Fair Observer’s Video Producer Rohan Khattar Singh speaks with Agustina Vergara Cid, an immigration law expert and Young Voices contributor, about her journey from Argentina to the United States and the state of US immigration under US President Donald Trump. Cid recently became a US citizen after a long, complex process that inspired her article for The Hill, titled “I just became an American citizen — don’t close the door behind me.” Becoming an American was not only a personal milestone for her, but also a call to defend the nation’s founding ideals, which she believes are at risk of being undermined by an unjust immigration system.

Cid’s legal journey to citizenship was difficult, expensive and emotionally draining. She arrived on a student visa and had to navigate a maze of legal categories, paperwork and fees. The process was so restrictive that it forced her to make painful sacrifices. Because those adjusting their immigration status cannot leave the country without risking their application, she was unable to visit her father in Argentina before he died. Thus, she views the immigration system as inhumane and detached from the values that America claims to uphold.

Immigration system

Cid describes the US immigration system as overly bureaucratic and structurally exclusionary. She argues that for most people who want to live and work in the country, there are simply not enough legal pathways. The law has evolved into what she calls an “anti-immigration system” — one that discourages and penalizes even those who attempt to comply with its requirements.

She frames the problem as a moral contradiction within American identity. Cid says she chose to become a citizen because she admired the principles of liberty and equality that define the nation’s founding story. Yet she finds that the system now betrays those ideals. She characterizes it as cruel, unfair and un-American, saying that it closes the door to others who wish to follow in her footsteps.

Discussing public attitudes, Cid remarks that the idea of America as a “land of immigrants” has been more myth than reality since the 1920s, when severe restrictions were first enacted. She attributes anti-immigrant sentiment partly to political fear-mongering, where leaders portray migrants as criminals to gain support for harsh enforcement.

However, she also believes that ordinary Americans are welcoming once they meet immigrants in person. She cites polling that shows record-high public support for immigration. This shift, she reasons, is a growing recognition that aggressive enforcement harms not only undocumented workers but also their law-abiding neighbors and coworkers.

Life for immigrants under Trump

Singh asks about the real-world effects of Trump-era policies on immigrant communities. Cid responds that the past decade has been defined by fear and uncertainty. She argues that the government’s focus on deportations, combined with military-style raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), created what she calls a “reign of terror” for both legal and undocumented immigrants.

According to her, the enforcement system under Trump blurred the line between legal and illegal status. Even those who followed every legal requirement — such as asylum seekers and green card holders — found themselves at risk of detention or revocation of status. She adds that some US citizens were mistakenly detained without access to lawyers or family, a violation of their constitutional rights.

Cid clarifies key legal distinctions: Entering the country without authorization is a criminal offense, while overstaying a visa is a civil violation. Yet she stresses that most undocumented immigrants are working people who contribute to society but lack a feasible legal route to do so. To her, the system punishes effort and compliance rather than rewarding them.

Trump 1.0 vs. Trump 2.0

Comparing the two Trump terms (2017–2020 versus now), Cid observes a major shift in focus. During Trump’s first presidency, the emphasis was on external barriers — the physical wall and restrictive regulations advocates call “Trump’s invisible wall.” The second term, she says, centers on internal enforcement: large-scale deportations and intensified removal operations.

She points out that former US President Barack Obama oversaw more deportations than Trump’s first administration, but the tone and tactics differ sharply. The current approach, she argues, prioritizes extracting people who are already integrated into American communities “by any means necessary,” often disregarding due process. While she agrees that violent offenders should be deported, she insists that most ICE targets are peaceful, law-abiding residents. Cid cites cases where asylum-seekers with pending claims were forcibly returned to dangerous conditions abroad, calling this a profound breach of both law and morality.

Advice to immigrants

Despite the turmoil, Cid ends on a note of cautious optimism. She urges immigrants to be meticulous about their applications, stressing that even minor errors can lead to rejection. Her strongest advice is to secure legal representation, since navigating the system without expert help has become nearly impossible.

Cid acknowledges that these are “very dark times” for immigrants, but she continues to see America as a beacon of freedom whose core values can endure. She expresses faith that the country will ultimately correct its course and live up to the promise that drew generations of newcomers to its shores. For her, the long road to citizenship serves as both a warning and a reminder: The ideals that make America worth joining must be defended by those who have fought hardest to be part of it.

[Lee Thompson-Kolar edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article/video are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.