Cynthia Santiago versus Stephen Miller's Immigration Policies

Cynthia Santiago, an attorney hailing from Southern California, initially made headlines years ago when she won her high school presidential class election in the same year Stephen Miller, currently the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, was defeated in his bid for class speaker. Over two decades later, Santiago finds herself on the frontline against Miller's aggressive mass deportation strategies, concerned about how his rise has affected immigrant rights.

As the daughter of immigrants, Santiago has been a passionate advocate for immigrant rights since 2012. Her educational history alongside Miller, combined with witnessing his ascent to a powerful position within President Trump's administration, has fueled her apprehensions about his extremist ideologies. She expressed her distress regarding Miller's anti-immigrant sentiments and his opposition to diversity in America.

Santiago reminisced about her high school days, recalling how Miller was met with boos while delivering a controversial speech that criticized the call for students to take responsibility for their own trash. This moment was documented in a video that captured Miller's provocative challenge to his peers regarding janitorial services. According to an article from the school's newspaper, Miller was eventually removed from the stage due to his prolonged speaking time.

In her retrospective, Santiago pointed out that Miller's early writings reflected a disdain for bilingual communications and a belief in racial disparities in educational achievements, further revealing his ingrained right-wing ideologies. Despite her criticism of his perspectives, Miller has managed to wield substantial influence over U.S. immigration policies as a close ally of Trump.

Santiago is deeply aware of the consequences that these policies have for immigrants in her community. She described how the authorities are systematically increasing deportations by pulling pending asylum cases considered "favorable" into court, subsequently invalidating individuals' temporary statuses. This leaves many vulnerable and undocumented, as they can easily be apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Santiago’s firsthand observations highlight the drastic shifts in immigration enforcement under Miller's guidance and the administration's promise to uphold strict deportation measures.