Recently, President Donald Trump announced his plans to declare a state of emergency at the border, utilizing the National Guard for mass deportations. This is a controversial measure that is getting a lot of push back even from some Republicans. like U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales from San Antonio, Texas, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Yet, the rhetoric surrounding the debate is reminiscent of a debate that happened 20 years ago, over another controversial immigration measure.
In late 2005, The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act (H.R. 4437) passed the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the bill’s most controversial aspects was its proposal to elevate penalties for illegal immigration from civil deportation to criminal jail time. And while the bill was aimed specifically at illegal immigrants, the media’s coverage painted it as an attack on all Latinos, whether here legally or not.
The bill ultimately failed in the Senate, but the rhetoric surrounding it created an atmosphere of panic. Many on the left painted Republicans as racists intent on punishing all immigrants, regardless of their legal status, making it seem like a national crisis was imminent.
It was this divisive rhetoric that spurred me into political action when I was 12 years old, and soon became an anti-American activist, eventually joining the extreme left and the anti-fascist movement.
Fast forward to today, and we’re hearing the same type of fearmongering. For instance, Joshua Reed Eakle, president of Project Liberal, an anti-Trump organization, claimed that Trump is “declaring fake crises to justify domestic deployment of the military against American citizens.”
Meanwhile, Makren Tumlin, the director of the Justice Action Center, stated, “President-elect Trump’s dystopian fantasies should send a chill down everyone’s spine, whether immigrant or native-born.”
This utter nonsense reminds me of the incendiary rhetoric I encountered as a youth. It’s designed to stir up panic, to present the issue of immigration enforcement as an existential threat to the American citizens. But the truth is, fearmongering like this only undermines the possibility of a constructive conversation about immigration policy and only serves to radicalize young people, as I was.
Illegal immigration is out of control in the United States as a result of the Biden administration’s reckless open-border policies. Acknowledging this fact is the humane thing to do. It should start with acknowledging that migrant crime is a real problem.
Recently, Laken Riley’s killer, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, was found guilty of her murder. Stopping the migrant crisis means protecting women like Laken, who should never have to face violence from violent individuals who shouldn’t have been allowed to enter the country in the first place.
But migrant crime is more than just a single murder. Violent immigrant gangs, like Tren de Aragua, have set up shop in 16 states and they pose a real threat to our safety. I understand why President Trump wants to declare a state of emergency – because there is one.
However, as an immigrant myself who recently became a U.S. citizen, I believe we also have to consider the millions of law-abiding, hard-working people who simply want to give their children a better future by immigrating to America. They are victims of a broken system that makes it nearly impossible to legally enter this country, and whose presence is a net benefit to America.
But we cannot have a meaningful conversation about these issues until we ensure the safety of all Americans. The border must be secured, and migrant-related crime reduced before we can address the broader immigration problem. The safety of American citizens must come first. Until we recognize that people like Trump, who want to protect American citizens, are not evil or racist, we’ll never reach a fair compromise.
The conversation surrounding immigration has been tainted for several decades by fear, hyperbole, and division. We must stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated by divisive rhetoric and start working towards practical, fair solutions. Until then, fearmongering will only continue to harm our country.
