Cruelty in Immigration Policy and the Price of Apathy

The mass deportation efforts being carried out by the Trump Administration are deplorable displays of racial profiling and unconstitutional violence. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are not targeting “serious criminal offenders” or, as President Trump says, “the worst of the worst.” Across the country, we are watching as masked, armed “tactical agents” pursue working-class people. They are kidnapping day laborers tending to landscapes, families selling produce, parents attending their children’s graduation and men working at construction sites.

The detention centers holding these detainees are overcrowded and are described as “cages,” with inadequate temperature control, insufficient hygiene, and substandard nutrition. The separation of families is not merely an outcome of deportation efforts; it is an intentional tactic to incite fear and discomfort. As is often stated, “the cruelty is the point.”

Let’s make this clear: Donald Trump is not the pioneer of racism disguised as policy. Bill Clinton built our country's first walls. George W. Bush enlarged the Border Patrol to assuage the nation’s fear after 9/11. Barack Obama deported more people than any previous U.S. president. Joe Biden did little to alter the immigration policies of Donald Trump’s first term.

The United States government's apathetic policy can be traced back to our country’s founding. Look to The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 for proof of our early anxieties regarding immigration.

In history books, we learn about Hitler's rise to power, and our stomachs twist as we conceptualize how the murder of 11 million people was rationalized by claims of racial inferiority. The legal institution of human slavery from 1776 until 1865 is regarded as a deeply shameful and regrettable piece of American history. Our inexcusable participation in the Vietnam War still garners confusion and debate. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forcibly relocated thousands of Native Americans, including the Cherokee, on the devastating "Trail of Tears," where thousands died.

So many chapters in U.S. history remain deeply embarrassing and regrettable. Their recurring presence in literature and media exists to remind us of humanity's dangerous potential. We ask ourselves, how can this happen? Why didn't my ancestors intervene earlier?

Today, we have that chance. Do not stand by as Donald Trump spews hateful rhetoric and creates an environment of fear and hostility. Do not allow ICE agents to tear apart families and communities. Do not fall victim to apathy. Do not remain complicit.

Remember, families belong together, and no one is illegal on stolen land. Do not trade your empathy for the assuagement of present discomfort, because I guarantee, history will not treat you kindly.