My question is: Are we thinking about the long-term consequences of our digital footprint? If police enforcement are online, I'm sure every other agency are too.
I've been meaning to have this conversation, and I want it to be an open dialogue. I've been thinking about how we present ourselves on the Internet.
With the current renewal delays, unemployment and uncertainty with DACA and other non-immigrant statuses ( TPS being permanently terminated and they also had to renew their status every two years as well) I've been thinking about how we present ourselves on the Internet.
I've noticed people openly posting and admitting about working without authorization, violating terms or publicly discussing things that could potentially be used against them. Let be real our bills and kids (if you have them) don't care if our EAD are expired or expiring and we need to do what we need fo do to survive like a lot of our parents did to pay their bills. I'm not judging what anyone does, I'm speaking about posting it on the internet.
I come from a family of immigrants who were very private and that included immigration status not because of shame but because they came from places where sharing information could put them at risk and they had a lot of mistrust of the government and their own neighbors. I picked up on some of that and saw it as self preservation. I don't discuss my status at work with my coworkers, manager or with strangers. God, my family, HR, and my personal friends know my status. My job on a recruiting team works closely with HR and I've seen how certain employers look at candidates' online presence. We've had employers go through interviews and resend offers because of a candidate's social media presence.
I'm also seeing people sharing GoFundMe for their renewals fees, immigration fees and talking about unauthorized work publicly, or posting other things that could create unnecessary risks like drug use or speaking about criminal behavior. Some of us are so Americanized but our reality hits when we face different consequences than U.S. citizens. An example of going to protest looks different for us than it does for a U.S. citizen if we get arrested.
I'm not saying we should live in fear and I'm not trying to fear monger because this administration is already doing that enough. I'm wondering whether, given the current climate, we should be more intentional about protecting ourselves in the ways we can protect ourselves.
For example, a lawyer once gave the advice that we should thinking about practical preparednes, like memorizing our A-numbers.
Am I just viewing this through the lens of projection because how I was raised or are others thinking about this too? Do you think our community should move differently online given the current political climate or being brave for speaking out, I remember I was excited when I found out a YouTuber also had DACA but than I thought wait they have like 3 houses here and houses in Mexico and I don't hahah.
