In defense of tired, poor and huddled masses

Immediately after former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance circulated the lie that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, the small town was bombarded with national attention. It only took a few days for schools to close, buildings to evacuate and state troopers to mobilize because the Haitian communities were getting a series of bomb threats. The Proud Boys, a white nationalist hate group, marched through the streets and the Ku Klux Klan distributed fliers saying that Haitian immigrants are “disease-ridden and filthy.” Springfield was plunged into racialized, bigoted discourse — all because JD Vance decided to “create a story” to win political points. 

While the rumors of Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating cats and dogs are completely false, it is impossible to ignore immigration’s significance in this year’s election. It is a favorite issue for the Trump campaign, with Trump mentioning undocumented immigrants at every turn to manufacture fear in his base in hopes that they hit the polls on Nov. 5. Immigration is also polling as one of the most important issues for many voters going into this election cycle. Unfortunately, the discourse surrounding this issue is, at best, uninformed and, at worst, extremely xenophobic. 

There is a perception of immigrants as bad for the American economy — whether that is by taking American jobs, draining our resources or not pulling their weight. In reality, these ideas are not accurate. Tarek Hassan of Boston University found that when the United States has more immigrants, there is more local economic growth. The average wages of both citizens and noncitizens raise as a result. In a working paper, Hassan and his team found that since 1965, immigrants may have added 5 percent growth in wages across the country. Additionally, researchers at George Mason University found that immigrants coming into a country can bring down inflation by mitigating sudden labor shortages — an issue that is at the forefront of this election for the vast majority of voters. These workers contribute 17 percent of the national GDP, a proportionally higher share than their population. Undocumented immigrants alone pay an extremely significant amount in taxes. In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid almost $100 billion in mostly federal taxes, but also in state and local taxes. They often do not benefit from the results of these taxes by paying $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes, $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, and $1.8 billion in unemployment insurance taxes in 2022. None of these services can be accessed by undocumented immigrants. The American economy would not be as robust as it is today without immigrants. Taking them out of the equation would be catastrophic. 

The Republican Party has also fed into the prevailing idea that immigrants do not contribute to our communities when that is just not the case. Despite popular perception, undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crime and one quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes. Additionally, more than 18 percent of healthcare workers in the U.S. are immigrants, filling huge shortages across the country. Three in four undocumented immigrants were essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the past few years, one in five undocumented workers are in the construction industry, growing and strengthening our roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure. Our communities would not be as safe, healthy and strong as they are today without immigrants’ contributions. 

Mass deportations of immigrants would take away these benefits that come with their presence in the United States, making it harder for Americans to thrive when costs of living are already through the roof. However, it is important to not downplay the economic hardships facing Americans like those in Springfield. Healthcare and housing costs are high, while public safety feels diminished. Nevertheless, scapegoating people looking for a better life by spreading racist rumors is never the answer. Solutions for those struggling to get by financially lie in policy — not exclusion. For instance, Kamala Harris is proposing an initiative to give first-time homebuyers up to $25,000 to help with their down payments to bring housing costs down and extend the $35 cap on insulin and $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending for seniors to all Americans. To combat the humanitarian crisis at the border, Harris plans to pass the bipartisan border bill that adds technology to stop fentanyl and other drugs and adds 1,500 agents at the border. These common policies will create a safer and prosperous America for everyone — not just the select few that Donald Trump’s Republican Party say we should care about. 

All of the economic and community benefits that come with immigration are too big to ignore. However, rejecting immigrants through closed borders or mass deportation does not just endanger the American economy or American communities, it is a threat to the very soul of our nation. College Democrats of Notre Dame will not stand for anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy because we are unwaveringly dedicated to American values of freedom, diversity and inclusion. The United States was founded by immigrants. The University of Notre Dame was founded by immigrants. Despite the wishes of Trump’s GOP, Americans cannot and should not tell immigrants “sorry, we’re full.” We will always stand with Lady Liberty in welcoming all people “yearning to breathe free.”