What Trump’s press secretary calls “the largest massive deportation operation in history” is underway. In defense of the sweep, Majority Leader Mike Johnson says that “waves” of migrants are “overwhelming our communities.” The implication is that the number of undocumented immigrants is soaring. Trump claims that the “wave” of illegal immigration has led to a surge in violent crime, and the administration says that the ongoing deportations are aimed at removing “known criminal aliens.” Not one of these claims is true.
Democrats have a better solution to the problems at the southern border. Working with Senate Republicans, Democrats introduced legislation last year that could have boosted the number of border guards, increased staffing for entry procedures and asylum claims, and streamlined the review process so that it would no longer take 5–7 years for an immigrant’s asylum claim to be heard. The bill was gathering support when then-candidate Trump announced his opposition. Reportedly, Trump wanted the border to remain disordered so that he could campaign on the issue.
Is the “wave” of illegal immigration real? No. The total number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is slightly below the level it was in 2008 at the end of the eight-year George W. Bush administration. Because of active, orderly deportation programs under Democratic and Republican administrations alike, the number of undocumented immigrants in the country has been relatively stable for the past 15 years. There is no “wave” of illegal immigration.
Are undocumented immigrants responsible for a surge in violent crime? No. There is no increase in crime. A recent report on crime in forty top cities finds that rates of violent crime are back down to pre-pandemic levels – the lowest they have been in 5 years. Moreover, undocumented immigrants have a much lower crime rate than native-born citizens. A government study found that “undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes.” A private nonprofit group found that “[a]s a group, immigrants have had lower incarceration rates than the US-born for 150 years.” There is no migrant crime surge.
Is the current operation targeting immigrants for deportation who have a criminal background as the administration claims? No. Trump officials also said this about deportations during his first term, but evidence later revealed that many of those arrested had no record at all or had only committed driving offenses. Now Trump has ordered Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to arrest 1200 people per day, a figure that leaves no time to prioritize arrests of people with a criminal background. The administration admits that many of those arrested on an early day of 1200 arrests did not have a criminal record. The ongoing deportation operation is not, in practice, targeted at undocumented immigrants with a criminal history.
The White House press secretary has tried to rewrite Trump’s claim by saying that everyone in the country is a criminal just by virtue of being here illegally. This is not true. Illegal entry is not a criminal offense. It’s a civil offense. Moreover, this is the same White House that just released over 1500 convicted January 6 rioters from prison, including 170 accused or convicted of using a deadly weapon. This administration’s concern for law and order does not extend to keeping these dangerous criminals off the streets.
Whatever Trump’s purposes in imposing his deportation program, his goal is not to keep Americans safe.
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