America’s 47th president is starting his term exactly how he said he would, but his stay-in-Mexico policy’s depravity and unsubstantiated nature cannot go unnoticed.
One individual who understood this well was Bishop of the Episcopalian Diocese of Washington D.C., Marian Edgar Budde. On Jan. 21, she called for Donald Trump to exercise empathy towards the upwards of 11 million migrants he plans to deport under his new administration, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, which he has also targeted with new legislation.
“[Undocumented Migrants] may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues.”
An Episcopalian isn’t a traditional setting for radical left sentiment, but Budde’s points perfectly summarize why these policies are indefensible.
The first and most obvious is the lie that migrants make up a large chunk of the violent crimes taking place on U.S. soil. Data collected by the National Institute of Justice exposes this as an abject falsity. Undocumented immigrants offend at a lower rate than natural-born U.S. citizens, both in terms of violent crime and overall crime.
On average, undocumented migrants commit fewer crimes and provide vital labor that drives American agricultural production.
According to the U.S. National Agriculture Workers Survey, around 70% of those who work in agriculture are immigrants, and 40% are undocumented. We rely on them for one of our most important sectors, and the moves that the president has and will continue to implement will devastate the American economy. Millions of lost jobs, millions lost in yields and severe crisis.
What also can’t be overstated is the impact of undocumented citizens, which isn’t reflected on a graph.
I’ve experienced many of the cultural effects firsthand. The wide variety of people from different backgrounds living in one area greatly affects how natural-born U.S. citizens, such as myself, view the world’s diverse cultures.
This attitude shift is not set in motion simply by the differences. Learning about different traditions, languages and trying out different foods certainly gives one a sense of appreciation. But the number of similarities between someone whose family is from another part of the world and an individual such as myself demonstrates how immigrants are just as American as anybody else.
Assimilation happens quickly, and for all of our country’s faults, the culture and loving attitude we have in the U.S. have made it so that regardless of whatever reason migrants might come here for, they end up wanting to stay.
The notion that large swaths of migrants simply sell illicit drugs and commit heinous crimes to natural-born sons and daughters is completely unfounded.
Bishop Budde’s sentiment was not only pertinent in terms of the central message. But it perfectly captured the hypocrisy of a right-wing movement that has managed to co-opt Christianity with its hateful ideology. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says “Love your neighbor as yourself” Maybe the president should’ve considered that before formulating a cornucopia of lies vilifying millions of undocumented citizens that live amongst us.
The future is bleak — that much must be recognized. Understanding the consequences of the administration’s policy is the first step to resistance. Joining one of the many organizations in cities that deal with the challenges undocumented migrants face is perhaps the best and most accessible way for average Americans to combat the devastation.
In New York City, groups such as the New York Immigration Coalition have communicated with city officials about what must be done to protect the undocumented population, provided essential information about immigrants’ rights, and worked to improve migrants’ material conditions while living there.
The Episcopalian bishop was sharp in her analysis, but much more must be done on the ground to combat the actions of this administration.
