Immigration debates often circle back to the idea of “doing things the right way.” As a lawyer who has sued every President since George W. Bush for perceived failures, I successfully challenged President Donald Trump’s attempts to end DACA. However, the current situation is unprecedented.
Trump claims his immigration policies target undocumented migrants—those he believes didn’t come here “the right way.” However, his administration is rapidly closing existing legal pathways for migrants. This could result in a more dysfunctional and cruel system where no “right way” to enter the U.S. exists.
Trump’s campaign promised “mass deportation,” theoretically targeting only those without documentation. But even those who entered legally face , , or even . He even mentioned being in “” sending American citizens to foreign prisons.
The false idea that mass deportation would only affect undocumented individuals has facilitated sweeping abductions of individuals and families living and working peacefully across the country. It has also for attacking immigrants who are trying to follow U.S. immigration laws in the hope of securing legal protections.
Despite their “law and order” rhetoric, the Trump Administration rarely acts “the right way.” The concept of immigrants doing things “the right way” has been twisted into a hateful narrative, a mythical “illegal criminal migrant” infiltrating white communities, as Trump and his allies often warn.
Consider the Trump administration’s view of people applying for legal status as “criminal migrants.” This process typically takes years, even decades.
These individuals have lived in the U.S. and diligently pursued legal status for years. They attend , pay attorney and application fees, and wait for the chance to find peace in their home.
They are also asylum seekers following legal processes and awaiting their day in court to prove they are fleeing based on a “.” Many asylum seekers are years on end in dangerous conditions on the other side of the border until their case is heard.
They are also children who are often forced to defend themselves in those very courts if not for groups like our plaintiffs in that provide them with lawyers.
Since Trump’s second inauguration, the lives of those seeking lawful status have been disrupted. Their applications are often paused, and they are demonized as criminals for lacking legal status.
Sweeping generalizations that label entire populations as inherently “criminal” hinder the development of practical policies. The Trump Administration has been carefully dismantling legal immigration pathways, further damaging an already broken system.
The Trump Administration is also making moves against against tremendous odds while, you guessed it, also falsely referring to them as “criminal migrants.”
This includes hundreds of thousands of people with , a legal protection for people from countries facing significant violence or instability. It also includes over a million participants in , which provides a legal pathway for people from select countries if they find a U.S. sponsor or meet other requirements. These parole processes, based on a legal authority used by both Republicans and Democrats for over 70 years, include Uniting for Ukraine (U4U), Operation Allies Welcome for Afghans who assisted U.S. troops, and the process for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. It also includes here on visas who have been and jailed in facilities thousands of miles from their universities for minimal infractions or even for engaging in .
These attacks affect tax-paying immigrants, who have contributed to a system from which they can’t benefit, and who have long been demonized for false claims that “.” Our President quickly switched from repeating this myth to immigrants’ IRS records to target them for deportation. This bait and switch is appalling and causes immense heartbreak and chaos in families, classrooms, workplaces, and neighborhoods nationwide.
“Follow the law,” they say, as the laws change. “Follow the law,” they say, when they can’t seem to follow it themselves. According to issued from the White House back in November 2018, under the first Trump Administration, so-called legal migrants, on the other hand, are supposed to be safe.
“Mass, uncontrolled immigration is especially unfair to the many wonderful, law-abiding immigrants already living here who followed the rules and waited their turn,” Trump stated in the Roosevelt Room.
But his current actions contradict his past words.
The Trump Administration is manipulating who is considered lawful in the U.S., resulting in people being delegitimized, disenfranchised, and potentially deported—even after complying with federal requirements.
The law is currently hindering this manipulation. Organizations like mine have intervened to stop their illegal attempts to , to , and to ICE into our . But there aren’t enough lawyers to prevent all the harm, and the current administration has
This disregard should concern everyone, regardless of immigration status. Immigrants may be the first victims of their effort to silence the courts, but we are all vulnerable if the Trump Administration succeeds.
But I still have hope. Daily, my organization hears from people—including Trump voters—who are fed up. In these frightening times, as the nation veers toward lawlessness, this will soon affect nearly everyone, directly or indirectly.
The White House hopes we freeze in fear, making it the perfect time to, in John Lewis’s words, create “good trouble.” The Trump Administration’s agenda is not what we need. Now is the time to speak up.