If you are a visible minority, is it safe to go into DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family and I are non-white Europeans living in MD and we go into DC once a week.

I am rethinking our entire US life, not just the DC visits. Our kids were born here - this is the only nationality they identify with. We have lived here for 20 years on a series of work visas. Currently we are waiting on our green card application, and have a valid work permit... but I am very worried that despite our legal status, and absence of any outstanding issue during our decades-long stay in the US, ICE can detain us and deport us for any reason, such as a minor traffic violation.

I don't think getting a ticket for coming to a rolling stop at a stop sign, for example, should be grounds for sleeping on the floor for several days before being removed from the country. Reputable media have reported on other Europeans deported for ridiculously petty reasons, despite coming into the country legally, having no visa overstays, being legally allowed to work on the appropriate, non-expired visa, and paying all appropriate taxes.

I am on a daily medication and I am pretty certain that given reported overcrowding at ICE holding centers in the DC area, this medication will not be given to me correctly in detention. So I could literally die in detention - not because any ICE agent wants my death, but because they're stretched too thin to provide adequate care to their detainees. Also, they don't care.

Living in the US for internationals of legal status like me is becoming very stressful. I feel we're in a dystopia and that too many people are normalizing this state of affairs. No, it is not normal. Part of me wants to stay in the hope that this is just a temporary hardship that will get better in 3 years. But another part of me thinks I am risking my life if I don't have access to medication in detention. The human brain has a very hard time calculating the risks of an event that has a low probability of happening, but the consequences of which will be severe if it does come to pass. I am still trying to figure it out.

Maybe I have to travel with 3 months worth of meds on my person?

That sounds extremely stressful. If I had the ability, I’d get out of the U.S. in a heartbeat. Why do you stay here? I’m NOT trying to minimize the fact that this is the only culture your kids know. That’s huge. But if you have the legal right to live and work in Europe, why not move and help your kids assimilate? Safer cities (in terms of gun violence), more rational politicians… I’m envious of your European passport!!!

PP you replied to. Because if we leave, it means we formally abandon our green card application. Once you have an abandoned application, USCIS doesn't look kindly on another. We've worked so hard to come to this point! It seems foolish to give up on the American Dream just because we're scared of being picked up by ICE. Or, I could die in detention. My brain pinballs between the two. I wake up in the night thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are a visible minority, is it safe to go into DC? Also if you get approached by ICE what documents do you need as proof of citizenship? A driver's license is not necessarily proof that you're a citizen, so what do you actually need? Are you supposed to carry a passport at all times??

I'm a visible minority but have no intention to carry my passport, birth certificate or any other proof of citizenship. I carry my driver's license and have other documents on my phone so that's enough for me. They can look up the rest online or come home with me to look at whatever they need. I'm not going to carry a file full of documents everywhere to proof my legal existence in my own country. That's absurd and unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe it’s like this here. Isn’t this how WW2 started?

Not really. The USA stayed out of things until Pearl Harbor

[Anonymous]

*I do support secure borders and legal immigration, just not random harassment of residents. ICE can do better to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if you are white have your passport or passport card. You are required to proof your citizenship if stopped.

You are required until there is new legislation or until scotus rules on the matter.

For now (possibly 3 years) we are all de facto “required”. Correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*I do support secure borders and legal immigration, just not random harassment of residents. ICE can do better to make it work.

But they don’t have to do better.

Congress is afraid of President Stefan Miller.

[Anonymous]

They can pass an order to make it compulsory to have and carry a passport card if they need to but otherwise can't expect me to carry my passport or birth certificate while going to get eggs from the corner store..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They can pass an order to make it compulsory to have and carry a passport card if they need to but otherwise can't expect me to carry my passport or birth certificate while going to get eggs from the corner store..

They don’t need an EO. Jon Roberts has said that, for now, ICE can stop people for any reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are a visible minority, is it safe to go into DC? Also if you get approached by ICE what documents do you need as proof of citizenship? A driver's license is not necessarily proof that you're a citizen, so what do you actually need? Are you supposed to carry a passport at all times??

I'm a visible minority but have no intention to carry my passport, birth certificate or any other proof of citizenship. I carry my driver's license and have other documents on my phone so that's enough for me. They can look up the rest online or come home with me to look at whatever they need. I'm not going to carry a file full of documents everywhere to proof my legal existence in my own country. That's absurd and unacceptable.

ICE is not coming home to look stuff up. Yes it's unacceptable but the alternative out of principle is to get hauled off.

[Anonymous]

OP asked if they a "visible minority" should be concerned. Got jumped on for using that term. What do the racism police here think they should have said?
I am not white should I be concerned?
I am brown skinned should I be concerned?
I am x should I be concerned...?

A visible minority is you can tell to look.
An invisible minority is one you can't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait what I'm mixed black and white but look spanish. People frequently speak Spanish to me while I'm out and about and when I answer in English they look confused.

Are you saying that I can be detained just based on my looks even though I am a non Hispanic American Citizen? This is crazy

No, that's not a thing. Quit making up racist remarks like that.

This absolutely is a thing!

- Mom of mixed race kids who look Hispanic (but are not)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They can pass an order to make it compulsory to have and carry a passport card if they need to but otherwise can't expect me to carry my passport or birth certificate while going to get eggs from the corner store..

You already carry one if you have a Real ID, which was the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family and I are non-white Europeans living in MD and we go into DC once a week.

I am rethinking our entire US life, not just the DC visits. Our kids were born here - this is the only nationality they identify with. We have lived here for 20 years on a series of work visas. Currently we are waiting on our green card application, and have a valid work permit... but I am very worried that despite our legal status, and absence of any outstanding issue during our decades-long stay in the US, ICE can detain us and deport us for any reason, such as a minor traffic violation.

I don't think getting a ticket for coming to a rolling stop at a stop sign, for example, should be grounds for sleeping on the floor for several days before being removed from the country. Reputable media have reported on other Europeans deported for ridiculously petty reasons, despite coming into the country legally, having no visa overstays, being legally allowed to work on the appropriate, non-expired visa, and paying all appropriate taxes.

I am on a daily medication and I am pretty certain that given reported overcrowding at ICE holding centers in the DC area, this medication will not be given to me correctly in detention. So I could literally die in detention - not because any ICE agent wants my death, but because they're stretched too thin to provide adequate care to their detainees. Also, they don't care.

Living in the US for internationals of legal status like me is becoming very stressful. I feel we're in a dystopia and that too many people are normalizing this state of affairs. No, it is not normal. Part of me wants to stay in the hope that this is just a temporary hardship that will get better in 3 years. But another part of me thinks I am risking my life if I don't have access to medication in detention. The human brain has a very hard time calculating the risks of an event that has a low probability of happening, but the consequences of which will be severe if it does come to pass. I am still trying to figure it out.

Maybe I have to travel with 3 months worth of meds on my person?

That sounds extremely stressful. If I had the ability, I’d get out of the U.S. in a heartbeat. Why do you stay here? I’m NOT trying to minimize the fact that this is the only culture your kids know. That’s huge. But if you have the legal right to live and work in Europe, why not move and help your kids assimilate? Safer cities (in terms of gun violence), more rational politicians… I’m envious of your European passport!!!

PP you replied to. Because if we leave, it means we formally abandon our green card application. Once you have an abandoned application, USCIS doesn't look kindly on another. We've worked so hard to come to this point! It seems foolish to give up on the American Dream just because we're scared of being picked up by ICE. Or, I could die in detention. My brain pinballs between the two. I wake up in the night thinking about it.

Thank you for responding. That’s really awful. I hope things look brighter soon! (Though I don’t have much faith).

[Anonymous]

What counts as "minority"? DC is majority minority, with blacks being the largest group at 43% then whites at 39%. If you mean "non-white" then the majority of DC is non-white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can pass an order to make it compulsory to have and carry a passport card if they need to but otherwise can't expect me to carry my passport or birth certificate while going to get eggs from the corner store..

You already carry one if you have a Real ID, which was the point.

Doesn't a real ID just indicate you were legally in the US at the time of issuance? For example, a visa overstay or cancellation of TPS would make the person ineligible to remain.