Immigrant deportation policy goes too far

Most undocumented have lived in U.S. for 10 years, are law-abiding

I agree with President Trump on one thing: Undocumented persons who have committed heinous crimes like murder or rape should be deported.

But that is not what is happening.

The administration has opened the aperture of those who can be deported, including giving ICE agents the option to arrest a person who has only a minor offense or has never committed a crime.

Two thirds of undocumented persons have lived in the U.S. for at least a decade, worked and paid taxes and contributed to our society in positive ways. Their children are U.S. citizens, and all the parent wants is to provide a decent opportunity for their families.

Why not wait in line for legal immigration? The line from many countries, like Mexico, is so long that it’s unlikely the person will be eligible in his/her lifetime. And, many illegal immigrants are fleeing horrific violence from countries in Central and South America.

Immigrants are less likely than the native born to engage in criminal behavior, according to a report from the American Immigration Council. They take jobs that some native born will not take. They are not eligible for any type of welfare benefits, even though they pay taxes — $67 million in New Mexico state and local taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy — that provide those benefits for native-born citizens.

If deported, their U.S. citizen children cannot go with the parent because these children do not have citizenship in the parent’s native country. These children usually end up in foster care, a devastating outcome and a burden on society.

Massive deportations of noncriminal undocumented persons does nothing except tear families apart, add children to our foster care system, reduce tax revenues and show the United States to be a heartless, selfish country.

Stand up for your neighbors, friends, and co-workers who are undocumented! The United States needs to design reasonable options such as expanding the worker permit program.

Surely we can find decent and humane options for the millions of law-abiding undocumented persons living among us.