UMD360: Immigration under Trump

This collection of stories was created by the talented students at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism during the spring semester of 2017 where they created immersive 360 video stories on the first 10 days of the Trump Administration.

Producer: Casey Noenickx
Writer: Austin Kleber
Shooter: Samantha Waldenberg

President Donald Trump’s hopes his border wall will keep crime and drugs out of the United States, but to immigrants like Jenny Llamas, that merely means keeping family out of the U.S.

Immigration policy has been one of Trump’s biggest focuses since entering office. On January 27, just seven days after he was inaugurated, Trump signed an executive order that limited travel for non-US citizens from seven Middle Eastern countries.

Trump’s agenda does not just focus on immigration across the Atlantic, one of his biggest rallying cries has been a “great wall” on the US-Mexico border. During his campaign, Trump often mentioned the crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, even though a study from the American Immigration Council found “high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crime and property crime.”

Wanting to crack down on illegal immigrants, Trump passed another executive order concerning immigration. It threatened to cut funding to cities that declared themselves as sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants. The order was found in violation of the Constitution and was blocked by a federal judge on April 25.

Many immigrants, like Llamas, are concerned that any action Trump may take could separate their family. Llamas said around half of her family is legally in the US and the other half is undocumented.

“The fear of getting separated was there, but now it’s stronger,” Llamas said. “The separation of families is the main point.”

This is where places designated as “sanctuary cities” come in and provide safety and shelter to these families. Trump’s strong rhetoric against undocumented immigrants on the campaign trail and as president, has spurred many conversations about this designation. One such discussion took place on April 17 when the City Council of Hyattsville, Maryland, voted 8–2 to become a sanctuary city.

“What it means here in Hyattsville is that our staff, which includes our police force, will not inquire about a person’s immigration status, unless we’re required to do so,” Jake Rollow, press information officer for the City of Hyattsville, said. “We won’t know that information unless it’s volunteered and if it’s volunteered, as a sanctuary city, we won’t take action on that information.”

In 2010, the last time the Census was taken, almost 6,000 hispanic residents lived in Hyattsville. That makes up a little over a third of the city’s then-population of about 17,500 people. The city is unique because it’s demographics are broken up into thirds with the white, hispanic and black population. The city considers its diversity as an asset.

“It means you have multiple viewpoints in any conversation and people who have different understandings of how the society could or should function,” Rollow said. “We think that’s the best way you build community is by letting everyone have a voice.”

Undocumented immigrants are often not a menace to society, as some of the crimes Trump cites would lead you to believe. Often times, they are tax-paying, active community members. By declaring itself as a sanctuary city, Hyattsville wanted to show that they will support their community by making them feel safe and secure.

“We chose to play a role by saying that we won’t play a role in federal immigration enforcement,” Rollow said. “We will try and support our community here as long as they’re not criminals.”