President Donald Trump’s planned mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in the United States have highlighted the administration’s ugly, unethical values. The deportations have torn families apart, inciting fear and devastation among innocent people. While his administration has stressed the importance of deporting serious criminal offenders, recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have indicated otherwise.
Mass deportations were a focal point in Trump’s election campaign, where he promised to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” We have already begun to see this plan take shape as ICE has made nearly 7,400 migrant arrests in major cities. The agency even arrested up to 1,200 migrants in one day, nearly half of whom, according to a senior Trump administration official, were nonviolent and didn’t have criminal records. The Trump administration announced that federal immigration enforcement agencies can now conduct raids in schools, hospitals and places of worship, revoking policies limiting where arrests could happen.
Some raids were accused of taking place without a proper warrant. For reference, the agency is prohibited to enter private areas without permission or a warrant granted by a judge. According to the mayor of Newark, N.J., ICE raided a local business in the city on Jan. 23 without a warrant and detained a group of both undocumented immigrants and American citizens, among which was a U.S. military veteran. On Jan. 28, ICE detained a legal migrant in Ohio who had been working in the U.S. for 30 years. These unlawful detentions showcase the agency’s overall disregard for the search and seizure rights outlined in the Fourth Amendment.
I believe that Trump has continuously shown blatant disregard for the U.S. Constitution. He recently issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship, which is a direct violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment that guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. A federal judge has taken issue to block this order. This violation underscores the worrisome and unlawful lengths Trump will go to accomplish his immigration ideals.
Additionally, White House border czar Tom Homan revealed that the Trump administration is seeking access to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an independent program that cares for unaccompanied immigrant adolescents. Trump has also proposed plans to house migrants at Guantánamo Bay, a military prison notorious for inmate abuse. While he has claimed this will only hold violent criminals, recent actions have shown how ICE has instead detained numerous non-violent individuals. I predict that such a blanket villainization of immigrants will most likely result in the detainment of nonviolent immigrants, as well. The fact that schools, businesses and social media users have resorted to sharing basic information about immigration rights demonstrates the unethical violations that are occurring as a result of Trump’s agenda.
I believe that these mass ICE raids and the spread of anti-immigrant sentiment are purely immoral and inhumane. In the search for a better and safer life, migrants instead are imprisoned and torn from their families. There’s no reason a mother trying to support her babies should be suddenly ripped away from her loved ones. These migrants do not deserve such treatment for simply seeking a better life — they are human beings.
People of every race, religion, ethnicity or nationality commit crimes. Crimes, not demographics, constitute criminals. Generalizing undocumented immigrants as criminals, rapists and drug dealers only furthers harmful narratives and categorizes the entire group as dangerous. In reality, a large population of undocumented migrants don’t have criminal records. In fact, U.S. civilians commit more crimes per capita than immigrants. Instead of directing the time and energy to address real, violent perpetrators — such as school shooters — the Trump administration seems more concerned with maintaining a native, American-born country. He uses fear-mongering tactics, such as boasting about the (actual) criminals ICE has detained while disregarding the innocence of other detainees. These are migrants that pay taxes, often working jobs that Americans won’t. In California alone, undocumented immigrants contribute $8.5 billion in taxes, and in 2022, they paid $96.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes. Trump’s deportation plans even contradict his promises for lower prices and a stronger economy, as a massive decrease in the workforce would lead to labor shortages and unemployment, and thus higher demand and prices.
On the issue of immigration, Trump’s blatant racism and xenophobia has been clear throughout his time in politics.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Trump said when announcing his candidacy for president in 2015.
Trump’s mass deportation of immigrants has spread heartbreak across the country, with many fearing that their families will be ripped apart and detaining those who contribute to our communities. It has been devastating to witness, and his failure to properly address immigration has only furthered racism and xenophobia in our country.
