Whenever I post something about a person who has been granted asylum, or who has obtained their green card, or who has become a U.S. citizen, people congratulate that person, and say “welcome to the country.”

Many of the comments are incredibly warm, and they make me very proud of the work that I do.

And then there are the people who always manage to put a damper on the celebration by saying “Thank you for doing it the right way.”

I think in their own minds, they are being kind and complimentary. They are saying this person, my client, has followed the rules and honored our country by not taking advantage of its benefits.

But they have no idea how offensive it sounds, especially in this day and age.

Over the last few months, shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump, I have noticed a sea change in the way we treat people who are, in fact, doing it “the right way.”

People who have applied for asylum either at the border, or after they lawfully entered the U.S., have been picked up at regular check ins with ICE, detained without explanation, denied any sort of bond, and essentially pressured into seeking deportation.

The government doesn’t have to apply too much pressure to a person who is living in a jail cell........

© Yuma Sun