With the recent inauguration of Donald Trump, there have been many news headlines and discussions pertaining immigration. Immigration has been a hot topic in US politics for the past several years, with many people choosing to vote in the 2024 election because of immigration issues. Unfortunate situations blown out of proportion in the media to be framed as an immigration issue have only contributed to the polarization in US pertaining immigration. Our current administration only fuels this with current President Donald Trump stating false claims of Haitian immigrants eating cats on national television this past fall in addition to many other hateful comments about immigrants. With such misinformation and misleading information forming the opinions of Americans all over the country, it is of utmost importance to critically analyze and ensure credibility of news.
disclaimer
As a child of immigrants and someone who grew up in a melting pot of a community of immigrants, I empathize with immigrants in a manner that I feel helps me view the issue of immigration in a more humane way. I understand my bias behind my opinions on the subject and fully acknowledge that I am drawn to pro-immigration policies as a result. However, it is important for everyone to also acknowledge their unique perspective and identity and the role that plays in their opinion on the subject. I believe that empathy is an essential skill to have in relation to this. Whatever your opinion may be, immigrants are also humans with families and lives just as you are. Unless you are Native American, your ancestors also came to this country at one point or another just immigrants now are seeking to. It is by chance that you happen to be on the luckier side of outcomes. Referring to humans as “illegal” or “aliens” is degrading and reeks of racist ideology used to pin one group as superior to the other. I will refrain from using such language to discuss immigrants or undocumented immigrants and implore you to as well.
why don’t they just come legally?
This idiotic question that comes up time and time again only has one answer: because they can’t. Focus on deterrence only immigration policies limits the legal pathways for immigrants to come to the US and has not proven to reduce illegal immigration. Even Trump’s 2016 administration had to acknowledge that severe policies such as family separation, a part of the “Zero Tolerance” policy to decrease illegal immigration, did not have the intended effect.
Not only are these policies ineffective, they are costly. In 2024 a whopping $19.6 billion was given to Customs and Border Protection and $9.6 billion for ICE. That wall that you heard so much about during the 2016 election that was supposed to solve our immigration issue cost $15 billion and did not deter illegal immigration. Why it can be justified to increase spending on policies that have proven not to work yet cut federal funding for essential programs such as the Department of Education is beyond me but, let me not spiral. It is also very expensive for immigrants themselves with average costs ranging from $1,200 – $8,000. Seeing as many immigrants are seeking to come here for better economic opportunities and to escape terrible conditions, this high cost only serves to discourage legal immigration.
In addition, many Americans seem to turn into fans of law enforcement only when it comes to the topic of immigration. Before you point fingers and criticize someone for breaking the law to lead a better life for themselves and their family, remember that underage drinking, streaking the lawn, and owning a fake ID are also against the law. Do not fancy yourself to be a star citizen and caring for following the rules only when it comes to the issue of immigration.
well they’re bringing crime & drugs … and eating cats!
Media is quite powerful and has the power of making us look like fools. People of color are not afforded the privilege of not being the spokespeople for their race and ethnicity and bad examples of people are stretched to make representatives of entire groups. The case of an undocumented immigrant, Zapeta-Calil, drunkenly murdering Debra Kawam on a train by setting her on fire perfectly exemplifies this. While his actions were terrible, they are not representative of the majority of immigrants. Generally, there is absolutely no evidence that undocumented immigrants bring violent crime. Studies actually show that they are less likely to commit crimes than US born citizens, especially out of fear of having their status revealed. Exceptions to the general case should be viewed with caution and not made to represent the whole. We do not say that all White Americans bring dangers to school even though the majority of mass shooters have been white. The luxury of a few bad apples not being made as spokespeople for an entire group should be afforded to immigrants as well.
The hypocrisy of only caring for issues when it can be contorted as evidence against immigrants can further be seen in the case of the murder of 22 year old Laken Riley by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant. Donald Trump commented on this case claiming it would not have happened in the absence of Biden’s pro-immigrant policies. This case served to fuel Trump’s vendetta against immigrants for which he said in 2016 that Mexicans were “bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people”. For him to pretend to care about the death or rape of a woman when he has 24 allegations of rape or sexual assault against him is comical. It is quite ironic for him to claim care for women’s lives when he is a strong advocate for banning abortion seeing as there was a 56% increase in the deaths of pregnant women in Texas after their abortion ban.
My case is that people become very selective when it comes to immigration, picking and choosing to care about issues they wouldn’t glance at twice had the perpetrator not been undocumented. If we are going to choose to ignore that the majority of immigrants do not commit crimes and highlight the few that we do, we should extend that same persecution to US citizens as well. Using real cases of suffering such as the tragic death of Debra Kawam and Laken Riley as a “gotcha” moment in immigration debates is disrespectful to them and shows ingenuine care for their deaths
immigrants make the world go round
In 2023, 14.3% of the US population was made up of immigrants. The contributions of immigrants can be seen everywhere you go. They are your professors and classmates, the engineers that made the phone you’re using, the kind lady that cleans your dorm bathroom everyday, and the farmers that worked endlessly to harvest the food that you get to eat with the swipe of your student ID. They are not the ones stealing your jobs, rather the ones doing the jobs that you do not want to do. They are expanding and strengthening our economy and helping our country grow more diverse. They are what makes the United States so unique. In so much focus on everything immigrants do wrong, we lose face of everything they contribute.
In the first month of Trump’s new term there have been massive waves of deportations, affecting my own community at home. These have had horrible consequences for people who, after struggling to get here and for many have been settled in, are having their entire lives uprooted. The fear of deportation and rise in anti-immigrant sentiment is also having drastic effects on the mental health of young children of immigrants with 11 year old Jocelynn Carranza committing suicide on February 3rd after being bullied and threatened to have ICE called on her by her schoolmates.
final thoughts
Whichever the way the media can spin it, the fact is that immigrants do not come to the US seeking to create violence or stir trouble. They are coming to seek better lives and opportunity, many of them escaping terrible conditions at home. They do not bother you and in fact help improve this country. When considering your stance on immigration issues, self reflect on how much of it is based on biased information and how much is rooted not in facts but blatant xenophobia. In the face of a time of division and hatred within our society, I implore you all to have empathy and extend your sense of humanity to those who are different from you.