*👽 WHEN IMMIGRANTS BECOME “ALIENS”👽: Has America Crossed The Line Between Border Security And Human Dignity?* My View Of Aliens.Gov Site [By DR. OPE BANWO, ESQ., The Immigration Rottweiler. Dallas Texas]
Before I begin this commentary provoked by current immigration developments in American and more specifically by a govt website called aliens.gov which is also officially hosted on the Whitehouse. gov site, let me say something that may surprise some people.
When I returned fully to the practice of immigration law, one of the promises I made to myself was that I would not become one of those lawyers who spends every waking moment attacking the government, criticizing immigration enforcement, or turning every policy disagreement into a political crusade. In fact, as a self respecting immigrant, i have generally refrained from commenting too much publicly on American immigration isasues when my country of birth, Nigeria, is dealing with far more seious issues of life and death with the insicurity and incompetence of government to deal it it
Frankly, I understand something many activists often refuse to acknowledge:
Every nation has a right to determine its own immigration policies.
Every nation has a right to decide who it wants to admit.
Every nation has a right to determine the terms under which foreigners may enter, stay, work, or become citizens.
That in my considered and honest opinion is not oppression as some may see it. That is sovereignty.
Afteral, America is not unique in that regard. Britain voted for Brexit largely because many citizens believed immigration levels had become unsustainable.
Nigeria itself once ordered hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals—including many legal residents from neighboring countries such as Ghana and Cameroon—to leave the country within days.
South Africa today continues to struggle with anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly directed at fellow Africans, including Nigerians, despite the support many African nations gave during the anti-apartheid struggle.
Around the world, governments routinely tighten borders, restrict immigration, deport undocumented migrants, and prioritize what they believe are their national interests.
So let me be very clear. I am not outraged because President Trump wants stronger immigration enforcement.
>I am not outraged because illegal immigration is being addressed.
>I am not outraged because criminals who happen to be immigrants are being removed from the country.
Candidate Trump openly promised aggressive immigration enforcement. The American people heard those promises. They debated those promises. And ultimately, they elected him knowing exactly where he stood.
That is how democracy works and i am okay with that. But while every nation has a right to protect its borders, there must still be limits.
There must be lines that civilized societies refuse to cross.
There is a difference between enforcing immigration laws and degrading immigrants.
There is a difference between protecting borders and dehumanizing people.
There is a difference between removing someone from a country and stripping them of their dignity.
And it is because I believe those distinctions matter that I cannot remain silent after seeing what I recently encountered on a federal government website.
When I first landed on the website, I honestly thought I had stumbled onto a government page about extraterrestrials called Aliens. gov
The dramatic imagery. The ominous language. The science-fiction tone. The repeated references to “aliens.” For a brief moment, I thought the United States government had launched a website about UFOs. Then I realized something far more disturbing. The “aliens” were immigrants.
And that is when I became concerned. Not as a Democrat. Not as a Republican. Not as an activist. Not even as an immigration lawyer. But as a human being.
Because silence can sometimes be wisdom. But silence can also become permission. And when government rhetoric begins to move from law enforcement toward dehumanization, decent people have a duty to speak before that line becomes normalized.
For decades, America represented something bigger than itself. It represented hope.
It represented the idea that a poor child born in Lagos, Mumbai, Kingston, Warsaw, Beijing, Mexico City, or a tiny village nobody has ever heard of could come here and build a life.
The idea that your destiny did not have to be limited by your birthplace.
The idea that freedom and opportunity belonged not just to the privileged few, but to anyone willing to work, sacrifice, and dream.
That dream built America. Not just the descendants of the Mayflower. Not just one race. Not just one religion. Not just one culture.
America was built by generations of immigrants.
* Irish immigrants.
* Italian immigrants.
* Jewish immigrants.
* Chinese immigrants.
* African immigrants.
* Caribbean immigrants.
* Middle Eastern immigrants.
* Indian immigrants.
* Latino immigrants. And countless others who arrived with little more than courage, faith, and determination.
The story of immigration is not a side note in American history. It is American history. Which is why I find it troubling when the language of government begins to portray immigrants not as people, but as something ominous.
Something suspicious.
Something less than fully human.
Let’s be honest. Words matter. Language matters. Imagery matters. How governments describe people matters.
History teaches us that before societies mistreat groups of people, they often begin by changing how those people are described.
They become labels. Categories. Threats. Invaders. Outsiders.
Anything except human beings.
And that is why this matters.
Not because immigration laws should not be enforced. They should.
Not because borders should not be protected. They should.
Not because every immigrant deserves to stay. They do not.
But because every human being deserves dignity.
Every human being deserves to be spoken about as a human being.
An undocumented immigrant is still a human being.
An asylum seeker is still a human being.
A visa overstay is still a human being.
A person in deportation proceedings is still a human being.
A person who violated immigration laws may face consequences.
But they should never be stripped of their humanity.
America is strongest when it combines strength with compassion. Law with dignity. Security with humanity. Justice with fairness.
The moment we begin losing that balance, we begin losing something far more valuable than control of our borders.
We begin losing our moral authority.
We begin losing the very ideals that made America a beacon of hope to the world.
And that concerns me. Not because I am anti-America. Quite the opposite.
It concerns me because I love the America that inspired millions around the world.
>The America that said your future can be bigger than your circumstances.
>The America that said freedom belongs to everyone.
>The America that said opportunity is not reserved for the lucky few.
That America is worth defending. That America is worth preserving. And that America is worth reminding of its own greatness whenever it risks forgetting it.
As an immigration lawyer, I will continue helping people navigate the law. As a citizen, I will continue respecting the right of government to secure the nation’s borders. But as a human being, I will also continue speaking up whenever I believe we are drifting toward rhetoric that diminishes the dignity of others.
USA Immigrants are not aliens from mars.
>They are fathers. They are mothers. They are sons.
>They are daughters. They are entrepreneurs.
>They are truck drivers. They are nurses.
>They are engineers. They are soldiers.
>They are taxpayers. They are church members.
>They are dreamers. They are human beings.
And every great nation should remember the difference.
I have said my piece.
— Dr. Ope Banwo, Esq.
“The Immigration Rottweiler”
Helping Immigrants Achieve The American Dream Without The Nightmares.
You can reach the writer, Dr Ope Banwo, Dallas-Arlington, Texas based Nigerian imigration attorney at:
Office: 420 E. Lamar Blvd. Arlington, TX 76011
Phone: 972-806-1889
Website: https://banwolaw.net
Book Consultation: https://SpeakWithOpe.comÂ
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