Dear readers,
I don’t know about you, but the last five days have been tremendously difficult to bear. Difficult because I am an immigration lawyer worried about clients and adverse changes to the law that are inevitable. Difficult because I am an immigrant to the United States myself and fall into a number of minority categories. And difficult because no one predicted or anticipated the results that we saw. I will find it hard to trust any poll ever again.
For about a year, I had been volunteering with the Hillary Clinton campaign immigration working group. Being part of this group was confidential. But given the events at hand, that confidentiality is now irrelevant and I am happy to talk about it. I know firsthand that the campaign was preparing for the first 100 days in Office, which was to include the introduction of a bill for comprehensive immigration reform. Only a small number of people were especially invited to serve on the committee. I was extremely proud and honored to have been one of them. I was also proud and honored to learn that my book had been seen by many at the campaign headquarters.
I had the greatest privilege of meeting Hillary Clinton in person when she visited Seattle recently. I even had the opportunity to tell her I was part of her immigration committee! Her warm and charismatic smile is just as capturing in person as it is on television.
Her election loss has sent shock waves around the country and the world. I, like many ardent Hillary supporters, have been devastated. It has been difficult to absorb our new reality. This was our Brexit.
I am sorry it has taken so long to write my thoughts down. I know that now- more than ever- you need to hear from me. And there is just so much to be concerned about and talked about.
I am finally ready to tackle the arduous task of reviewing and analyzing his policies. I had not looked closely at those before but the time has come to do so. I intend to give you much guidance on what to expect in the coming days. So, stay tuned, sign up to our blog, Facebook page, Twitter and/or LinkedIn.
While so much is uncertain, we know the following as of today: That almost three million undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions will be deported. We do not know if any minor crimes will be excluded at this point. We know that there will be a wall for sure at the southern border but part of it might be a fence instead. We were told before the election that all executive actions will be revoked. Stay tuned for more to come soon.
In the meantime, show compassion, empathy and love. Let’s overwhelm our communities with those and drown the hatred that is now clearly on display. If you need to contact me, do not hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
If you listen to my radio show Immigration with Tahmina on Desi1250am, please do call-in this Tuesday (11/15/16) at 10am PST and share your thoughts at 844-301-1250. Or email at [email protected] in advance with any questions you have.
– From your passionate immigration lawyer who vows to continue to advocate for you stronger than ever- Tahmina