Trump's Policy on Deportation and 2020 Census

Like middle of the road voters with a liberal tendency (but not always) there is a lot of discussion about the ICE raids and citizenship question on the 2020 census. I usually don't side with the right, but, this time I do.

ICE Raids

These are long overdue. There are over 11 million people who have overstayed their visa stay and are lost in the immigration system. There are thousands that received their deportation notice and did not leave voluntarily and reside in the shadows, working under the table or for employers who sympathize with them. Those are the people ICE is going after, along with any criminals found in the system. The issue about the collateral damage is one that may overreach the deportation order.

For example, if Jose Ramirez got a deportation notice and ignored it but has American born children, some think ICE is going to also deport them in a blanket sweep, or, are going to break up the family and send Jose back to his home country. In another scenario, perhaps both the mother and father are illegals and ignored deportation notices, will ICE deport just the parents and leave the American born kids? That would be the worse case scenario and one surely to ignite a lot of negative ICE coverage. But, what should ICE do? Ignore it and let them stay? Detain them until foster homes are found for the kids? Send the kids back also into a foreign country they know little about? That is what has already happened for some and the hardship is theirs to bear.

Of course, deportation orders are specific and target a single person, not those in the collateral circle. But, in the above same case, what if ICE finds out that Jose's wife is illegal BUT not named on the deportation order, do they ignore that for another day or take the wife without the deportation order?

As you can see, the ICE raids will be fine for single illegals here who got previous deportation orders and said FU. The sketchy thing revolves the family units with collateral illegals not noted in the deportation order. Will ICE be selective or just do a sweep of illegals?

What is the point of immigration law if its seldom enforced? Obama deported over 3 million, yet few bitched about it so loudly as they are now. Trump will deport a few thousand.

2020 Census

Having working in 2010 Census, the results are always questionable because there is no real penalty for lying. So, the 2020 Census is no different were Trump to win in having a U.S. citizenship question on the form. Some would would say yes when they were not, some would skip over the question. There is a lot of distrust when a Census worker comes to the door out of the blue and starts asking intrusive questions, like, how many are in the household, their names, birth dates, political affiliation and so on.

Many will not answer any questions as it IS optional despite what they say. In fact, in 2010, we knew most of the households in a defined area via voter registration, real estate records, etc. So, even if the person refused to answer, we had the information we tried to verify. Many times, the info was incorrect and needed to be corrected.

Finding out if one is citizen can be done in other ways, through birth records, immigration records and others. Trump is correct to say information found through records will be more accurate because people lie for a variety of reasons or refuse to say out of fear. But while it was not on the form in 2010, it was asked and it was also in the supplementary form.

The census data obtained can be used to redefine voting districts that favor a party, it is used for a variety of other reasons that are generally good for all. Either way, it is fine to know how many in the USA are citizens. Why not?