Gary resident Ruth Needleman holds a fist aloft during protests of deportations at Gary/Chicago International Airport on Friday, January 22, 2021. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
There was no deportation flight Friday from the Gary-Chicago International Airport, a sign that moving forward the President Joe Biden’s Administration will be handling immigration differently than his predecessor.
Activist Ruth Needleman, founder of Northwest Indiana Resist, has been at the airport every Friday since March 2017 protesting the deportations of immigrants who are brought from Illinois, placed on planes and ushered out of the country.
Needleman said the protests would continue, but she was hopeful though it was not announced, a moratorium on deportations would start. It is unclear if the absence of the Friday flight indicates a moratorium or simply an interruption in planned flights.
The measure marks a change in immigration policy that began on Biden’s first day in office when he signed an executive order rescinding the travel ban from certain Muslim nations and another reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.
Attorney Alfredo Estrada, partner and chair of the immigration practice group at Burke Costanza & Carberry, said that while DACA was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and returned to the way it was implemented by the Obama Administration in 2012, Biden’s executive order reaffirms the administration’s support for the program.
“That’s going to affect a lot of people here in Northwest Indiana that either didn’t know about DACA or didn’t have the resources to apply for it,” Estrada said. He said he’s been getting new DACA cases every day since the Supreme Court ruling in December.
Estrada said he had hoped to see the eligibility dates for the DACA program updated so more youth brought to this country would become eligible.
One executive order that stands to help Venezuelan immigrants was signed by former President Donald Trump on his way out of office. That EO suspends for 18 months the deportation of more than 145,000 Venezuelans at risk of being sent back. Estrada said the order would directly impact some in Northwest Indiana.
Estrada said the overarching theme of the order presented by Biden is allowing immigrant families, particularly those that include U.S. citizens, stay together. The legislation would eliminate what he described as very harsh penalties for multiple entries and would open the door for undocumented people who have been here for decades to legally be here. He said the pathway process proposed is similar to the amnesty process offered during the Reagan Administration in the 1980s.
“He’s got some really forward-thinking immigration policy,” Estrada said. “I’m excited for it. It’s going to allow for family unity.”
While the order is a good step forward, the actual bill that ultimately is passed will be negotiated into something likely very different, he said.
“It’s going to be hard. It’s very pie-in-the-sky right now,” Estrada said. He is hopeful the final document will be helpful to the millions of immigrants seeking a pathway to citizenship.
“I’m optimistic, but I’m not holding my breath,” Estrada said. Still the steps taken have already shown a less hostile stance against the country’s undocumented immigrants. “I think there is going to be some relief that’s given.”
State Rep. Earl Harris also sees the proposed legislation as a way forward for immigration reform.
“I’m glad the new Biden Administration is taking a serious dive into immigration,” Harris said, adding he believes immigration policy has been going in the wrong direction in the past few years.
Harris said he hopes people will understand the value immigrants bring to the country, the work force, the economy and education.
“There is a lot immigrants bring to the table. I’m happy to see this happening,” Harris said.
Like Estrada, he is cautiously optimistic the proposed legislation will be effective. Harris said officials need to focus on the messaging and dispel the rumors immigration reform is about opening the borders and letting everybody in.
“It’s about a process … a process to become citizens, making sure immigration is done correctly so it is beneficial for our country as well as those people who might be escaping unfortunate situations in other countries,” Harris said.
Undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. are part of our economy.
“Ejecting 11 million people out of the country would be devastating,” Harris said. From the millions in taxes paid every year to people buying groceries, cars, clothing and housing, immigrants are an integral part of our economy.
“I hope as a country more people understand the benefit of immigrations and what immigration means to the country,” Harris said.
Lake County Councilwoman Christine Cid, whose district includes East Chicago, said she has not yet had the opportunity to read the new administration’s policy on immigration.
“I do know that many families were concerned that DACA would cease and families would be broken up,” Cid said.
Most DACA recipients have lived most of their childhood and adult life in the U.S., she said.
“They are educated, working and have contributed to our society in a positive manner. I believe a pathway to citizenship is fair,” Cid said.
Needleman, the activist, said her group will continue to protest deportations and will also begin to focus on ensuring a residents, regardless of citizenship, have access to education, housing and health care.
“I see (the Administration’s actions) as very important positive steps forward,” Needleman said.
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