The settlement reached in the shackling of ICE detainees case is small, but at least it’s going in the right direction.
Allowing detainees some dignity by removing shackles before they enter a courtroom and treating them more humanely, rather than like chained animals, sets a new path for those who are guilty of merely crossing a border to find work or to be with family.
When the justice system decides to chain and shackle people who have not committed a serious crime, the dehumanizing effect is long lasting. The immigration laws turn a worker into an inmate, and the experience of being incarcerated destroys families.
It is true that these detainees have broken the law. However, this is different from criminal activity like burglary or theft or even worse. They are doing a job where he or she is needed or they are merely reuniting with family.
For any crime where the perpetrator is physically abusive to another or they are stealing, incarceration is appropriate. On the other hand, many ICE detainees happen to be caught up in a system that punishes hard-working individuals because he or she is not properly documented to be in the U.S.
There are more than 11 million undocumented workers in the U.S. These hard-working individuals are paying taxes and contributing to the local economy. Their children, some of whom are born in the U.S., are going to school, serving in our military, living the American Dream and becoming good citizens.
As a society, incarcerating people for wanting to provide for their family in a demanding job market isn’t what our Founding Fathers wanted. However, should we (as I take liberty in paraphrasing the what’s on the Statue of Liberty) give me your tired, give me your poor, give me your huddled masses, we as Americans and as human beings, can accommodate these good people. We set our standards very low when we demonstrate a clear lack of respect for a demanding job market that finds workers, and then treats these hard-working people as if they were criminals.
Although it is encouraging to hear ICE publicly declare that its policy is to preserve the dignity and welfare of all those in its custody, the larger issue is the U.S. criminal justice policy should not be focusing on incarcerating people whose only crime is crossing a border to either feed or reunite with their families.
