One of the key issues President Donald Trump addressed during his campaign was illegal immigration. He said, “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America.” According to the Migration Policy Institute (www.migrationpolicy.org) there are an estimated 13.7 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

One of the main reasons for Trump’s mass deportation plans is the “threat to national security.” Last year on https://homeland.house.gov then-chief of Border Patrol Raul Ortiz said, “The total number of gotaways could be underreported by as much as 20 percent. There is no way to know how many more potential national security threats… are now at large in our country. More than 390 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist have been apprehended attempting to cross our Southwest and northern borders between 2021 and 2024, which is an increase of more than 3,000 percent compared to 2017 through 2020.” 

Another major issue to national security is the 573 thousand pounds of illegal drugs that were seized by Border Patrol in 2024. According to the DEA (www.dea.gov) “between June 2023 and June 2024 more than 107,000 people lost their lives to a drug overdose in 2023, with nearly 70 percent of those deaths attributed to opioids such as fentanyl.” Trump hopes to end the fentanyl pandemic by fortifying the border. Trump also plans to deploy the US Navy to ensure that drugs can’t be smuggled by the region’s waterways.

Furthermore, immigration is expensive. A study run by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2017 estimated the annual per refugee costs for federal, state, and local governments are $7,134. The study continues by stating that on average, the federal government spent $440 per refugee per month during the study run between 2005 and 2014. Just in 2023, federal and state governments spent $150.7 billion on illegal immigrants, according to a Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) study, which can be found at www.fairus.org. 

Illegal immigrants also commit crimes. The Laken Riley Act, signed into law on January 29, 2025, is a beneficial act that amends the “Immigration and Nationality Act” (www.justice.gov).  This act was named after a Georgia nursing student who was killed by illegal immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra on February 22, 2024. Her name became a rallying cry during Trump’s White House campaign. The Act requires the detention of illegal immigrants who are accused of theft or a violent crime.

Trump’s immigration plan is meant to address national security, the fentanyl epidemic currently raging through the US, the cost of refugees and crime in the United States.

The debate about undocumented immigrants in the U.S is still a huge issue in 2025. Some believe that the immigrants should be sent back to their home countries while others believe it’s unfair and damaging. Immigrants tend to come here for a better life, a chance to provide for their families, better opportunities, and safety. Sending them all back will not only hurt them and their families but also our economy.

Many of our immigrants work in farming, construction and service jobs, tending to do the jobs that aren’t popular. Without them, many companies will struggle, due to not finding people who are willing to do hard jobs with such little pay. Even though they do not have proper documentation, many of them pay taxes and buy our goods which helps the economy grow. Without them businesses will lose work which may cause our prices to go up. Many of the immigrants come to the U.S to get away from somewhere that is poor and that has excessive violence.  Most of them have built lives and have lived here for many years. The government should help them become Americans so they can continue to help us and our economy.

A common argument is that many undocumented immigrants are criminals. Regardless if the immigrants have documentation or not, they are less likely to commit crimes, because they know what consequences might happen to them. Most immigrants come to the states to work and build better futures for themselves and their families, not to cause trouble. Blaming them for crimes that were committed by U.S citizens is wrong, but our country chooses to ignore these issues and focus on issues that are less important. Researchers at the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, looked into Texas in 2019. They found that undocumented immigrants were 37.1% less likely to be convicted of a crime. (NPR.com)

Many immigrants have families and children who were born here making them American citizens. Kids are leaving for school only to get home to find that they have been taken away. Deporting parents leaves these kids without support and a stable environment which will soon lead to poverty and homelessness. Breaking up families causes trauma and can make it harder for kids to live their day to day lives.

America was built by immigrants. People from all different countries came to the U.S to make better lives for themselves. What makes undocumented immigrants any different? They work hard, contribute to their communities and give the country diversity. The government should recognize their value and find ways to help them become official citizens of the U.S.

Some people believe that these poor undocumented immigrants are the cause of crime here in the U.S; the honest truth is that they help our economy. They are here for a better life and a chance to give their children the life they never had. Deporting them is going to destroy families, businesses, and our country’s values. Instead of the government sending them back, they should try to create fair immigration policies, to help allow these families to continue their life here in America.