What Does it Take to Be “American”?

Photo Creds: Jeremy Dorrough (Unsplash) 

Isaac James, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

Immigration is a constant source of controversy, discussion, and confusion in the United States. The current presidential administration has focused on immigration and undocumented individuals as a central platform. Many of these actions and policies place a shroud of uncertainty over the legal status of individuals throughout the United States. Based on U.S. Census data, approximately 5,000 individuals were born outside of the U.S. Because immigrants make up a portion of Watauga County’s population and culture, this begs the question: “How will new immigration policies affect our communities?” 

“The economy and businesses are suffering, all the way down to individuals and families,” said Jennifer West, an immigration lawyer. “We’re going to see that reflected everywhere, everything is going to change. A lot [of] people are scared to go to work.”

It's not just undocumented immigrants at risk either. Legal citizens who have lived in the U.S for years are worried about their citizenship status. This includes veterans. 

“I’ve even had naturalized citizens who are scared. I got an email from someone a couple weeks ago. He is an Army veteran,” said West. “He’s been here for years and years, he got his green card, got his citizenship, joined the army. He felt strongly about defending his adopted country. He told me, ‘I'm Jamaican by birth, but I'm American by choice, and I’ve never been this scared before.’”

Aside from the worries of those currently living in the U.S, new laws are making it harder for people to obtain citizenship, and even long-standing legal and constitutional precedent is being challenged by new policies. 

“There are changes being made to how people can apply for US visas overseas, whether that's permanent or temporary visas. They’re tightening up where people can have their interviews processed, which could be problematic for locations that have extensive delays,” said West. “There have been talks of trying to take away birthright citizenship. That's completely going against everything we thought we knew about the 14th Amendment.” 

Staying up to date on immigration and being an informed citizen isn’t always easy, either. With so much biased media, it can be hard to get information that doesn't sway one way or the other politically, especially when it comes to immigration. 

“Ideally, you want a more centrist view, but it feels like so much of the news is so polarizing these days,” said West. “[The] American Immigration Council publishes updates [from a more neutral slant].” 

Immigration is a complex issue that is constantly evolving. There is a lot up for discussion, and there is no doubt that the issue will be a hot topic for years to come. Over the next few years, we’ll gradually see the effects of new policies and laws in immigrant communities across the U.S. 

“It’s families, more importantly, that are being torn apart,” West said. “It’s definitely causing a lot of fear.”