Chicago, Illinois. Los Angeles, California. Miami, Florida. Washington, D.C.. These are but a few of the cities that the Donald Trump administration is planning to upend in their goal of conducting the “largest deportation operation in American history,” aiming to arrest and expatriate undocumented immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In these “sanctuary cities” across the nation, an upwards of 500 immigrants have already been detained or arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents since President Trump’s inauguration into office on Monday, Jan. 20. 

This isn’t the end of it, either. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the House of Representatives amended the Laken Riley Bill, which when enacted effectively lowers the requirements for deportation. Now, undocumented immigrants who are merely accused of shoplifting could be forcibly detained and sent back to their home countries. The beginning of the revival of this antiquated legislation marks a dangerous chapter in modern U.S. politics, one fueled by relentless anti-immigrant rhetoric. This language, often wielded by right-wing figures like President Trump, threatens not only the livelihoods of the 47.8 million immigrants in the U.S., not only the 168,000 undocumented immigrants in Nevada, but also the principles of freedom and opportunity that the right side of the aisle claims to champion.

Trump’s vilification of immigrants—where he paints them as malicious criminals and economic leeches— creates a very skewed “us v.s. them” mentality: one that not only alienates those that are undocumented, but any foreign-born person living in this country. These people effectively ignore the data that shows immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens, and that they contribute greatly to the U.S. economy and labor force.

Instead of addressing real systemic issues such as economic disparities or the nation’s rapidly crumbling infrastructure, these scapegoats use immigrants as a distraction, pitting working-class Americans against one another and leaving those at the top unaccountable. Even if you came to the U.S. legally, you see people on the news being violently thrown in jail, you see people you know fervently trying to get their documents in order, and you can’t help but wonder, “what if that was me?”. 

Even after the local sheriff renounced President Trump’s deportation plan, the threat looms over us even here in Las Vegas. This is a city that thrives on its diverse community and population, and it is only so because of people who came to America from foreign countries. Immigrants make up a staggering 20 percent of the Las Vegas population, and they occupy 23.9 percent of the jobs. The effect of President Trump’s push for mass deportations could be devastating for the entire population of the city: the fear and uncertainty that have begun to permeate immigrant communities in the wake of these policies not only disrupts our lives, but also threatens the economic vitality of a city that depends on its migrants.

Undocumented Immigrants Statistics by Adrienne Marie Vera-Perez

America needs to acknowledge that this country was built on the backs of immigrants, whether they came here legally or otherwise. It was immigrants that rebuilt our nation’s infrastructure after the Civil War. It was immigrants that rebuilt our industrial and agricultural sectors post World War II. It was immigrants that rebuilt the communities of New Orleans and Florida after Hurricane Katrina and Ian, respectively. And it will be immigrants that will rebuild Los Angeles after the smoke from the devastating California wildfires finally clears.

The United States has long lauded itself as a beacon of democracy, equality, and opportunity on a global scale. However, the continued use of anti-immigrant rhetoric perpetuated by our very own leaders exposes the fragility of those ideals. The entire basis of American values is that “anyone” can become “someone” in this country, regardless of their background. Rather than building walls (both literally and metaphorically) between people, it has now become more important than ever to reject the politicians that are seeking to further polarize us, and instead show sympathy and understanding for those seeking the American Dream.