Héctor Quiroga: “An immigration lawyer needs to have emotional balance.”

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“Immigration courts are overwhelmed, as is the border. Judges no longer believe asylum seekers; they hear their cases and say, ‘Uh-huh.’ There are so many similar stories,” he adds.

For this immigration lawyer, the country is going through a delicate moment.

“Donald Trump is making many threats, mass deportations, border closures, revoking citizenship. On the other hand, the politically unstable situation of President Joe Biden is not very clear,” says attorney Héctor Quiroga, who practices in Washington State.

Quiroga knows the ordeal immigrants can feel; he himself, a Colombian, migrated from Colombia escaping the civil war. He left behind his family, his culture, and heritage. He arrived without speaking English but being “stubborn,” as he defines himself, led him to graduate from Gonzaga University.

In nine years, he learned English and studied at Gonzaga University, where he graduated with honors from both undergraduate programs and law school. He also became an entrepreneur, creating his own business, owning a house, being a husband, father, writer, and lastly, but not least, a United States citizen.

“I will always be grateful to this country for the opportunities it gave me, but that doesn’t take away from my firm belief that we need a fair reform and justice for immigrants. This country needs immigrants, not only for the labor needs but for their economic contribution,” he says.

He still sees hope for immigrants but acknowledges their difficult situation.

“Immigration courts are overwhelmed, as is the border. Judges no longer believe asylum seekers; they hear their cases and say, ‘Uh-huh.’ There are so many similar stories,” he adds.

He says it is important for an immigration lawyer to have an emotional balance.

“Yes, it impacts us to hear the stories, but we also have to recognize that nothing can be done legally. But we must keep fighting. I’d rather have nightmares about what a judge will decide than do nothing,” he says.

For him, one of the problems is that politicians use immigrants as political pawns.

“Bureaucracy and politics are winning, but recognizing and approving a deep immigration reform is a good start,” he concludes.

In some countries, immigration accounted for all population growth between 2000 and 2020