A casual observer visiting the U.S. might conclude that we
are preparing for war against a dangerous enemy – undocumented immigrants. Indeed, the evidence of such “war preparations” are unmistakable and
consequential to many of us:
·
Thousands of undocumented immigrants have been “booked”
or in the process of being deported – 65
percent, however, did not have any criminal convictions according to recent ICE
Enforcement data analyzed by The Cato institute that included 204,297
detainees.[i]
Moreover, 93 percent of these detainees were never convicted of any violent
crime; (see Figure below)
·
Raids are taking place at workplaces, residences and other public areas to apprehend undocumented immigrants;[ii]
·
As a consequence of the birthright
citizenship legislation, the children of detained undocumented parents may
also face deportation – a legislation that is disapproved by 50 percent of
Americans according to a recent report by Pew Research; [iii]
an interesting historical note reveals that in 2017 an investigation revealed
that wealthy Russians were using Trump properties to secure dual-citizenship
for their babies. [iv]
·
Creation of Alligator Alcatraz – a
migrant detention facility in Florida that is surrounded by alligators and
pythons – will be used to detain 5,000 immigrants at a cost of $450 million a year to
taxpayers; the Alcatraz name, presence of predators and remote location in the
Everglades are meant as a deterrent to discourage illegal crossings; [v]
·
Local communities are being militarized
by the National Guard that are being deployed to assist in the apprehension of
undocumented immigrants, disrupting communities by separating mixed status
families and removing persons with long-standing ties to the U.S. Moreover, time spent on nontraditional missions—such as immigration enforcement—reduces the National Guard’s ability to train for core functions (serving in combat overseas, responding to natural and manmade disasters). [vi]
This war against undocumented immigrants was a key component
of Trump’s successful 2024 election and resulted in a significant reduction in
border apprehensions and the decrease of undocumented immigrants residing in
the U.S. It’s success, however, rested on the premise that undocumented
immigrants were primarily responsible for the higher rates of violent crime that
threatened the safety of all Americans. Most Americans did not question this premise
and believed that undocumented immigrants were indeed a real threat to the
nation’s security and economy. To
further drive this point home, the 2024 campaign focused significant attention
on the small number of homicides of American citizens by undocumented
immigrants which pales in comparison to the numerous deaths resulting from a
history of mass shootings committed by native-born Americans – not undocumented
immigrants. Moreover, little attention was devoted in the media to reports by
The Cato Institute – recognized experts on crime and immigration – that concluded
that undocumented and documented immigrants have lower crime rates than
native-born Americans. [vii]
The consequences of this war against undocumented immigrants
have been devastating to local communities and various industries. Immigrants are living in fear of family
members being deported and have minimized or stopped visitations to retail
places, medical facilities or other places where they could be apprehended. A
recent Pew Research study confirms that 43 percent of U.S. immigrants worry
that they or someone close to them could be deported. [viii]
The inhumanity of these raids was illustrated when one undocumented immigrant
was tackled by ICE agents at his workplace – a father to three sons who had
served as U.S. Marines. To help immigrants avoid apprehension by ICE, one
company created an app called ICEBlock that alerts immigrants to ICE sitings
within five miles. Further, significant labor shortages are
occurring in industries where the undocumented often work, such as agriculture,
hotels, restaurants, and construction.
Such dangerous, low-paying jobs are not usually replaced by native-born
American workers. In a recent CNN broadcast, President Trump softened his
immigration tone to avoid worker shortages in such industries, clearly a
response to companies in these industries that are suffering economically from
these shortages. [ix]
The research and scientific communities are also being
impacted by Trump’s immigration policies. For example, a brain drain is being
created from the slashing of research funding across various disciplines, while
immigrant graduate and professional students have had their visas
cancelled. Immigrant scientists, both
present and future, are being forced to look elsewhere for continuing support. [x]
Of considerable concern to all communities – scientific and
non-scientific – are trends that are complicating the counting of the U.S.
population. For example, immigrants who live in fear of disclosing information
about their families are refusing to respond to surveys in increasing numbers, especially
in studies sponsored by government agencies.
Even more concerning are efforts by the current administration to introduce
legislation that excludes undocumented immigrants from the next 10-year census
of the U.S. population, even though the Constitution currently requires the
counting of all residents living in the U.S. [xi]
Such legislation would have significant
political implications since the 10-year census count is used to apportion
House seats, determine the number of votes each state gets in the Electoral
College for selecting the president, and a key determinant in the flow of trillions
of dollars in government funds. [xii]
Are immigrants an enemy of the U.S.? Of course not. They come to the U.S. primarily to seek an
improved quality of life for their families, not to commit crimes. Historically, immigrants have contributed significantly to the building of the U.S. economy
and security in such area as:
·
Defense of our nation in times of war, often
earning medals of honor;
·
Tax contributions that have kept the social
security system solvent;
·
Accelerated growth of business enterprises that
employ many Americans;
·
Elevated production of intellectual property
that sustains our competitive advantage in the global marketplace and
technological security; and
·
Numerous other contributions that are evident in
the arts, science, and medicine.
While the demonizing of undocumented immigrants may have
been considered a necessary component for winning the 2024 Presidential election,
its continuation is accelerating the harm being experienced by immigrant families
in the U.S. As currently practiced,
immigration policies do not represent the best investment in our nation’s
future and designed to diminish the presence, dignity and contributions of
immigrants who have historically taken a significant role in the building of
our nation.
[i]
Bier, D.J. (June 20, 2025). 65 Percent of People Taken by ICE
Had No Convictions, 93 Percent No Violent Convictions, CATO Blog Institute. Retrieved at: https://www.cato.org/blog/65-people-taken-ice-had-no-convictions-93-no-violent-convictions
[ii]
E. C. (July 5 2025). Analysis of ICE
Raids in 2025: Targeted Locations and Methods of Identifying Undocumented
Immigrants, The Immigrants Journal.
Retrieved at: https://theimmigrantsjournal.com/analysis-of-ice-raids-in-2025-targeted-locations-and-methods-of-identifying-undocumented-immigrants/
[iii] Ziyao T., Cahn, A., Martinez, G, Mukherjee,
S. (June 10, 2025). U.S. public is split on birthright citizenship for people
whose parents immigrated illegally,
Retrieved at: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/10/us-public-is-split-on-birthright-citizenship-for-people-whose-parents-immigrated-illegally/
[iv] Pavey, H.
(September 7, 2017). “Wealthy
Russians are flocking to give birth at Trump’s luxury US resorts so their kids
can have dual-citizenship,” The
Standard. Retrieved at: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/russians-flock-to-give-birth-at-trump-s-properties-in-the-us-so-their-kids-can-have-dualcitizenship-a3628971.html
[v] Andersen, C. (July 3, 2025). First immigration detainees arrive at
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida Everglades, PBS News, Retrieved at: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/first-immigration-detainees-arrive-at-alligator-alcatraz-in-florida-everglades
[vi] Banks, W. and Nevitt, M. (June 11, 2025),
“The Mounting Crisis of Militarizing Immigration Enforcement.” Just Security, Retrieved at: https://www.justsecurity.org/114395/the-mounting-crisis-of-militarizing-immigration-enforcement/
[vii] Landgrave, M. and Nowrasteh, A. (April 24,
2025). “Illegal Immigrant Incarceration
Rates, 2010–2023: Demographics of Incarcerated Immigrants,” Policy Analysis no.
994, Cato Institute, Washington, DC, Retrieved at: https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/illegal- immigrant-incarceration-rates-2010-2023
[viii] Noe-Bustamante, L., Im, C., and Hugo
Lopez, M. (June 27, 2025). “About 1 in 4
U.S. adults worry they or someone close to them could be deported.” Pew Research Center. Retrieved at: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/27/about-1-in-4-us-adults-worry-they-or-someone-close-to-them-could-be-deported/
[ix] Blitzer, W.
(July 4, 2025). “Trump Softens
Immigration Tone To Avoid Farm Worker Shortage.” CNN.com,
Retrieved at: https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/sitroom/date/2025-07-04/segment/03
[x] Rao, D. (2025). Scientists are the latest
'refugees'. The Week US, Retrieved at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/scientists-are-the-latest-refugees/ar-AA1HVk4i?ocid=BingNewsSerp
[xi] Weingarten, B. (June 27, 2025) ”Who Counts? Trump Poised To Try To Remove
Non-citizens From Census Chronicles,”
Retrieved at: https://chroniclesmagazine.org/web/who-counts-trump-poised-to-try-to-remove-noncitizens-from-census/
[xii] Ross, C.V.
(June 2023). Uses of Decennial Census Programs Data in Federal Funds
Distribution: Fiscal Year 2021, United States Census Bureau. Retrieved at: https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2023/dec/census-data-federal-funds.html
