Immigration & Border Patrol Raids

Adriana Perez

“I’ll use the word animal because that’s what they are.”

This is a statement from newly inaugurated President Donald Trump about undocumented immigrants at a Trump rally in Michigan while campaigning for reelection this term. Trump’s views on illegal immigration are central to his political agenda, with his promise of building a wall in between the U.S. and Mexico as one of the most notable points of his 2016 campaign. However, Trump’s formerly pending, now confirmed, return to office seems to have called immigration officers to action. 

Prior to Trump’s inauguration, there were substantial reports, both through news and social media, of Border Patrol Agents in Central California in January in an operation titled “Operation Return to Sender.” While the Border Patrol claimed that this operation went after people suspected of “drug trafficking, burglary, and child abuse” community members in those areas did not feel that that was the case, and instead felt there was a sense of racial profiling when it came to the arrests made. Border Patrol also stated that over the four days that they detained 78 individuals, yet in LA Times columnist Micheal Hiltzik’s article about these raids “the UFW and other sources estimate that some 200 people were detained in just the first two days, and 1,000 in all may have been detained and released.”

California’s population is 40 percent Latino, and has been one of the 11 sanctuary states in the U.S. since 2017 when State Bill 54 was passed. The bill prohibited state and local police, in the absence of federal agents, from being able to question someone’s immigration status or hold undocumented immigrants until they could be transferred into federal custody. It also forbade federal agents from working with local authorities as immigration officers. However, the domains of federal agents extend beyond state law, which is why these local operations are able to be followed through. 

The debate over immigration reinforcement has elicited strong reactions, particularly amid rising concerns about xenophobia. It is important to remember that undocumented immigrants aren’t aliens or animals but people trying to build a better life for themselves. And while security of the nation is rightfully a definite priority, it has recently come at the cost of many individuals’ lives and families, which is arguably way too far.