Let’s be honest: Unless you are 100% Native American, your family came from somewhere else. Whether your ancestors arrived centuries ago on the Mayflower, passed through Ellis Island with nothing but a suitcase, or crossed the southern border just last year, at some point, someone in your family made the decision to leave their homeland and start fresh in America. That decision—to take a risk, to seek out a better future, to believe in something greater—is what defines this country. America is a nation of immigrants. It always has been, and it always will be.
Trump’s Policies Betray That History
Yet today, we’re seeing policies that deny that truth. The latest immigration actions by the Trump administration—ramping up deportations, tightening asylum rules, and making legal immigration nearly impossible for many—are not just cruel. They are a betrayal of the very soul and promise of America. These policies undermine the foundation on which the country was built, pushing a narrative that immigrants are outsiders rather than the very people who make America thrive.
A closer look at these policies reveals that many were enacted during the Trump administration, further solidifying an exclusionary approach to immigration. In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security expanded the “public charge” rule, making it more difficult for immigrants to obtain green cards if they had used certain public benefits. In 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13769, known as the “Muslim Ban,” which suspended entry from several Muslim-majority countries and reduced the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. Policies such as the “Remain in Mexico” program forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico during their U.S. asylum process, exposing them to dangerous conditions.
The administration’s policies also led to drastic slowdowns in processing green cards and work visas, creating uncertainty for immigrants and their employers. President Trump attempted to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, leaving hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children in limbo. Additionally, the administration reduced the refugee admissions cap and sought to end programs like Temporary Protected Status (TPS), threatening the legal status of many immigrants. Policies requiring extreme vetting and excessive documentation resulted in increased denials and prolonged visa processing times. Finally, the administration established a denaturalization task force to investigate and potentially revoke the citizenship of naturalized citizens based on minor infractions, creating fear among immigrant communities.
These policies not only contradict the values America has historically upheld; they also betray the spirit of inclusivity and opportunity that has defined the nation for generations. Throughout history, the U.S. has prided itself on being a beacon of hope for those seeking freedom, a land where people from all corners of the world could build new lives and contribute to the country’s growth. The Trump administration’s actions represent a stark departure from this tradition, favoring exclusion over the embrace of immigrants who have long been integral to America’s identity and success. These policies stand in direct opposition to the nation’s founding principles, threatening the very essence of what makes America a land of opportunity for all.
Here’s the irony: Donald Trump’s own family history is deeply rooted in immigration. His grandfather, Friedrich Trump, emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1885, seeking economic opportunities. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in Scotland and moved to the U.S. in the 1930s in search of a better life. Despite his own immigrant heritage, Trump’s policies and rhetoric often targeted the very communities that reflect his family’s journey, highlighting the contradictions in his stance on immigration.
Imagine America Without Immigrants
Think about what America would look like if immigrants had never come. No railroads spanning the country, because it was Chinese and Irish immigrants who built them. No skyscrapers in our cities, because European immigrants and their children constructed them. No Silicon Valley, because many of the most successful tech companies—Google, Tesla, and Apple, to name just a few—were founded by immigrants or their children. No jazz, no hip-hop, no country music, because Black, Latino, and immigrant communities shaped those sounds. No pizza, no bagels, no tacos, no sushi, no Vietnamese pho, no Ethiopian injera.
And this isn’t just about the past. Immigrants are the backbone of America today. They are farmworkers who put food on our tables, doctors who treat us in hospitals, teachers who educate our children, small-business owners who keep our economy thriving, and scientists who drive innovation. They contribute billions in taxes yet are often denied the benefits their money helps fund. They raise families, serve in the military, and give back to their communities—and this country.
Yet despite their enormous contributions, immigrants are too often overlooked, underpaid, and denied basic rights. Farmworkers, many of whom are undocumented, endure grueling conditions in the fields to harvest the fruits and vegetables that end up in our grocery stores, yet they lack protections like healthcare, fair wages, and safe working conditions. Immigrant doctors and nurses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been on the front lines saving lives, even as some faced visa restrictions that threatened their ability to stay in the country. Teachers who immigrated here educate the next generation of Americans, yet many struggle with work visa bureaucracy that prevents them from gaining permanent status. Small-business owners, from neighborhood restaurants to high-tech startups, create jobs and drive local economies but often face discriminatory lending practices and legal barriers that make it harder to succeed. And while immigrants pay billions in taxes—supporting public schools, Social Security, and infrastructure—they are frequently excluded from government programs like Medicaid or stimulus relief simply because of their immigration status. The contradiction is glaring: America relies on immigrants for its prosperity, yet policies continue to treat them as expendable rather than essential.
The Dangers of Nationalism
At the root of many of these harsh immigration policies is nationalism—an ideology that promotes the idea that a country belongs solely to a specific group of people, often at the exclusion of others. While patriotism is about pride in one’s country, nationalism takes it a step further, turning that pride into a belief that certain people are more deserving of rights, opportunities, and protections than others. It breeds an “us versus them” mentality, where immigrants are scapegoated for societal problems, even when the facts show otherwise. Nationalism fuels myths that immigrants take jobs, drain resources, and threaten cultural identity, ignoring the reality that immigration has always been a driving force behind America’s prosperity.
The dangers of nationalism go far beyond policy—it shapes public attitudes, encourages discrimination, and can lead to real-world violence. When a government dehumanizes immigrants, it emboldens individuals and extremist groups to do the same. Hate crimes against immigrants have risen in recent years, fueled by rhetoric that paints them as criminals or invaders rather than neighbors, coworkers, and fellow human beings. Nationalism also weakens democracy by fostering division and discouraging diversity, the very thing that has made the United States strong. A country that turns inward, shutting out those who seek a better life, does not become greater—it becomes stagnant, fearful, and isolated. If history has taught us anything, it’s that nations that embrace diversity thrive, while those that succumb to nationalism ultimately falter.
The Cost of Fear
The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration doesn’t just harm immigrants—it harms all of us. Policies based on fear push people into the shadows. Families are afraid to take their children to the doctor, worried that they’ll be targeted for using public services. Victims of crime are afraid to report abuse or violence because they don’t want to risk deportation. This is especially devastating for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, who may feel trapped in dangerous situations because seeking help could mean being detained or deported. Abusers and traffickers know this and exploit it, using immigration status as a weapon to control their victims.
Beyond that, countless immigrants are living completely under the radar, unable to access even the most basic assistance. Many avoid hospitals and clinics, even in medical emergencies, because they fear being reported to authorities. They forgo housing aid, food assistance, and other social services they desperately need, not because they don’t qualify, but because they fear exposing themselves to an immigration system that has become increasingly hostile. Even children suffer, with some parents too afraid to enroll them in school or apply for benefits they are legally entitled to. This climate of fear doesn’t just harm individuals—it tears at the fabric of our communities, leaving people isolated, vulnerable, and unable to fully participate in society. A country that forces people to live in fear is not stronger or safer; it is fractured and diminished.
Fear-based immigration policies also damage our economy. Many industries, especially agriculture, construction, and healthcare, rely on immigrant labor. When undocumented workers are pushed out, businesses struggle to find replacements. That leads to labor shortages, higher prices, and economic instability. Despite what anti-immigrant rhetoric claims, the U.S. economy needs immigrants to thrive.
America Has Always Been Stronger When It Opens Its Doors
The idea that immigration is a “problem” is a blatant lie. Immigration isn’t a problem—it’s the reason America exists. Every generation of immigrants has faced discrimination. The Irish were called criminals. The Italians were labeled as dangerous. The Chinese were banned outright for decades. But every single time, those communities proved their worth, enriching the nation in ways that couldn’t have been imagined at the time.
And yet, here we are again—demonizing immigrants, treating them as less than human, and pretending that shutting them out will somehow make America great.
It won’t.
America has always been at its best when it welcomes those willing to work hard, dream big, and contribute to the country.I don’t recognize this version of a country that once prided itself on welcoming the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. If we truly believe in the American Dream, we can’t turn our backs on the people who still come here searching for it. We have to reject policies driven by fear and embrace the reality that immigrants are, and always will be, the heartbeat of this nation. America is not great in spite of immigrants—it is great because of them.
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