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Heather Tesen
Ethics 2430

Final Project

Issue: The number one Social Welfare issue I would like to alleviate would be the lack of

support towards parents who have been deported and the children left behind. On average it is

estimated that 17 children are placed in state care every day because of the detention and

deportations of their immigrant parents . Some are fortunate enough to have family to stay

with, but the majority are put into the welfare system. Most of the parents have little to no say

on what happens to their children that are left behind. They are left out of the decision making

process, and it leads to more children in foster care and less children staying with family

members.

Unlike in our regular judicial system where everyone has the right to an attorney,

People facing deportation are not entitled to an attorney if they cannot afford one. Since

parents are forcibly detained they are unable to fulfill the requirements that the child welfare

service needs. This leads to the loss of all parental rights of the immigrant parents. It is crazy to

me that the federal government and Child welfare departments arent required to keep in

touch with these families. These kids are put over into state custody where their cases are not

followed and it is like their parents abandoned them. Cesia Soza 16, and her brother Ronald Jr.

Soza 14, came home from school one day to find their home empty. Their father after dropping

them off at school had come home to immigration officers and ICE agents ready to take him to

the detention facility. The teenagers didnt get a call until the next day from their father in the

detention facility telling them where he was.

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Sandigo the now legal caretaker of both Cisia and Ronald Jr. said this about federal

officials in caring for the kids. "I have yet to receive a call from ICE asking if these children are

even alive -- yet with a legal guardian,". Children who happen to be part of the process of

parents being deported is an awful situation for all involved. There is no doubt about the

negative and life-long struggles that relate to this encounter.

Another complication to deporting immigrant parents, is the fact that their children are

U.S. citizens. In most cases it is presumed that the children are better off in the U.S. rather than

in a foreign country with their family. Parents have to work with both the U.S. child services and

their home country's child services making the process almost impossible, and often lasting for

years. If there were a system put into place and people to advocate for both sides of these

situations. I believe that a better environment could be created for all going through this

process. There needs to be a better way for parents to communicate with their children and

the government to make a decision that best fits their families needs. Some parents who do

have a voice choose to keep their kids in the U.S. while others take their children with them.

However, this should be an option for all families faced with this difficult situation

Strategy: My strategy is to enact legislative that provides free legal services. Since legal services

are not guaranteed to immigrants facing deportation this help is crucial. I based my program off

of legislative that is being pushed in California at the moment. Only tailored to Utah politics.

The legislation would be an off-shoot of the social services program. The services would allow

the state to set up a public fund to pay for legal services for immigrants in deportation

proceedings. Specifically, immigrants with U.S. citizen children. These funds would create a

contract between local immigration attorneys/programs to aid immigrants facing deportations.

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Immigrants with a violent crime history would be excluded from the policy. Jazzmine Ulloa a

reporter from Sacramento stated that The movement to increase government-funded access

to counsel has centered on showing that many immigrants would be granted relief if they had

the resources to prove their cases and that for some, the repercussions of deportation could be

as dire as a death sentence. This legislative would be crucial in keeping family unity, something

that Utah as a state holds dear.

Cost: The services would allow the state to set up a public fund to pay for legal services for

immigrants in deportation proceedings. The fund would mostly use grants to finance nonprofits

that offer such services. The public fund would also take donations. With a combination of

funds from social services, a tax increase and private donations. The end result would be

roughly $10 million. Averaging to about $5,000 per case. These numbers are based on the

program being pushed in California, the immigrant population in Utah as well as funds allocated

to the social service program. While $10 million sounds enormous and scary to taxpayers the

funds would be spread out within the year and be brought in from multiple places. Taxes would

only slightly increase. The money allocated would also transfer to the next year. So in years

where services are not needed as much the funds would carry over to years where the service

need is high. Much like how the Pell Grant system is set up.

Places/People of Resistance: The number one place of resistance would be the taxpayers. Every

time the idea of raising taxes is presented it is met with extreme adverse. Especially in a

Republican state. People do not want to pay for something that does not directly affect them.

Combined with controversial ideas on immigration in the first place. However, the funds are

being brought in from multiple outlets and taxpayers are only one of them. They would not
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notice a significant increase of taxes paid yearly. Even Utah being a republican state they hold

different ideologies on immigration. The predominate religion of Latter Day Saints holds strong

beliefs on Immigration. They are pro and publicly advocate for such causes. Family unity and

services are also regarded highly in Utah. I believe that this would help decrease the resistance

of such a law. The second area of resistance would be the Utah State legislative. There would

have to be a lot of advocating, lobbying and public want for a policy like this to even be

considered. Even after the bill is proposed legislation takes time. Even after months of being

discussed and advocated for it is not guaranteed to pass. After being passed it is unlikely that

legislators will take up the consideration again unless an event happens that warrants the

change.

Our President Donald Trump would also be an area of opposition. Most of his campaign and

presidency has been anti-immigration. Mr. De Leon quoted that If the president has identified

two to three million criminal immigrants, we can only assume its a pretense to open up criteria

to deport mothers who are pulled over for a broken taillight, We want to ensure that those

facing deportation are afforded due process, so that the most vulnerable are protected. If the

advocacy was loud enough comments from the President would probably be made.

The last area of resistance would be those opposed to immigration entirely. Any rights that

immigrants gain are opposed. Maria an immigrant recently facing deportation said this on her

status. In my case, people probably think that I deserved to be deported. I dont blame people

for thinking that way, but I also think that if we are able to learn from our mistakes and be

better, we deserve a chance to stay. These types of people would prefer that all unauthorized

immigrants be deported instead of looking at the whole picture.

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Interview: I was able to Interview Ariadna Rodenstein. She works for the Immigrant Defense

Program based in New York. A program that I think would be extremely valuable in Utah. Her

role is that of Development Director. She works at expanding the project, fundraising,

coordinating events and outreach activities. The Immigrant Defense Program or IDP specifically

focusses on providing information and legal services to immigrants with a criminal background.

I think that we could take parts of their program and develop one in Utah that specifically

caters to immigrant families. It wont be as easy to in act a program that helps two populations

that are discriminated against.

By focusing on immigrant families it would be easier to get help, especially in Utah. The project

would help immigrants devise a plan in case they are detained and receive the legal aid that

they need to keep custody of their children. A program like this could be the partnership and

contract with the legislative policy I would like to see pass. I talked to Ariadna about some of

the things they did to start the project. It took a lot of time, money and effort to develop such a

program. However, it did start on a grassroots level. It made me think that something like this

really is possible if one is committed enough. She gave me advice on how to advocate for these

projects. Mostly in directly contacting local organizations and political leaders that share the

same ideas. She also gave me ideas on how to fundraise which is an important component in

starting a grassroots effort.

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Rodriguez, Cindy Y., and Adriana Hauser. Undocumented parents are deported while their

children struggle. CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Oct. 2013,

www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/us/immigration-parents-deported-children-left-behind/index.html.

Wessler, Seth Freed. "Obama: Kids Stuck in Foster Care Due to Deportation a 'Real

Problem'" Colorlines. Race Forward, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Medina, Jennifer. California Weighs Protections for Immigrants Threatened by Trump

Policies. The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2016,

www.nytimes.com/2016/12/04/us/california-to-consider-laws-to-protect-immigrants-from-

trump-policies.html.

Ulloa, Jazmine. California Lawmakers Want to Provide Attorneys to Immigrants Facing

Deportation. But Who Gets the Help? Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2017,

www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-legal-immigrant-defense-20170302-

htmlstory.html.