Introduction & History
Immigration has been a problem to the American Public and Political Leaders ever since the founding of the United States. In the late 1700s, The Federalists passed legislation, the Alien & Sedition acts for example, aimed at curtailing immigration. Later on, as immigrants arrived to Ellis Island from the German states, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, and so on, nativist sentiments grew in opposition to the new cultures, languages, and types of people arriving. They came in chase of the American Dream. The United States has historically been seen as the land of opportunity and the place where people can flee crop failure and famine, political and religious persecution, land and job shortgages. Many arrived, setting up their own communities across the country, with 12 million arriving between 1870-1900 alone, and between 1900-1915, 15 million immigrants arrived. Chinese immigrants were used to construct the Transcontinental railroads, hispanic immigrants farmed while Americans were away fighting throughout the World Wars, many immigrants established their own businesses and shops, and contributed to technological advancement. German immigrants brought the hamburger to the United States, Canadian Immigrant Dr. Naismith wrote the first official rules for basketball, Scotland born Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, with other famous immigrants including Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, with descendants of immigrants including Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald’s), and six U.S Presidents.
Today, 27% percent of the U.S population, in 2023, are immigrants or descendants of immigrants equaling to roughly 90.8 million people. In 2023, the U.S Foreign born population reached a record 47.8%, accounting for 14.3% of the U.S population. Before 1980, Europeans consisted of most immigrants, accounting for 60% of immigrants in 1970, and 75% of immigrants in 1960. The change in the country of origin for immigrants is a result of the change in U.S immigration policy. Under the Johnson Administration, the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act allowed for legal immigration to the United States from Asia and Latin America. Previously, the U.S barred immigration from Asia and non-whites, restricted immigration from South America and Eastern & Southern Europe. The act abolished the Quota System previously used to restrict immigration, and allowed people and “created a preference system that focused on immigrants’ skills and family relations with citizens or U. S. residents.”
The Border Crisis Today
Today, a more diverse group of people aim to enter the United States. Previously, Mexico held a larger share of incoming immigrants, but since 2000, their share of the total immigrant population fell from 30% to 24% in 2021. More immigrants have been arriving from China and India, contributing 5% and 6% respectively of the total immigrant population. Other top countries of origin include the Philippines, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, Korea, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Of the 46.1 million immigrants living in the United States, 10.64 million trace their routes from Mexico, 2.83 million from India, 2.23 from China, 2.01 million from the Philippines, and 1.42 million arrived from El Salvador.
A historic high of 3.2 million encounters at the U.S Mexico border was seen in 2023, a record breaking number. There was an increase in single adult counters, but at the same time family and unaccompanied children encounters grew. The increase in encounters can be attributed to several push and pull factors. Push: These are conditions that make it difficult, and push migrants to remain and live in their home country, such as violence, gender inequality, and lack of education and healthcare. Pull factors are what draw people to come to the United States, which include more economic opportunities, possibility of being reunited with family, better quality of life, and increased access to education and healthcare. Roughly 78% of immigrants stated economic opportunities, 68% called a better future for their children, 62% said better education opportunities, and 50% stated that having more rights and freedoms were their major reasons for immigrating to the U.S.
Increased immigration to the United States has applied pressure on local communities. Border towns and urban areas have been strained by the need to provide services and shelter for immigrants. According to Rand, migrants must wait 180 days after they arrive to work legally, and services must be provided for the time being. Additionally, Federal Law guarantees education for all children, regardless of immigration status, which means that cities and districts must provide educational services for students, which places strains on budgets and staff. According to a study conducted by FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, calculated that the gross negative economic impact of illegal immigration was $150.7 Billion. This is a combination of providing education, food stamps, and other services at the federal and state level.
But at the same time, CATO Institute, reported that immigration had an overall net positive on the American economy. Immigrants reportedly generated $1 trillion in economic value, $300 billion more than than they received in government assistance. The Department of Health and Human Services published a study in 2017 that asylum seekers and refugees produced $63 billion more in taxes than they received. The Congressional Budget Office, in February 2024, found that an increase in immigration seen that year would increase the U.S GDP by $7 trillion by 2034, and would lead to a $1 trillion increase in tax revenue. The Social Security Administration Trustees reported in 2010 that increasing annual immigration would reduce the annual burden to taxpayers of Social Security. Additionally, the Social Security Trustees stated that Immigrants paid more into social security than they receive.
Immigrants also fill an essential part of the U.S Economy, the workforce. According to a study published on Congress.gov, the study concluded that Immigrants were unlikely to replace native-born workers even if they were highly skilled. Additionally, they added that, “Indeed, the experience of the last few decades suggests that immigration may actually have significant long-term benefits for the native-born, pushing them into higher-paying occupations and raising the overall pace of innovation and productivity growth.” Additionally, the United States is seeing a demographic shift, with more Americans approaching retirement age than entering the workforce which will cause worker shortages, and immigrants can be used to fill open positions.
Issues with Legal Immigration have pushed people to enter the United States illegally. The United States only accepted 60,000 refugees in 2025, people who have fled conflict in the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, and beyond, while the reported displaced population globally reached 114 million. Additionally, family-sponsored immigration has a back-log of 8.3 million people waiting to receive their green card, and it’s been estimated that 1.6 million of these applicants will pass before they can receive them. Employee sponsored immigration allows only for 140,000 green cards to be distributed, with a backlog of 1.8 million applicants. 32 million immigrants entered the legal process to receive a green card and enter the United States, but barely more than 1 million of them will succeed. [Author’s Note: The immigration system is very complicated, so please refer to external sources to obtain a more detailed explanation.]
The Trump Administration
On the campaign trail some of the few promises the Trump Campaign promises include the largest domestic deportation program in United States History, end birthright citizenship, end Biden parole programs, and introduce ideological screenings.
Some of the first action taken by the Trump Administration was undoing Biden-era immigration policies. Some of these include rescinding several executive orders signed by Former President Biden. These included a task force to reunify separated families, an executive order aimed at addressing the cause of migration and creating more legal entryways into the U.S, notifying state and local authorities of large enforcement actions taken by the administration (ie: Immigration raids), and other orders.
President Trump declared a National Emergency at the United States-Mexico Border. This will allow the President to receive more federal funding for physical barriers and deployment of the military, without congressional approval. Already, 9,200 soldiers, consisting of State National Guards and federal soldiers, have been deployed on the border with the Trump Administration announcing their plans to deploy an additional 3,000. At the same time, President Trump signed an executive order that would end birthright citizenship.
The Administration has also halted refugees from entering the United States, and has canceled funding for groups assisting those refugees in the United States who provide services like finding housing, work, and more.
At the same time, the Trump Administration has ordered the expansion of “expedited removal”, which allows deportation before a hearing by the court if they are suspected to have been in the U.S for under two years. Plus, non-citizens will be required to register their fingerprints to the Federal Government. The American Immigration Council has stated that this act will be difficult for immigrants that entered illegally to meet, since they could be targeted for arrest as a result, and prosecuted. Trump has also limited Temporary Legal Status, which already has revoked deportation protections for approximately 300,000 Venezuelan Immigrants who reside in the U.S. More recently, it has been reported that the Trump Administration, as of March 6th, 2025, aims to revoke legal status for 240,000 Ukranians who fled the War in Ukraine.
The Trump Administration has also targeted certain legal immigration pathways. CBP One, which began under the first Trump Administration and was continued under the Biden Admin, allowed arriving immigrants to schedule appointments for processing and maintain asylum eligibility, giving asylum seekers a legal way to enter the United States. In his first day in office, the Trump Administration ended the ability for immigrants to schedule appointments and enter the U.S through the app. It had allowed 1 million people to enter the U.S with a two year permit, and granted them the right to work in the country. People have credited the app in reducing illegal border crossings, and the removal of scheduling appointments have left people stranded, appointments they had canceled.
One of the most impactful decisions made is Mass Deportations. The American Immigration Council estimates that it would cost $967.9 billion to house, deport, and process the 11 million undocumented immigrants over 10.6 years. This move would split apart families, and lead to great economic harm. The undocumented account for 13.7% of construction jobs, 12.1% agricultural, 7.1% hospitality, and so on. The economic impact would be large, with a reduction in GDP of 2.6%, or a loss of $5 trillion in 10 years. It would cost billions in local, state, and social security taxes. The Migration Policy Institute reported that immigrants commit crimes at lower levels than those born in the U.S. Immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated compared to U.S born Americans, and for Immigrants charged with crimes, 90% of them are immigration related. This has raised questions over if mass deportations would decrease crime. Still, action has been taken by the Trump Administration to work on this campaign promise, with ICE being reported operating around the country in deportation missions.
The Trump Administration has increased the number of ICE raids across the country, and the magnitude of such. Common places previously targeted by ICE were workplaces, such as farms, stores, and restaurants. Recently, the Trump Admin has released new plans for targeting migrant families with children, along with children that had been released without trial that entered the U.S unaccompanied. Policy that had barred ICE from raiding religious centers/places of worship, schools, and hospitals have been rescinded. NBC has reported that the fear of ICE has increased anxiety among students. A school in Denver, Colorado reported that attendance dropped from 95% to 85% after an immigration raid at two nearby apartments. Maria Gonzalez, an immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested, and was forced to leave behind her 9 year old and 11 month old daughter as she was taken into ICE custody. She was released six hours later, and returned to her children, with a fear still hovering around. Reports have also circulated that ICE agents have begun to arrest migrants at their immigration hearing and routine Check-ins.
The United States has also begun to export migrants from the United States to other countries, mainly Central America. Panama and Costa Rica have received deportees coming from various nations from the United States, such as China. Kept in immigration camps in the country, reports have circulated that their phones, passports, have been confiscated and legal services denied. One deportee from China was sent to Panama without knowing where they were headed to. In a Panama City hotel, deportees held up signs to the window, asking for help.
While the information above is not a comprehensive list, ProPublica has published a larger list of all actions taken by the new administration.
Response
As the Trump Administration began deportation operations with ICE, protests would begin across the United States. Immigration protests broke out in Alabama, New York, Texas, Missouri, and more, including California. On February 3rd, thousands of Angelenos took to the streets, marching through the city as they protested against Trump’s deportation plans. Protests would occupy U.S 101, which travels through Downtown Los Angeles, and marched and demonstrated in front of LA City Hall. Ontario, San Diego, San Francisco, Fresno, and other cities across the state would face anti-deportation protests. Across the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, students would also join in protests, including our very own Downey and Warren High Schools. Several businesses across the country and the Los Angeles area also shuttered their doors for a “Day Without Immigrants”, to protest actions taken by the current administration. Additionally, prominent figures have spoken against the deportation plans, including Pope Francis, who wrote to American Bishops criticizing the actions undertaken by the Administration while praising the efforts of Bishops and churches to provide aid to migrants. He would add,”…the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”
Legal Action has also been taken to combat actions imposed by the Trump Administration. Immigrant Rights groups, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, have taken the Trump Administration to court over their decision to transfer immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, a U.S military base on the island of Cuba. Additionally, various lawsuits have been filed to block the Administration’s executive order that would end birthright citizenship, with several states, organizations, and groups filing suit. Those filing lawsuits have already been granted a restraining order from Judge Sorokin, Judge Bordman, Judge Laplante, and Judge Coughenour, which blocked the Trump Administration from enforcing their executive order until the courts ruled on the cases. In Pacito V. Trump, Judge Whitehead has ordered the Trump Administration restore refugee resettlement programs and funding that were cut once in office. Judge Chuang, overseeing Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has issued a restraining order against the Administration, blocking their change in policy that allowed immigration authorities to raid houses of worship as the courts decide the outcome. San Francisco and several other cities have also sued the Trump Administration after his efforts to require cities to comply with his immigration policies.
Rights for the Undocumented
Undocumented immigrants in the United States and those who do not have citizenship still are guaranteed rights under the Constitution. This includes the right to remain silent and refuse to answer any questions from an immigration agent if they attempt to speak to you, the right to deny immigration agents the right to enter your home without a warrant, the right to an attorney, and more. The ACLU dives into detail the actions to take when approached by law enforcement or immigration authorities. It is also encouraged that people carry a Red Card on them that lists the rights that people have, whether they are a citizen or not. Versions also exist in Spanish and these cards can be found online in a variety of languages.
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall wellcome to a participation of all our rights and previleges…” -President George Washington. December 2nd, 1783.
