by Serwan Zangana
The political conflicts in America have impacted many Americans’ mindset and their perspectives about the rights of the naturalized American citizens in the U.S., and hence, caused confusions in defining the legal and illegal individuals living in America. However, common sense and the U.S law can indeed support opposing harboring immigrants entering the U.S illegally or rejecting the undocumented people and conducting deportation operations.
But the threat to the American citizens by arrest, revoking citizenship, and deportation can only devalue the meaning of being a U.S citizen, which many immigrants strived to achieve. As it should not be an easy process to obtain citizenship and such a status must not simply be given but earned, revoking citizenship should not be a tool to be used to threaten the political opposition.
For example, President Donald Trump said that his Administration will, “have to take a look” at deporting Elon Musk after feud over the spending bill “ Big Beautiful Bill.” Trump also mentioned the New York mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani and questioned his citizenship. However, such attacks are apparently based on the political conflict that distracts people from focusing on core issues in America.
Seemingly President Trump’s immigration policy is a slippery slope as it has been affecting American citizens and becoming a nightmare for many Americans. The lack of balance between the Democrats and the Republicans has resulted in the average American to pay the price of the far right and the far left. Apparently, neither side is compromising to reach a solution for America’s issues and finds a common ground to serve the Americans’ best interests.
The chaos in implementing a mass deportation policy of Trump was a subsequent to former President Biden’s open border policy which let the influx of undocumented immigrants enter the U.S from the southern border. The immigration law should not be politicized to a degree that puts the naturalized American citizens in an uncomfortable situation. Unfortunately, this strategy to implement the deportation policy engendered controversy among many people about the rights of the naturalized American citizens.
Implementing the immigration policy and conducting the deportation of undocumented immigrants does not generate by one particular political Party in the U.S. It is in fact, a product of both the Democrats and Republicans, and without compromising on some immigration issues, regulating the immigration process, and securing the border, America’s neighborhood will not rest.
Whether admitted or not, the issue of undocumented immigrants is a heavy burden on all Americans, including the Democrats and the Republicans. Obviously, the former Democratic President, Bill Clinton in the State of the Union in 1995, did not hesitate to address the issues that were caused by the immigrants entering the U.S illegally.
“… not only in the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country… .The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers.” Clinton said. In fact, a major part of Clinton’s policy on cracking down on the illegal immigrants was to hire additional border protection and increase the deportation of the illegal criminals. “That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before…” Clinton said
“We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws.” – A very common sense statement of Clinton.
Furthermore, former President Barack Obama had an effective immigration policy as he realized the problem of the broken immigration system by focusing on securing the borders, preventing the illegal entrance to the U.S. “… I committed to fixing this broken immigration system… Today, we have more agents and technology deployed to secure our southern border than at any time in our history. And over the past six years, illegal border crossings have been cut by more than half.” Obama said in 2014 in an address to America on immigration.
Agreeing on fixing the immigration system, controlling the illegal entrance to the U.S, cracking down on the illegal immigrants and deportations, and securing the borders are not a Democratic or Republican matter, it is America’s matter and the sovereignty of the nation. However, for politicians to cross the boundaries and begin devaluing the American naturalized citizenship status and threatening the naturalized citizens is establishing a ground of fear and distrust in their Representatives.
Obviously, every American, including the naturalized citizens are obligated to follow the law of the land and accept Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4 which gives Congress the power to denaturalize the citizenship of Americans under specific circumstances. But such a law is not a weapon to be aimed at every naturalized American. Indeed, there are millions of law abiding naturalized citizens who contributed to America more than the national born have.
After all, the Trump Administration should be more transparent regarding the denaturalization process, and the political opponents must not be targets for denaturalization. The law-abiding naturalized citizens should feel that, “ We are all American citizens without discrimination.”
