As much as the Antis would love for this to happen, we, undocumented students and workers alike, can’t just be wished away into oblivion. We also can’t be ignored into disappearing or nonexistence, and a nationwide mass deportation is awfully unlikely, if not impossible. Fences don’t solve problems; they also can’t stop a desperate man from crossing the border or overstaying a visa in order to provide for his hungry family. The only way to solve the Immigration crisis is through a thorough and comprehensive reform that will legalize the hard working people who abide by the laws of this country and after due process, deport the criminals who don’t.
I am worn out and saturated by the notion, that’s being pushed by Anti-immigration groups that we are planning to “take over”, unwilling to “assimilate” and too lazy to take advantage of the legal recourses available to us, in order to change our immigration statuses in the U.S.
But the truth is, getting Immigration benefits like Green Cards, Work Permits, etc... is very time consuming -taking anywhere from 6 months to two and a half years, costly and almost impossible unless you have”qualifying relatives” who are willing to go through the chaotic process of petitioning you.
There are no “back of the lines” to get back to and returning to whatever country you ran away from in the first place to try your luck at a legal return will most-likely cost you a ten year ban from U.S. soil and a loss of everything you’ve been working so hard for.
I don’t know anyone who’d be willing to take that risk.