Guzman1

AraceliGuzman
ProfessorLo
ArgumentativeEssay(RD)
4February2016
TheVagueLawsofDeportation
InDanielKanstroomsarticle
DeportationNation
,hedeclaresthattwodeportationlaws
existintheUnitedStates.Helabelsthesespecificlawsaspostentrysocialcontroland
extendedbordercontrol,bothofwhichareapartoftheveryvaguedeportationsystem.Leslie
MarmonSilkosarticle
YellowWoman
andMarkDowsarticle
AmericanGulag
,demonstrate
exactlyhowthesetwolawsapplytodaytodaylives,thereforeaffectingbothundocumentedand
documentedcitizens.
TheselawsarewhatKanstroomconsiderstobethetwobasictypesofdeportationlaws
(Kanstroom,5).Extendedbordercontrolisthecontrolofterritorybythestateandthelegal
distinctionbetweencitizensandnoncitizens(Kanstroom5).Thisisdemonstratedbyauthorities
detainingbothdocumentedandundocumentedcitizensbythesimplefactthattheyappeartobe
illegalimmigrantsregardlessofhowcloseorfarawaytheyarefromtheborder.Thislawalso
limitsapersoniftheydogainentryintotheUnitedStates,forexample,ifthepersonentersthe
USwithaspecificpermittheyhavethefreedomtouseitsolongastheyuseitaccordingtothe
government'sstrictrules.Kanstroomstatesthatastudentmustmaintainafullcourseload,anda
personwithaworkvisamustworkforaparticularemployer(5),andifthispersonistoinany
wayviolatetheseconditions,theywillberevokedfromtheirlegalentrance.Thelargest

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componentoftheextendedbordercontrolisthatdiscriminationisusedtoidentify
undocumentedcitizens.
Knowingthatbecauseofyourraceandskintoneyoucouldbeperceivedasillegal
throughotherseyesisextremelyracistanduncomfortable.Beingstereotypedbecauseofyour
skintoneisnotsomethingthatpeopletypicallyenjoy,butfearingthatthosestereotypescould
applytoyouisevenmorefrighteningwhenitcomestodeportation.AsLeslieMarmonSilko
statesinherarticle
YellowWoman
,apolicemanorsheriffneedstohavesomeshredof
probablecause,butnottheBorderControl.Infact,theystoppeoplewithIndioHispanic
characteristics,andthey(mainly)targetcarsinwhichwhitepeopletravelwithbrownpeople
(108).Shethen

continuestoexplaintheprocessofhowborderpatrolagentsabusetheirpower
andusesherselfasanexampleinwhichshehasencounteredmultiplesituationswiththeborder
control.Silkoisanexampleofonewayextendedbordercontrolappliestoeveryday,ordinary
people.Inherarticlesheexplainsthatalthoughshewasnowhereneartheborder,shewasstill
pulledoverandsearchedbyborderpatrolonthehighway.Iwillneverforgetthatnightbeside
thehighway.Silkostates,Therewasanawfulfeelingofmenaceandofviolencestrainingto
breakloose(109).Heresheexpressesjusthowfearfulshewaswhenbeingapproachedby
bordercontrol,thisgoestoshowthetensionandunnecessaryabuseofpowertheseagents
demonstrate.Althoughextendedbordercontrolisextremelyinvasive,postentrysocialcontrolis
extremelylimiting.
PostentrysocialcontrolisthesecondlawthatexistsintheUnitedStatesdeportation
system.Kanstroomdefinesthissecondlawasmillionsofnoncitizensamongus,including
longtermlawfulpermanentresidents,areharboredsubjecttothewhimofthegovernmentand

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maybedeportedforanyreason(6).Inotherwords,thislawmakesitpossibleforborderpatrol
todeportpeopleforcrimessuchasminortrafficviolations,italsoallowsborderpatroltoraid
houses,andtreattheunfairtreatmentofdetainedimmigrantsindetentioncenters.Thesepeople
getdeportedfortheunnecessaryreasonsandpaytheworstconsequences,regardlessofhow
lawfultheyhavebeenintheUnitedStates.
AmericanGulag
byMarkDowdemonstratespartof
whatthislawallowsbordercontroltodo.
MarkDowbeginshisarticlewithayoungwomansstoryabouthertraumaticexperience
inadetentioncenter.Thiswomanssisterwaskidnappedbythemilitaryandlaterwasbeing
searchedforandsowasherbrother.Whenshewasdetained,shewasafraidofwhatcould
happen.Theytookmeasananimal,notahumanbeing..Ipromisedmyselfwhateverhappens
Iwillnotcry(ix)shesaid.Thisyoungwomanwasdehumanizedalongwithmanyothers,she
wastreatedunfairlyandbrutally.Thekindoftreatmentinthedetentioncentersisunnecessary
andcruel,theUSbordercontrolhasabsolutelynoselfcontrolwhichisaproblem.Border
Controlagentshavemadeitcleartothedetaineesthattheyaredislikedandnotconsidered
humanbeings.Theytreatthemliketheymurderedtheirclosestfamilymemberwheninreality,
theycouldhavegottenarrestedfornotusingtheirturnsignalwhenswitchinglanes.Thespecific
youngwomaninDowsarticlewasreleasedayearandahalflater.Whileinthedetentioncenter,
shehadnoideaofhowmuchlongershewouldbeheldinthehostileenvironment.Shewas
afraidforthatentireyearandahalf.Postsocialentrycontrolandextendedbordercontrolboth
limitandaffectfamiliesinthemostawfulways.
BothofthelawsKanstroomidentifieshaveamajorimpactondocumentedcitizens,
especiallythosewhocomefromimmigrantfamilies.Deportationisnotonlyanissuethatis

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disregarded,butitisalsoanissuethatdestroysfamilies.Familieswhoarenotimmigrantsare
sociallyblindedfromoneofthelargestissuesinourcountry.Deportationisignoredandhidden
becauseitisactuallyanissuethatneedsurgentattentionbecauseoftheviolenceandabuseof
powerfromBorderPatrol.Whitefamiliesturntheothercheekbecausetheyaretolddeportation
isworkingcorrectlywheninrealityitisabsolutelyhorrifyingandneedsfixing.Fromtheother
perspective,citizenswhohaveundocumentedfamilymembersnotonlyfearforthembutifthose
familymembersaredetained,theyareaffectedgreatly.Theirrelativescouldbedetainedand
heldinadetentioncenterwithoutbeingabletonotifytheirownfamiliesofwheretheyare
locatedorwhattheirsituationis.Bothofthesearemajorwaysinwhichextendedbordercontrol
andpostentrysocialcontrolaffectthelivesofUScitizens,however,itisthevictimsof
deportationwhoseemtosufferthemost.
Bordercontrolasawholeaffectsthelivesofundocumentedimmigrants.InMarkDows
article,theyoungwomanintheintroductiondescribeshowwhenshewasreleasedfromthe
detentioncenter,shehadlostallherjoyandhappiness.Aftergoingthroughallofthat,the
youngwomansaystous,evenafterwinningasylum,Ilostallthejoythatwasinme.Ilostall
thehappinessthatwasinme(xii)Thesewordsarecomingfromapersonwhohasspenta
yearandahalfinteractingwiththeBorderControl,itdisplayshowbordercontroltookapartof
herthatshenowhasdifficulttimetryingtorecoverfrom.Readingherstory,onecanonly
imaginewhatshehasgonethroughthatshewasnotallowedtosayorcouldnotgainenough
strengthtosayit,oneonlywonderswhatreallyoccurswhenthegatesclose.Itisclearthe
deportationsystemneedstobefixed,itisvagueandabusiveanditneedstobefixed.

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DanielKanstroomidentifiestwodeportationlawsthatareacrucialpartoftheveryvague
deportationsystemandthatarecurrentlypromotingtheinjusticeswithin.Extendedborder
controlandpostentrysocialcontrolbothlimitandinvadethelivesofmanyimmigrants,United
Statescitizens,andfamiliesoverall,withtheselawsweareableunderstandthewaythatthe
deportationsystemworkshereintheUnitedStates.Theyallowustounderstandjusthowhostile
itisandhowitsbroken.Ourcountryblamesimmigrantsbutreally,thedeportationsystemis
corruptduetothedisregardoftheissueandtheignorancethatwechosetodisplayinsteadof
confrontingthetopicwithideasthatcouldmakethesystemlessabusiveandmorelogical.