Immigration Courts Should Be More Efficient With Video Interpreters
People have to struggle every day in order to survive in this world. It is not their fault if they are living in a warzone and wish to escape it by immigrating to another country. However, the world is cruel, and it doesn’t give anyone a chance to escape their problems easily. Even those who manage to escape a warzone gets stuck in paperwork and have to fulfill dozens of requirements to get their immigration application accepted. People have a lot more problems to handle even after getting the citizenship of a country. They always remain outsiders to the natives and face hate crimes because of it.
Despite all the problems and the lengthy process, many people still apply for US immigration every year. Some do their research beforehand and prepare for everything in a better way, while others go in blind and expect it all to work out in their favor. However, the truth is that even the most prepared applicants can get rejected. Immigration is a complicated process everywhere in the world, but more so in the US, where thousands of applications are submitted each year. The government of the country keeps on introducing strict laws to make sure only the very deserving can get their immigration application accepted.
However, sometimes, the strict rules create complications for people who don’t deserve to be treated badly. It is difficult for these people to get the help they need in most cases. As a result, they often lose the chance to become a US citizen. One way to challenge the decision of the authorities is through the courts, but if there is no proper representation available for applicants, they won’t get any help from the justice system either.
Immigration Courts and Interpreting:
There were proper rules in place to help those who can’t speak or understand English. Although English is the only officially recognized language in the US, a significant number of Americans cannot speak it properly. Immigration courts are the place where the future of a person gets decided, which is why they deserve proper representation. In the past, interpreters used to be present in the immigration courts to help applicants. They would provide guidance to the applicants about the proceedings. They also helped applicants in presenting their case to the courts. But recently, a budget cut led to the elimination of the interpreters from the courts.
The current process goes like this: a complex video is shown to the applicants with subtitles before the case begins; after that, they can request the assistance of a linguistic expert who will join the court via telephone. In some cases, finding a linguistic expert in time becomes impossible. But even if the judge manages to find an interpreter, there is no guarantee that they will be able to provide accurate results. This has not only affected the immigration applicants negatively but also weakened the legal process. Even if budget cuts are necessary, they should not be curbing the rights of the applicants. It weakens people’s belief in the US justice system.
Immigration Courts Should Be More Efficient with Video Interpreters:
Even if it is impossible to get in-house experts, there is no need to rely on telephone interpreters. There are better options available for the courts to avail of. For instance, they can hire qualified video interpreters for each session easily and make sure that the applicants’ rights are protected. People will feel comfortable engaging in conversation with an expert through video chat; it is the next best thing to in-house experts.
Whenever migrants are called to the courts, they feel scared and confused. They feel extra lost if they are not fluent in English. However, with the help of linguistic experts, they can get through this process with relative ease. It is the duty of the court to offer the right solutions to all the parties present during proceedings. In today’s world, when there are so many options available, it is not difficult to find the right experts. It is up to the courts to make the efforts to connect migrants with the right professionals.
There are various language agencies working in the US currently that will gladly provide video interpretation services to courts. Most of the migrants are Spanish speakers and have trouble conversing in English. By hiring Spanish experts, judges can help these migrants. They will be able to understand their case properly and provide the correct answer for each question. Even if someone is not a US citizen yet, they deserve to be represented in the court and have themselves understood. This is what the courts can accomplish by hiring qualified linguistic professionals. The current system is very inefficient and does not help the migrants at all. A quick change is needed to ensure justice for the applicants.
Only the courts and judges who run them can bring about a change and save the future of the migrants. A lot of government offices offer video chat options to people. It is about time that the justice system adopts modern methods too and start offering efficient services to all the defendants. Immigration is already a complicated process, but we can work together to make it a little less confusing for the applicants. Those who wish to improve their future and live in better conditions should get the opportunity to do so, and they must be given all the help during the process.
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