The Trump Administration’s Policies on Immigration
By: Noel Eyasu Arikew
Tags: International Student, Covid 19, USA, Trump, Immigration

President Trump Signing Executive Orders

President Trump campaigned on the fear of a demographic shift that would lead to the “Browning of America ‘’ (Henry, et al.). The xenophobic rhetoric used by the president serves as a green light for many hate crimes targeting certain immigrant populations. The “immigration and refugee policies of the Trump administration (…) reveal that the rhetorical distinction between “legal” and “illegal” has less to do with the law than it does with the arbitrary exercise of power and reinforcing racial hierarchies’’ (Shadle, 4). His administration has signed several legal hurdles into law that serve to curb immigration from Latin American, African, and Middle Eastern countries. Throughout his presidency, he has challenged laws from the previous administration. Trump’s administration announced numerous expansive bans on H1B visas, Immigrant visas, and several other visa categories. The policies that the Trump administration signed into law are un-American at its core because his policies serve as a mere reflection of how a president can misuse executive powers to justify xenophobic immigration policies.

The president has made drastic changes to the American immigration system, which was a Family-based immigration system that protected refugees, asylees, and immigrants. However, the current immigration system has commoditized humanity and prioritized “profitable immigrants” (Clifford). The President signed a series of interlocking executive orders that made it hard to make a substantive change upon the completion of his term. Although some of the policies signed into law by the Trump administration secure immigration and American jobs, it comes at the cost of a humane immigration system. The Trump administration has committed numerous atrocities in the name of securing America’s borders, which all have caused upheavals and tears in the moral fabric of our nation.

The president’s supporters argue that his administration’s policies on immigration help Americans and American industries. His supporters claim various industries across the country have performed better compared to the past years. Also, his supporters assert that the decrease in unethical competition between the American and non-American industries has improved their quality of life and job opportunities. Several slogans drove away many immigrants, and international competition from coming to the US, one of them being, “buy America, build America” (Galford). The economic policies that the administration imposes are perceived as a necessary deviation from the aspiration to a globalized economy that has consistently failed ordinary Americans. Economic reform is vital for Americans as it is key to securing jobs and opportunities. His supporters declare the president’s legislative changes in prioritizing American industries advocate for increased wages and proper jobs for the American’s. The various industries that come to American soil don’t prioritize American jobs. As well, his supporters believe that the President is trying to secure job opportunities for American nationals’. The president’s supporters make his move go as planned, as his administration moves to begin visa programs that would put caps on several immigrant populations from immigrating into the country.

However, his position on undocumented immigrants presumes that immigrants take jobs away from Americans. However, critics argue that the move ignored the dynamic nature of the American job market. And, a good economy should not come at the expense of a humane immigration system that used to serve all. The Trump administration is wrong on how it handled the immigrants in the American economy’s future, which is dependent on the young population. The great bulk of “immigrants detained at the US-Mexico border are primarily asylum-seekers from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador; chronically destabilized regions plagued by grave levels of human rights violations, insecurity, poverty, drug cartel infiltration, violence, and corrupt justice systems” (Clifford). The presence of an aging population compared to the young population means that the economy falls on the backs of immigrants. And a successful economy should guarantee immigrants a chance to work in any way they seek to do so. Hence, the lesser output in the US economy implies that fewer workers produce less output in the economy. Consequently, the economy can not increase without immigrants who prefer lesser-skilled jobs compared to Americans, who are selective in their job search.

The administration’s stance of terminating the DACA and TPS program is not representative of American moral values. Amidst a pandemic, President Trump has misused his executive powers to subject over a million DACA recipients and TPS holders to face deportation, who are essential workers who keep the economy up and running. His policies have put “restrictions to motivate companies to move jobs out of the country” (Clifford). As a result, several entrepreneurs have settled their jobs outside the US, which in turn hurt Americans and the economy. If his policies remain unchallenged, over a million DACA recipients and other immigrants would be subject to deportation. Most of his policies led most Americans to object to the action taken by his administration. As a response, many Americans have taken it into the streets in support, “program recipients and their supporters took to the (…) the halls of Congress to urge senators and representatives to immediately enact a permanent, stand-alone solution that offers Lawful Permanent Residency (LPR) and a roadmap to citizenship for all TPS, (…) and DACA recipients’’ (Ibe). The majority of Americans who protested and continue to protest against the administration’s immigration policies are mostly first-generation immigrants, who are mostly people of color. The administration’s policies are xenophobic and at its core are flat-out racist. The administration’s attempts at blocking protections for immigrants have sparked outrage from the American public. The majority of Americans oppose the president’s actions jeopardize the lives of millions of DACA and TPS recipients for no justified cause.

The Trump administration has also attempted to sign in orders that would have led to the deportation of international students and certain visa holders, “thousands of international students in the United States on F-1 and M-1 visas could be faced with the prospect of having to leave the country mid-pandemic if their schools go fully online” (Hesson). The order specifically bans international students that attend full online coursework in the US as they require students to attend in-person classes during a pandemic. Although several universities and state attorney generals challenged the order and reversed it. If the order was to pass, I would be attending my coursework in my home country increasing my chances of contracting Covid-19. The actions that the Trump administration is taking demonstrates how it weaponizes executive power to reduce the number of immigrants and non-immigrants from entering the US.

The Trump administration has significantly interfered in the face of the American economy and the lives of fellow Americans in one way or another. His administration has led to the record deportation of undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration has harmed the economy, which registered a lot of losses as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Social security has recorded many losses, as there is a decline in the number of undocumented immigrants who use social security cards to access employment. The immigration factor connects the world to the rise of population growth. Beyond that, it has been more or less the source of cultural change throughout the country. The United States of America possesses the highest number of immigrants in history as compared to any other country. However, the Trump administration’s stance on immigration has scared the United States and cost our nation its soul.