ICE: The real truth about immigration

The current administration has caused us to think that every immigrant who entered the country since 2021 was a violent criminal requiring aggressive, violent tactics. President Trump told Congress to kill Tony Gonzalez’s(R) bipartisan immigration bill, in order to implement this chaos. 

The majority of American immigrants had NO criminal record. According to U.S. Customs and Border Control data (2025) of the 11 million U.S. immigrants only 8,814 have criminal records in the U.S. or abroad. That is about 7% NOT, Christy Noem’s 70%. 

ICE agent arrests are scattershot. If ICE were really just targeting criminal immigrants, using Trumps 3,000 arrests a day, they would be removed in under three days.

Immigrants do jobs that Americans won’t do. Many have work visas like the H-2A and HB-2 allowing seasonal employment. Trump’s fear campaign has cost the U.S. about $11 billion for farm subsidies, since workers are too afraid to work. Saving farmers cost $23 billion tax dollars (including tariffs $12B). Still, 300 farmers went bankrupt in 2025! 

According to the National Immigration Law Center mass deportation is forecasted to reduce the U.S. Gross Domestic Product by 7% causing inflation and higher prices. The 4 million immigrant deportation goal will cost us 2.6 million American jobs. Working immigrants create jobs because they use goods and services. According to house.gov, these immigrants paid $96.7 billion dollars in taxes last year alone. 

What we are learning is the U.S. Constitution makes Americans strong enough to stand up against lawless, violent, third world tactics. And it’s time for elected officials to pass legislation to addresses mass immigration in a thoughtful, humane way.

BARBARA OPSTIWKO
Coeur d’Alene