Ethics, Morality, and Disruption of U.S. Immigration Laws

Abstract

Immigrants and immigrant rights advocates knew we were in trouble when a Ku Klux Klan “knight” called for shooting unaccompanied children (UACs) arriving at the border and the Obama administration expedited removal proceedings of UACs and children arriving at the border with other family members. Indeed, the Loyal White Knights of the Klan advocate a “shoot-to-kill” border policy, and one North Carolina Klan leader said the policy should apply to UACs: “If we pop a couple of ‘em off and leave the corpses laying on the border, maybe they’ll see we’re serious about stopping immigrants.” Although the White House initially labeled the influx of UACs an “urgent humanitarian situation,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice responded by sending a “surge” of immigration judges and government attorneys to the border to start deportation hearings immediately, while simultaneously sending the message to immigration courts around the country that UAC-related cases should be prioritized.