As a non-American, one thing that may be hard for you to understand is that immigration is a core principle. Now, with each wave, immigration has also had a popular reaction to it, but this reaction is not universal—many Americans understand their ancestors were once the same hated immigrants. So, the feelings in the country about immigration are mixed. It is also a FACT that immigration is a huge driver of the economy, spurring population growth, providing cheap labor, and contributing delicious ethnic restaurants.
Most illegal/undocumented immigrants in the US are otherwise productive and law-abiding. They have a job, they pay taxes. When they have kids here, their kids are citizens. What happens to that family when ICE deports a parent?
I live in DC. ICE has detained people in my neighborhood every day this week. Kids at my child’s school are now missing their parents. It seems to be the case that ICE is mostly pulling over drivers of work trucks and vans, and detaining anyone who’s brown-skinned and doesn’t have immigration papers on them (I’m white and was born here; I do not walk around with my birth certificate).
So, yes, both #1 and #2 are in play, but I would encourage you to question the underlying assumption that deporting illegal immigrants constitutes an unalloyed good. As a citizen, I don’t think it does and oppose these actions. I would happily provide a path to citizenship for any immigrant that had a good track record of living here peacefully and contributing.
> but I would encourage you to question the underlying assumption that deporting illegal immigrants constitutes an unalloyed good
I don't necessarily think it's a good thing, especially when the illegal immigrant is otherwise law abiding, pays their taxes and positively contributes to the society, but the whole point of rule of law is that, well, laws are applied consistently and equally to everyone (or at least that's the unattainable ideal we strive for). We can't be like "hey, let's not enforce the law here in this case" just because we don't like the law, because then the next guy in charge might not enforce whatever he thinks is a bad law, or worse - only enforce it on his enemies (like we see in so many totalitarian countries, and apparently what's starting to happen in the US if I am to believe the news/some of the comments here?).
Immigration laws are civil, not criminal, and there’s a wide degree of latitude, which is all legal. It’s not binary. This administration has turned the dial to 11, including several actions which have not been consistent with the rule of law.
And at the same time, the US has a long history of bad laws that its citizens have rightfully opposed and acted in opposition to. Maybe John Brown took things too far (and maybe he didn’t when you consider slavery), but did Rosa Parks?
Most illegal/undocumented immigrants in the US are otherwise productive and law-abiding. They have a job, they pay taxes. When they have kids here, their kids are citizens. What happens to that family when ICE deports a parent?
I live in DC. ICE has detained people in my neighborhood every day this week. Kids at my child’s school are now missing their parents. It seems to be the case that ICE is mostly pulling over drivers of work trucks and vans, and detaining anyone who’s brown-skinned and doesn’t have immigration papers on them (I’m white and was born here; I do not walk around with my birth certificate).
So, yes, both #1 and #2 are in play, but I would encourage you to question the underlying assumption that deporting illegal immigrants constitutes an unalloyed good. As a citizen, I don’t think it does and oppose these actions. I would happily provide a path to citizenship for any immigrant that had a good track record of living here peacefully and contributing.