantage of the increase in the size of the labor union by establishing call centers in countries deportees are now being forced to call home (Goodfriend). The placement of call centers in countries that have too many laborers, not enough jobs, and poor economic status
Although some U.S. companies are benefitting financially from the numerous cases of deportation, very little aid is being given to these deportees to assist in their process of cultural assimilation. More often than not, the most aid deportees receive upon re-entry include a tetanus shot, quick meal, and the basic city bus fare (Bazar). They are then thrust into a foreign and violent country they have no clue how to navigate. The U.S. government and the governments of the “native countries” rarely offer any form of support for American based deportees, which in turn sets them up for failure in their new life. The only possibility of assistance comes from support centers operated by generous civilians, who are more often than not, deportees themselves who have managed to land on their feet upon re-entry and wish to help others to do the same. One of these benevolent individuals is named Israel Concha, who has started an organization known as New Comienzos that assists new deportees in acclimating to their new lives in Mexico. His program offers much need psychological assistance, food vouchers, classes on Mexico’s culture and history, lessons in Spanish grammar, and so much more. New Comienzos even offers certification in English fluency, which can help individuals find employment in places such as American run call centers and local Mexican businesses (Kolhatkar).
While it is wonderful that individuals such as Concha are creating organizations, there is still a severe lack in initiatives aimed at assisting recent deportees. The lack of assistance can be cited as a direct correlation between the problems deportees face in their “native countries” and the issues created by their sudden appearance in the country. If assistance in something as small as education on the general culture of the country was given to deportees when they first arrived, many of these individuals would not face the dangers of their country or the feeling of isolation. Concha reiterates this fact when he describes how individuals feel after benefitting from his organization, “Many of us want to go back, like they say, ‘home is where your heart is,’ and for many of us it’s still in the U.S. But something funny is happening. We start falling in love with Mexico as well.” (Kolhatkar). The act of assistance not only allows deportees to thrive in their new location, but also helps them to feel more at peace within these foreign lands.