Deborah Gonzalez | Director, Roger Williams University School of Law Immigration Clinic
1. Have the policies implemented by the Trump administration been what you were expecting? I was expecting draconian policies from this president, and I’m not surprised by the policies regarding the border or increased border officers. I’m not surprised by his attack on immigrants in the country. It is not a secret that Trump is unfriendly to Black and brown people. What has surprised me are his policies relating to people who are lawful, permanent residents [in] this country and who have been living here, studying and working.
2. How has your work at the Immigration Clinic changed since January? I am busier since this administration took office. [We] are doing more “know your rights” presentations and taking calls and answering emails of people who are just afraid. My clients in the clinic are now afraid to even go to Immigration Court due to a new policy that ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will be in the courthouse ready to arrest people if they are ordered deported. This has never been done in my 16 years of practice.
3. It’s often assumed the immigration issue only affects low-wage or low-skilled labor, but recent incidents have advocates worried it could affect the “knowledge economy.” Do you agree? I absolutely agree. It is true that a good part of our low-wage economy is run by undocumented low-skilled labor. However, a larger number of immigrants who are lawfully in the United States makes up 22% of our workforce. In 2022, the Pew Research Center found that only 4.8% of the workforce [was] undocumented, and this number has gone down from 2007 when undocumented workers made up 5.4% of the workforce.
4. What are the potential downsides to deportation nationally and locally? Deporting unskilled labor means there will be a shortage of workers in industries that are predominantly performed by Hispanics and Latinos, including agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting. Rhode Island residents will begin to feel it when our landscapers aren’t showing up to cut the grass, or when the cleaning lady doesn’t show up to clean the house, or when you need another babysitter to take care of the kids because the babysitter was picked up by ICE, or when the wait at [your] favorite restaurant is too long because they don’t have enough cooks or dishwashers to help in the back.
5. What legal remedies exist for people who are under threat of deportation?Immigration law in the country needs significant reform. People who find themselves under threat of deportation must seek the help of an attorney to explore their options. There are only a few forms of relief from deportation that an immigrant can apply for when they are in removal proceedings. Immigration attorneys need to stay up to date on the law.
