You’re the son of an immigrant. How could you support ICE?
Someone recently asked me this question. This same person also felt that I should be supporting the No Kings protest. It showed me how effective the Democratic Party has been at framing these issues to Democrats’ advantage.
It is naïve to think that those who are willing to skip the process to come here illegally will automatically follow the laws once they arrive.
I lovingly and jokingly say my mother is a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant. She met my father in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. They fell in love and got married in the United States.
She grew up in abject poverty and had an idealistic view of the United States while growing up. Her country, the Philippines, was liberated by the United States twice: once in the late 1800s from Spanish colonial rule, and again during World War II from imperial Japanese rule.
She has more pride in being American than almost any other American I know.
She understands that the United States offers more than any other country in the world. It is something that the children and grandchildren of immigrants often forget. Thankfully, her children didn’t. She supports ICE and President Trump, and I think I can explain why.
For legal immigrants, the rule of law is incredibly important. Many of them come here for the simple reason that the rule of law in their countries broke down. Money misspent, officials and law enforcement taking open bribes, and government tyranny are some of the many reasons an immigrant would decide to come here.
Others in her family followed my mother’s journey, but they followed the legal process. Some had to wait years before coming. To them, seeing someone skip the process, skip the interviews, and skip the sponsorship requirements to come here while others they know are still patiently waiting is an insult.
ICE prioritizes removing convicted criminals, gang members, and repeat offenders. This is common-sense protection for our communities and families. It is naïve to think that those who are willing to skip the process to come here illegally will automatically follow the laws once they arrive.
Not everyone in the world likes us. Some openly call for our death and destruction. Some are motivated to hate by their religion, some by strict adherence to an economic or social ideology.
Immigrants can understand the importance of examining those who wish to live here, for those may bring the evils they hoped to escape.
Illegal immigration places downward pressure on wages. Many legal immigrants take jobs in sectors such as construction, hospitality, and caregiving. Enforcement of immigration laws helps those who came here legally and comply with our laws to earn a fair wage.
What about the costs of housing and health? If you know the basic economics of supply and demand, you understand the negative impact illegal immigration can have.
Legal immigrants also understand that illegal immigration brings bad actors who can negatively taint the positives of immigration and turn a populace against those who followed our process.
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Unfortunately, failing to enforce immigration laws leads to the bias of lumping all immigrants in the illegal category. Recent immigrants value the long-term viability of the American dream. Many feel a duty to support the laws that made their success possible. For them, supporting ICE is a natural and easy thing to do.
For the same reasons, supporting the No Kings protests is silly. Let’s start with the obvious: We don’t live under a king, and Trump was democratically elected. The executive branch is constitutional, and checks and balances still exist. Even though an immigrant and the son of an immigrant may disagree with these No Kings protests, we understand that people are allowed to protest, and the fact that protests are allowed is incredibly important. We did not see anyone stopping them from speaking out or deplatforming them on social media.
Perhaps we should be unhappy with the president’s foreign policy decisions? I think I’ll defer to the majority of the Venezuelans and Iranians living here. I can also not overlook the checkered and violent tyrannical past of a theocratic government that openly chants “Death to America.”
The United State has elections, and these protesters might be surprised at the results. Their protests reminded many immigrants of the importance of voting.
Ice, Immigration, Legal immigration, Illegal immigration, Deportations, Border security, Trump, Dhs, Separation of powers, Opinion & analysis
