In these tumultuous times, one might find it difficult to discern the clear truth amidst the noise. It appears that the relentless Trump-initiated attacks on various fields like science, human rights, public health, international humanitarian aid, as well as on the fabric of democracy and jurisprudence, have severely impacted our collective sense of balance.
Trump’s fervent drive to deport immigrants is premised on the assertion of ‘re-establishing law and order,’ founded in his perspective that likens the presence of undocumented individuals in the country to a hostile invasion of dangerous criminals. This proposition, steeped in profound illusion, has garnered the backing of countless supporters.
Recent events show that whenever anonymous federal immigration enforcers have made their presence known, they have only succeeded in sparking unrest in local communities. A case in point is the upheaval in Newark, New Jersey last month. Intrigue thrust itself upon the city when unidentifiable armed officials were filmed detaining Mayor Ras Baraka in public.
The incident had a unifying effect, rallying local police forces and several hundred community members in mass protests against the Mayor’s wrongful detention. Interestingly, the Newark city police found themselves standing in solidarity with the local community, demanding that their Mayor be released by the federal interlopers.
This phenomenon may be ascribed to the ‘Trump Effect,’ whereby communities coalesce in response to excessive federal interference—a gross disturbance of tranquility. So much for maintaining law and order. A similar scenario unfolded in the peaceful, tree-canopied neighborhoods of San Diego where well-armed federal immigration agents stormed two fashionable restaurants.
On this occasion too, the unappealing show of authority by masked figures united the community in spontaneous indignation. The escalating crowd reaction was such that the federal officials were compelled to use flash-bang grenades as they made their escape. The shock factor, however, didn’t dissuade the crowd, they stood their ground.
Eye witnesses, undeterred and agitated by the blatant overreach, braveley continued to document the event on their smartphones. In a stark contrast, New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams has apparently split from the Trump regime. His administration made legal moves in defense of a student from a city high school who was detained by federal immigration authorities.
Mayor Adams has weathered criticism for his one-time allegiance to Trump during his battle against federal corruption charges—which were eventually dismissed. He and NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams are currently engaged in a legal tussle owing to his decision to deploy federal immigration officers at the city’s Rikers Island prison complex.
As per the City Council’s submission, this action grossly violates New York City’s sanctuary law. However, Mayor Adams didn’t hesitate to counter Trump’s aggressive immigration policies in the Dylan Lopez Contreras case. New York City takes pride in its richly diverse immigrant communities, and Mayor Adams has reaffirmed the city’s solidarity with them, endorsing their right to live freely.
New York City is a potent counter to Trump’s anti-immigrant mantra, and Mayor Adams is well aware of that fact. He recognizes, as do many others familiar with the city’s ethos, that both documented and undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to making the city safer—a fact that disproves the notion of immigrants being a significant source of violent crime.
The comparison speaks for itself—while the city registered 2,000 homicides per year in the 1980s, last year’s count stood at a mere 375. One fine Sunday on the Memorial Day weekend, the city reported zero shooting incidents. In fact, the previous year recorded one of the lowest instances of city-wide shooting incidents in documented history.
This marked reduction in violent crime occurred in a city where the immigrant community, regardless of their documentation status, exceeds 3 million—a hefty 40% of the city’s population. Various academic findings reveal that undocumented immigrants are, in fact, less prone to criminal activities.
Embracing immigrants in American communities not only does not encourage crime, but can actually foster public safety. In fact, evidence suggests that immigrants, irrespective of their status, are less likely to indulge in unlawful activities than the native-born.
This fact holds true on every level—national, state, county, and neighborhood level—and across both violent and non-violent crime categories. In conclusion, the notion that immigrants increase crime rates is an erroneous belief going against both statistical evidence and lived experiences.