I know this is the exact opposite direction of Rs and Ds, both, but (commie mode engaged) the US needs to fully decriminalize “illegal” border crossings. Obviously I’d mostly prefer the US/MX border be treated like the US/CA border or even better like the MO/KS or CA/NV borders… ie, not really a border beyond invisible lines.
I don’t know if most Americans, since they were born citizens, have ever dealt with the immigration shit hands on in any capacity. I used to deal with USCIS (immigration) and the passport service a lot for a job. I was just verifying legal status based on documents issued by USCIS. Like checking if a judge had granted asylum status or if a person had a temporary green card (temporary permanent residency… figure that one out) due to a recent marriage to a US citizen, stuff like that. Because federal and state benefits or services are often tied directly to your citizenship status. Being able to get a driver’s license is usually also tied to legal status in the states. Some states are more restrictive than others, but yeah.
Anyway, I had never dealt with immigration service shit before that job. I knew some people who were dual citizens or even had moved to the US or had parents move here, etc. but never had hands on dealing with the systems and the paperwork.
Dealing with that shit, even as the privileged natural born citizen, who isn’t at risk for anything, was stressful and frustrating as fuck. I don’t know how people deal with it tbh. Even like the “best case” immigrants, the H1b and their spouse, seemed to always be teetering on the edge of “oh, oops, USCIS fudged this up. Guess your driver’s license is cancelled. And you’re probably here illegally now. 🤷♀️” Seeing whole families lugging around giant sorting folders of all their precious documents was something I had never encountered. And I guess why would you, it’s pretty personal documentation and stuff, but still.
There were so many times where some moron wrote a rule specifying like the employment authorization document card (it’s similar to a green card but red and only denotes certain employment eligibility) wasn’t good enough to get certain stuff in the state. I’d have to explain like if USCIS issued them an EAD card… then yes they’re eligible for things like driver’s licenses. It means they probably got asylum approved or are awaiting a final judgement or whatever and can work in the meantime. But nope, some tiny rule somewhere says the card isn’t enough they also need a signed, stamped document… Jesus Christ it was crazy.
I remember one time I kinda passed this one on to my supervisor to say this shit because I’m fairly sure it was illegal and didn’t want any part of it. Some guy was submitting citizenship proof for a federal background check as part of becoming certified to drive hazmat commercial vehicles. Everyone has to go through the process every whatever number of years like 5 years or whatever. I think only citizens are eligible for it as well. Maybe perm residents, I forget, but anyway this guy was a naturalized citizen so I asked for his citizenship proof which for him is his certificate of naturalization or, more commonly, US passport. He gives me the passport, I do all my shit, all the paperwork and shit that goes to the FBI to do whatever they do. The next day I was told there was an error with his application and I needed to call him and let him know they needed proof of citizenship… I said “his passport info is in the file.” Which it was. So my supervisor pulls it up since she wasn’t sure what was being requested and she’s like oh but his passport says [country that isn’t USA] as birthplace. “Ok? And? I send up US born passports all the time… they issued him a passport, he’s a citizen. They have all that info somewhere.” “Yeah, but you have to submit his original certificate of naturalization.” So, this went around in a circle for a while with me being as nice as I could without outright saying “this feels illegal as hell to discriminate against non-US born citizens…” Cool fact about MY passport, it also doesn’t say “country of birth: USA” like most do. Because I was born outside the US but to two citizens. It has that country. I said to the supervisor, being nice as I could, “I would sue this place under the ground if you guys demanded I bring in my stupid “born outside the US consular bullshit report”” and she just said she’d handle it after that. I saw the guy the next day and since I was working all I could really offer was the “yeah… it’s bullshit…” speech. We both know why they were singling him out, we both knew if it had been me applying no one would’ve said shit, but what do you expect from the racist ass system… I did enjoy my dumbass coworker literally shutting the fuck up for the rest of the day (he was a big YAPPER) after I told him/my supe that I was in the same situation as the guy was. And just asking them directly “would you demand I bring in further proof??? Because I know you fucking wouldn’t! The application says proof of citizenship which a passport is. Nothing else to say!”
But yeah fuck USCIS and all the racist ass, stupid ass rules and fuck Joe Brandon
They criminalized seasonal migrant workers and made the border less permeable so that it was no longer feasible to cross twice per year. So to work on a us farm, you now have to stay year round.
I know this is the exact opposite direction of Rs and Ds, both, but (commie mode engaged) the US needs to fully decriminalize “illegal” border crossings. Obviously I’d mostly prefer the US/MX border be treated like the US/CA border or even better like the MO/KS or CA/NV borders… ie, not really a border beyond invisible lines.
I don’t know if most Americans, since they were born citizens, have ever dealt with the immigration shit hands on in any capacity. I used to deal with USCIS (immigration) and the passport service a lot for a job. I was just verifying legal status based on documents issued by USCIS. Like checking if a judge had granted asylum status or if a person had a temporary green card (temporary permanent residency… figure that one out) due to a recent marriage to a US citizen, stuff like that. Because federal and state benefits or services are often tied directly to your citizenship status. Being able to get a driver’s license is usually also tied to legal status in the states. Some states are more restrictive than others, but yeah.
Anyway, I had never dealt with immigration service shit before that job. I knew some people who were dual citizens or even had moved to the US or had parents move here, etc. but never had hands on dealing with the systems and the paperwork.
Dealing with that shit, even as the privileged natural born citizen, who isn’t at risk for anything, was stressful and frustrating as fuck. I don’t know how people deal with it tbh. Even like the “best case” immigrants, the H1b and their spouse, seemed to always be teetering on the edge of “oh, oops, USCIS fudged this up. Guess your driver’s license is cancelled. And you’re probably here illegally now. 🤷♀️” Seeing whole families lugging around giant sorting folders of all their precious documents was something I had never encountered. And I guess why would you, it’s pretty personal documentation and stuff, but still.
There were so many times where some moron wrote a rule specifying like the employment authorization document card (it’s similar to a green card but red and only denotes certain employment eligibility) wasn’t good enough to get certain stuff in the state. I’d have to explain like if USCIS issued them an EAD card… then yes they’re eligible for things like driver’s licenses. It means they probably got asylum approved or are awaiting a final judgement or whatever and can work in the meantime. But nope, some tiny rule somewhere says the card isn’t enough they also need a signed, stamped document… Jesus Christ it was crazy.
I remember one time I kinda passed this one on to my supervisor to say this shit because I’m fairly sure it was illegal and didn’t want any part of it. Some guy was submitting citizenship proof for a federal background check as part of becoming certified to drive hazmat commercial vehicles. Everyone has to go through the process every whatever number of years like 5 years or whatever. I think only citizens are eligible for it as well. Maybe perm residents, I forget, but anyway this guy was a naturalized citizen so I asked for his citizenship proof which for him is his certificate of naturalization or, more commonly, US passport. He gives me the passport, I do all my shit, all the paperwork and shit that goes to the FBI to do whatever they do. The next day I was told there was an error with his application and I needed to call him and let him know they needed proof of citizenship… I said “his passport info is in the file.” Which it was. So my supervisor pulls it up since she wasn’t sure what was being requested and she’s like oh but his passport says [country that isn’t USA] as birthplace. “Ok? And? I send up US born passports all the time… they issued him a passport, he’s a citizen. They have all that info somewhere.” “Yeah, but you have to submit his original certificate of naturalization.” So, this went around in a circle for a while with me being as nice as I could without outright saying “this feels illegal as hell to discriminate against non-US born citizens…” Cool fact about MY passport, it also doesn’t say “country of birth: USA” like most do. Because I was born outside the US but to two citizens. It has that country. I said to the supervisor, being nice as I could, “I would sue this place under the ground if you guys demanded I bring in my stupid “born outside the US consular bullshit report”” and she just said she’d handle it after that. I saw the guy the next day and since I was working all I could really offer was the “yeah… it’s bullshit…” speech. We both know why they were singling him out, we both knew if it had been me applying no one would’ve said shit, but what do you expect from the racist ass system… I did enjoy my dumbass coworker literally shutting the fuck up for the rest of the day (he was a big YAPPER) after I told him/my supe that I was in the same situation as the guy was. And just asking them directly “would you demand I bring in further proof??? Because I know you fucking wouldn’t! The application says proof of citizenship which a passport is. Nothing else to say!”
But yeah fuck USCIS and all the racist ass, stupid ass rules and fuck Joe Brandon
They criminalized seasonal migrant workers and made the border less permeable so that it was no longer feasible to cross twice per year. So to work on a us farm, you now have to stay year round.