America’s immigration fight: from border security to internal conflict

The killing of Renee Good by an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer in the state of Minnesota has had an effect that undercuts the Trump administration’s rhetoric about combating illegal immigration. The shooting death of Good—a U.S. citizen and mother of three—while she was trying to move away from the scene sparked outrage and significantly expanded anti-ICE protest actions. ICE, which is tasked on behalf of the federal government with ensuring border security, attempting in major American cities to check whether people it deems “suspicious” on the street are citizens, both pushes the limits of federal–local authority conflicts and shows how easily the individual rights and freedoms America prides itself on can be violated. The Trump administration’s decision to target cities governed by Democratic politicians—cities that have passed laws protecting such immigrants—rather than states with the highest concentrations of undocumented migrants, also shows that the immigration fight has moved to the center of political polarization. Reaching a stage where the rhetoric of ensuring “law and order” no longer targets only “brown” immigrants but can be directed at everyone reveals how ethnic, linguistic, and national origin differences among American citizens have become political tools capable of fueling internal conflict.

WHY MINNESOTA?

Minnesota does not actually rank among the top ten states with the largest or most concentrated populations of undocumented immigrants relative to its population. The estimated 130,000 undocumented immigrants account for about 2.2% of the state’s population. This figure is far too small to be compared with states such as California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Florida, which are home to millions of immigrants. However, the state does have a significant Somali population, and it is well known that Ilhan Omar, the Muslim member of Congress representing them, is one of the most outspoken politicians on the progressive front against Trump. Because the state also has laws that allow undocumented immigrants to benefit from healthcare and education services, Trump’s Department of Justice views it as a “sanctuary state.” By waging both a legal and political war against states that pass laws protecting undocumented immigrants, the Trump administration is trying to intimidate many other cities into cooperating with federal forces by allowing ICE to stage a show of force at the local level.

“Sanctuary state” is a concept Republicans constantly use in their efforts to portray Democrats as anarchists who tolerate “illegal immigration” and fail to enforce the law. During the Biden era, not acting quickly enough to stop border crossings allowed Trump to repeatedly weaponize this issue during elections. In cities governed by Democrats, steps were also taken to allow undocumented immigrants to benefit from many services, especially healthcare and education. Moreover, state and city law enforcement agencies were prohibited from asking such immigrants about their legal status, and even cooperation with federal forces like ICE was restricted. Now, ICE’s hardline tactics are pushing these states to take even tougher measures, including steps to remove ICE personnel from their cities. This is creating a dangerous environment that could bring federal and local forces into direct confrontation. After Renee Good’s killing, local authorities in Minnesota made very harsh statements against ICE and began taking legal steps.

LAW AND ORDER

Trying to send a message by focusing on states like Minnesota, the Trump administration fully backed ICE personnel by portraying Good’s actions as domestic terrorism. Video footage clearly showing unnecessary and disproportionate use of force not only undermined these explanations but also triggered widespread public outrage. The fact that federal agents enforcing the law have taken to the streets with their faces covered to hunt immigrants demonstrates an attempt to normalize a reality in which the harshest measures are applied against American citizens based on appearance and accent—not law and order. Activists who for months have done everything they can to make ICE agents’ work more difficult are now directly targeted by the Trump administration, which claims to be restoring law and order. This dynamic, which could result in federal and local forces confronting each other, points to a period ahead in which protests and violence are likely to increase.

The immigration fight, which allows the Trump administration to gain politically from polarization, has now begun producing incidents of social violence in which American citizens themselves can be targeted. During Trump’s first term, the mass protest movements sparked by Black Americans’ reaction to police violence had a critical impact on Biden’s candidacy and his choice of Kamala Harris as vice president. The hardline anti-immigration policies of Trump’s second term, and the political violence continuing around them, will have consequences. The detention, arrest, and exposure to violence of not only undocumented immigrants but even citizens in major American cities has further inflamed debates over fundamental rights and freedoms in the country. It is not difficult to foresee that the political struggle built on this issue will be the main agenda of the upcoming November elections. An administration that is also exerting different pressures on the electoral system may be able to secure results, especially in Republican states. By trying to equate the rhetoric of law and order with its own rule, the Trump administration may find itself holding a political crisis that will be difficult to manage, both in terms of federal–local authority conflicts and fundamental rights and freedoms.