The Trump Administration’s Inhumane Immigration Enforcement Hurts All of Us
Trump’s immigration policies are designed to instill fear in immigrant communities; in doing so, they set back local economies.
Imagine this: You wake yourself up shouting for your life and are relieved to be safe. You struggle to shake it off and have a difficult time going back to sleep, feeling as if you are living that nightmare scenario.
One year into the second Trump administration, Maura describes how the current immigration enforcement in the United States makes her feel. It’s the terror that comes with performing even the simplest tasks of everyday life, tasks, like attending a doctor’s appointment on her own and realizing that her kids might be left to fend for themselves. It’s the nightmare Maura lives, but it’s not hers alone. When I ask Latino and Hispanic people in North Carolina to share their experiences during and after the immigration enforcement actions that took place in North Carolina last Fall, their fear is palpable. As a result, the people in my community are self-isolating, avoiding going to grocery stores, staying away from Latino-serving establishments, and postponing their healthcare visits.
Rather than crafting a long-overdue immigration reform bill, Republicans, who currently control both the legislative and executive branches of government, have enacted a form of state terrorism designed to threaten a single class of people. The President continually maligns all immigrants, further widening the divide on an already divisive topic while Republican members of Congress sit in silence.
One wonders why Republicans care so little about fixing the broken immigration system. Adopting the GOP leader’s messaging has been effective, as the 2024 general election results show. Portraying immigrants as a threat to American values plays into the fearmongering that is the signature marker of Trump’s Republican party. Such fearmongering normalizes anti-immigrant rhetoric and makes policies such as family separation and mass deportation more palatable. It resonates with the Republican base, making it easy to see why the GOP has doubled down on the strategy.
Democrats must capitalize on this flawed approach to overhauling the country’s immigration system. If they are to win back control of Congress in 2026, they will need to expose the inhumane platform of this administration and the Congress members who have rubber stamped Trump’s agenda. They must convey to the Latino voter how they are going to address the issues these voters care about. Polling of Latino/Hispanic voters have repeatedly shown that economic issues are the most pressing, with immigration typically rounding out the top five issues. Although immigration enforcement is only one component of the immigration debate, it is a consequential piece of the Latino voter’s ability to reach economic prosperity.
Immigration enforcement throws a wrench into Latino voters’ ability to work, which jeopardizes their ability to put food on the table and provide basic necessities for their families. Furthermore, if immigration enforcement keeps people from seeking healthcare due to fear of being snatched from their doctor’s, then they cannot fully participate in society. This impacts our local economy as well as the country’s economy.
The economic impact of immigration enforcement is well documented in places where ICE operations increased in June last year, such as Los Angeles. Revenue losses were a direct result of reduced consumer activity, which stemmed from the climate of fear brought on by barbaric immigration enforcement operations. The agricultural industry saw a total drop in employment from March 2025 to July 2025, compared to an increase in March 2024 to July 2024, according to a 2025 report which shed light on these negative economic impacts.
Construction was another sector which saw a drop in employment in 10 of the states with the highest concentration of undocumented immigrations, compared to an increase in other states. This has ripple effects, making it incrementally challenging to build homes and worsen the already-dismal housing shortage. Most importantly, the negative impacts of this grotesque enforcement are especially notable at the community level, with data pointing to increased anxiety and absenteeism among youth who live in mixed status households (an immigrant household with children or at least one parent born outside the United States).
Instead of doubling down on the blame game, we have a chance to build on this year’s wins by Democrats in North Carolina. As evidenced by the recent primaries, NC Democrats are going to show up and vote out leaders who fail to stand up for vulnerable communities. Even in the recent primary, Democrats unseated those in their party who had repeatedly voted to override Gov Stein’s vetoes: Willingham (House District 23), Cunningham (House district 106), Majeed (House District 99).
Beyond stepping up and ensuring our neighbors get out and vote this coming November, we must mobilize for our most vulnerable communities. I was heartened to witness neighbors stepping up to protect their neighbors, be it through community patrols, accompaniment, or fetching groceries. Moments like these bring out the best in our communities, so let us not forget our humanity and continue striving for a better future; one where ALL of US can thrive and share in the fruits of our labor.
Humberto Posada-Orozco, MPH (Emory University ‘25), has advocated for community-based participatory research, immigrant rights, HIV decriminalization, and LGBTQ+ rights in Atlanta and the Triangle area.
