Immigration

Over the years, various administrations have faced the challenge of immigration (both legal and illegal) to the US. Like many political topics, there are multiple perspectives on how to address it, and no solution will be universally accepted. As conflicts, hunger, governmental failures, and other global issues compel people to seek better living conditions, the situation continues to worsen. Illegal immigration was a key focus of the current administration's campaign during the last election. Their plan to deport all illegal immigrants en masse resonated with the right—not only with the MAGA hard-right extremists but also with what might be considered moderate Republicans (an oxymoron) today. Many did not actually anticipate the mass deportations to occur, as their candidate often proposed some of the most absurd ideas. Yet, it is happening with the usual chaotic execution we've come to expect. Illegal immigrants who have committed crimes and undocumented immigrants, in general, have been targeted, and rightly so in many cases. However, documented immigrants (who have not violated their visas or committed a crime) are also being affected by this process, with insufficient effort to distinguish them from undocumented illegal immigrants and criminals.

While I do want to recognize the administration for at least reducing the flow of illegal immigrants at the southern border, supporting hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants is unsustainable even for the world's wealthiest nation, regardless of your viewpoint. Although there is some debate over the definition of "deportation," the Obama administration actually deported more individuals than any other. However, the current administration's harsh and indiscriminate approach reveals the dark side of the US by overstepping and ignoring the fact that some immigrants are here legally! There have been calls to even end birthright citizenship—a constitutional right! If you only follow Fox or read X posts, you might not be aware of the legal immigrants caught up in mass deportations and harassed by ICE. ICE carries out its duties with a zeal reminiscent of the Nazi party's brown shirts in pre-WWII Germany. The administration is filled with poorly prepared cabinet members (heads of DoD and Health and Human Services are prime examples) and advisors, but the Border Czar (look him up) was perhaps their best choice. He is unapologetically harsh, lacks compassion, and his interviews evoke images of Bull Connor, the Alabama Sheriff who ordered the assault and hosing down of civil rights marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

I recognize that challenging decisions must be made concerning immigration, particularly illegal immigration in the US, but is offering American citizenship for sale truly the best approach? Is charging wealthy foreigners a $5 million fee for a "gold card" really the solution to our immigration crisis? It seems we've moved away from "give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" (as inscribed on the Statue of Liberty) to "give us your ultra-rich who care only about themselves and oppress the masses." We need to continue addressing our immigration issues, but indiscriminately targeting entire communities is not the answer. I do acknowledge this about the administration: their policies have made the US less attractive to immigrants. Why would they want to leave countries ruled by ruthless dictators, lacking rule of law, where they can't meet basic needs and face harassment, threats, and lack of rights and opportunities, for a country offering more of the same? That's a strategy/policy that seems to be working!