Vox Pop - Vox Pop – Dealing with illegal immigration is a complex problem

As we are seeing the plan and the process of the Trump Administration approach to immigration, it seems like we need to take a minute and consider what the choices of this administration mean. First off, I think it is important to acknowledge that Trump identified an important and challenging issue that out country has been struggling with for years. There are good reasons to look at our border policies and see failures and to have wanted, and voted for, change. But it is also important that we acknowledge what is currently happening and consider, is this what we voted for? In general, despite claims of being the 'most transparent administration in history', it is hard to find clear data on number of deportations, who has been deported, or the reasons for these deportations. There are videos of raids and social media posts touting the removal of terrorists, but limited data to actually check any of the claims. Where we currently have the most information is for the 238 immigrants that were sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. These 238 people have been identified and examined. Of the 238 people, 32 were convicted of a crime other than illegal entry into the United States. 6 were convicted of a violent crime. DHS knew that 130 of the migrants had neither conviction or prior charges before they were flown to El Salvador. The Trump Administration has stated that they were terrorists. They have stated that if we brought them back, they would be deported anyways. But they seem unwilling to follow a due process to prove their arguments. If they are truly so bad, convict them of their crimes! And I can understand sending them back to their home country, but that is not what we did. We took people, over half of whom did not have an allegation or conviction of any crime, much less a violent crime, and sent them to a prison for terrorists known for human rights abuses. The Trump Administration likes to state that this is the only way. This is false. Immigration may not be fixed overnight, but there are known solutions. 1). We can deport people and not send them to prison (or countries in the midst of a civil war), especially if they have no convictions and we are not willing to bring a case in court. This solution is simple... 2). A big part of the issue is that we have not hired enough immigration court employees (judges, lawyers) to process claims. If we have enough money to spend $140 million sending the National Guard to California, $50 million on a parade, and $6 million to El Salvador to imprison non-violent deportees, we could spend money on the court system. This choice of how Trump is spending the money is a sign of what he values. Fixing processing times would allow for due process to occur while also allowing for quicker decisions on deportations. 350,000 people were deported in 2024 and a focus on fixing the courts could easily increase this number. 3). Address employment law - we know which industries have large amounts of illegal immigrants as they are especially concentrated in industries that are exempt from various labor laws (e.g. agriculture). Though many employers in these industries are reputable, the reality is that employers are able to pay below minimum wage and skirt safety regulations, which creates a set of bad jobs that no citizen wants, as well as companies that do not want to pay wages of American workers. I have yet to see Taylor County workers clamoring for jobs to pick fields for $5/hour. If we change the laws and improve the working conditions, these jobs will become more palatable to American workers. Although, it must be said, you may have to pay more at the grocery store for 'American-picked' products. 4). Address illegal immigrant employers - similar to above, some employers want these workers because they are cheaper and some have a habitual pattern of hiring them. Accountability through large fines for habitual violations by employers would remove this incentive and reduce availability of the jobs for illegal immigrants (it might also help add some needed revenue to address how the Big Beautiful Bill is growing the deficit). Again, there are plenty of reasonable options that can aim to address illegal immigration and still treat all people with dignity. I haven't even gotten into some of the fixes to the legal immigration system that can help address the needs of employers, like temporary work visas to allow people to work seasonal jobs (e g. agriculture) and return home after. The Trump Administration is intentionally making choices, from using masked, militarized officers grabbing known, nonviolent immigrants off the street to sending noncriminals to a notorious prison, that seem more about making made-for-TV moments than solving a long-term issue. There are humane solutions and they are not choosing them. I encourage you to consider if you are comfortable with this choice. Some people did vote to 'get them the hell out' and may not care how immigrants are treated. If you do care about how all people are treated, especially if you voted for Trump and want good changes to our immigration system, it is time to let our representatives know. I will continue to raise my voice as the way we are doing this is wrong. — Ben Koch, Medford