The U.S., ongoing political conflict, and the immigration problem

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

For decades, the surge of immigration has been one of the major problems in the U.S. This problem has been politicized and used by American liberal and conservative politicians as a tool for election. Democrats and Republicans are maneuvering around the immigration issue as they are exchanging recriminations over their policies’ failure.

While immigrants in general contribute to the U.S, and they are valuable assets in many fields and professions, the influx of immigrants can be a slippery slope, which means it can add a burden on the nation and cause economic, cultural, and security problems.

There is a balancing problem between the liberals and conservatives regarding the ongoing issues in America, including immigration. The U.S. government is lacking a solution to the immigration problem because of these reasons:

One, the wide gap between the two major ruling political parties, the Democratic and the Republican, and the political conflicts that create an obstacle for the two to compromise and agree on one effective policy;
Two, the ideological differences between the liberals and the conservatives as each one views the immigration problem from a different angle; and Three, denial of the existing failed immigration policies, and instead, focusing on gaining votes by any means in elections, and hence, continuing the political conflicts.

Avoiding the negative impact of immigration and only focusing on its positivity will complicate the effort to solve the problem, which can also draw a negative image of immigrants in the public’s eyes. This can create division among the American people and cause disturbance in the nation.

Such a disturbance has been observed in some U.S. States during President Donald Trump’s order cracking down on undocumented immigrants conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The policy provoked outrage from people, mostly liberals, and led to violence against the ICE officers. Conversely, this order was cheered by the conservatives.

Also, in each election year, the immigration issue is used to influence the voters, as each political Party has its own group to target during the election campaign.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, people across the world were immigrating to America without being questioned or vetted. Later, in 1875, the Supreme Court announced the regulation of immigration as the federal government’s responsibility.

As a result of the increase in immigrants in the 1880s, which affected the economy in some areas in the U.S, and people’s economic condition worsened, Congress started to pass the immigration law (USCIS).

U.S. president Joe Biden, March 31, 2021. Photo: The White House

However, during his presidency, President Joe Biden reversed many of President Trump’s first term’s strict immigration policies and opened a wider path for immigrants into the U.S. It is noteworthy that the Democratic Party carries a reputation for being an advocate for the minorities and immigrants in the U.S, and conversely, the Republican Party is known as the rich and the White’s Party.

According to Pew Research Center (2024), 56% of White Americans support or lean toward the Republican Party, while 41% support the Democratic Party, and 83% of Black align with the Democratic Party, while only 12% align with the Republican Party.

Also, a large percentage of minorities support the Democratic Party: 61% Hispanic, 63% Asian, and other minorities, such as Middle Easterners in the U.S., support the Democratic Party.

However, while the majority of Muslims in America support or lean toward the Democratic Party, their support for Democrats has shrunk for various reasons, such as homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion, which are supported by the Democrats.

Members of the Muslim community pay at Times Square, March 10, 2024, in New York, U.S. Photo: AP

The Muslims who emigrated to the U.S, however, align and support the Democratic Party because of its immigration policy. Overall, according to Pew Research Center, 53% of Muslims support the Democratic Party, and 42% support the Republican Party.

Trump’s 2024 election victory was fueled by his immigration policy and border security. Trump was successfully able to connect the surge in undocumented immigrants entering the U.S with crimes committed by a small percentage of the immigrants. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, between 2020 and 2023 the undocumented immigrants in the U.S increased by 3.3 million.

President Trump and the Republicans focused on the single and the most heinous crime committed by illegal immigrants to impact the voters emotionally. For example, during his 2024 election campaign in Salem, VA, Trump invited the family of a 20-year-old girl, Kayla Hamilton, who was killed by a vicious illegal immigrant gang member, to speak on the stage and tell their sad story.

But according to a joint research by Ran Abramitzky and Juan David Torres Stanford University, Leah Platt Boustan, Princeton University, Elisa Jácome, Northwestern University, Santiago Pérez, University of California, immigration incarceration rates have been decreasing since 1960. Immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S-born people.

Also, a study from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) shows that both documented and undocumented immigrants overall have lower crime rates than U.S-born Citizens.

Notably, with the surge in undocumented immigrants in the past few years, the advocate groups for immigrants and the support for less restrictive entry to the U.S., have increased.

Also, the rise of the so-called Progressive group within the Democratic Party had an impact on American communities and the Party’s policies and principles, which shifted the Party radically. Such a group believes in an easier path for undocumented immigrants in the U.S to residency, and eventually, citizenship.

The establishment Democrats have a different view and policy regarding the undocumented immigrants. Former President Barack Obama’s policy on undocumented immigrants resulted in deporting 400,000 in fiscal year 2012. Obviously, Obama’s focus on the U.S border security and deportation has been noticed, as activists and immigrant advocates nicknamed him “deporter in chief” for his deportation agenda.

In 1995, referring to the border security and the entry of the undocumented immigrants to the U.S, President Bill Clinton said, “We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our migration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”

As the political conflict between Democrats and Republicans is intensifying without compromising and implementing an effective immigration policy, and with left- and right-wing radicals choosing a path of violence and opening a new chapter of political aggression in America, the immigration crisis is less likely to be solved.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.