The immigration system of the United States is truly and profoundly broken, brutal, inhumane, immoral, and devastatingly cruel. It is a system of terrorism, racism, and unfathomable heartlessness and evil. — Molly
So ICE have been confirmed in Nashville and there are rumblings they were seen on Broadway over the weekend.
For me to be allowed to legally work as a musician in the United States took 6 years (plus another 6 years to then become a citizen), around $200,000, an attorney, a Congressman, several high-profile sponsors in the music industry who had to vouch for me, and over 900 pieces of documentary evidence to prove I was "a person of extraordinary ability" (their words) worthy of being a green card holder.
Wanna know the hysterical part? In a lot of cases, as we are seeing with some of these detainments, the requirements for obtaining a work permit, or a green card, require you to ALREADY be working in the United States or already have some sort of presence in the United States…which you can’t do without the work permit (or green card). There are SO many catch 22, asinine and contradictory rules and regulations within immigration law that even the US Citizenship & Immigration Services themselves can’t justify, explain or give guidance to applicants or potential applicants - and that’s if you can get anyone on the phone, to answer an email/message etc.
Saying “that’s what happens when you come here illegally” to an immigrant being detained is about as ignorant as saying "that's what happens when you live on a hill" to the people in Appalachia who lost their homes during Hurricane Helene. It is NOT as cut and dry as you think it is.
There is currently NO OPTION in immigration law for somebody to come to this country simply because they want a better life and better opportunities. There is no option for the person who just wants to move to America, pay their taxes, follow all the laws, work an average 9-5 job and provide for their family...THAT DOES NOT EXIST!
That's all most of these people want to do...and before you go off on your "illegal immigrants don't pay taxes" tirade...as someone who helped 700+ AMERICAN CITIZENS get their unemployment benefits during the pandemic, I can tell you that over half of those people never paid taxes in their lives, but were gladly willing to take government handouts funded by other tax-paying citizens.
I am extremely grateful to have gotten my green card back in 2017, to have then gotten my citizenship in 2023 and to live/work in this country...BUT
I experienced the immigration system firsthand. I experienced the system losing all of my paperwork and lying about it for months so that my application was delayed. I experienced the system contradicting itself over and over again to the point the "rules" became worthless. I experienced the system ask for more and more filing fees, only to then be told I had overpaid but there wouldn't be a refund. I experienced the system never allowing me to talk to anybody to ask questions so that if I made a mistake, I'd have to start the entire process again or worse, risk my application being denied because of somebody else’s mistake. I experienced the system telling me that if only I was a millionaire, I'd get my approval instantly, regardless of my qualifications, criminal record or anything else…
You wanna argue “don’t come here then” - tell that to the founders of this country, all the people who came through Ellis Island and who immigrated here LONG before that, who all simply wanted a better life for themselves and their families. And before you get your panties in a bunch, I’m not advocating for an open border, that’s not sustainable, BUT if the legal route was more accessible to your average person, even your not-so-average person, far less people would choose the illegal route…it’s basic common sense.
There is a reason green card marriages exist. There's a reason people come here and work on a tourist visa. There's a reason people cross the border illegally. Your average person simply does not have the financial resources and doesn't tick enough of the systems non-sensical boxes to come to this country "by the book" (whatever that even means).
The immigration system in the United States is unfathomably broken. And I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that detaining and deporting thousands upon thousands of people isn't going to fix it!
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