Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The Statue of Liberty stands tall in New York Harbor, a beacon of hope for immigrants seeking a better life. For centuries, people from around the world have come to America, believing in its promise of freedom, opportunity and safety. But today, that promise is being eroded by a wave of anti-immigrant policies that threaten not just the undocumented but the very soul of this nation.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has reignited his administration’s hardline stance on immigration, launching mass deportation raids across major U.S. cities. Immigration Enforcement Operation (ICE), once restricted in its actions, can now freely enter schools, hospitals and neighborhoods. The agency has been given a mandate to increase its arrest quotas, leading to thousands being detained—many of whom have committed no crime beyond seeking refuge. The crackdown is not just targeting those with criminal records but sweeping up law-abiding immigrants, asylum seekers and families who have built lives in this country.
The consequences are dire. Families are being torn apart. Children are being pulled out of schools out of fear that their parents won’t be home when they return. People are avoiding hospitals, even when they need urgent medical care. Small businesses, many of them immigrant-owned, are suffering as customers and workers alike vanish overnight. Despite the administration’s claims that these policies target criminals, the reality is that they are instilling widespread fear and chaos within immigrant communities.
Even more alarming is the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle birthright citizenship. This move directly challenges the 14th Amendment, which guarantees that all persons born on U.S. soil are citizens. Eighteen states have already sued to block the executive order, recognizing that this attack on the Constitution is not only legally dubious but fundamentally un-American. The right to citizenship by birth is a cornerstone of American democracy, ensuring that no child born here is stateless or treated as an outsider in their own country.
As the child of immigrants, I can’t help but imagine what my family would do if we were told to abandon the life we’ve spent decades building and return to a place that is no longer home. For many immigrants, going back is not an option. The countries they have fled are often plagued by violence, economic hardship and political turmoil. To deport them is to sentence them to a life of suffering.
The lack of empathy in this debate is staggering. When singer Selena Gomez, who is half Mexican, expressed her sorrow over the attacks on immigrants, she was met with backlash, losing over 700,000 followers. She later deleted her video, posting: “Apparently it’s not okay to show empathy for people.” This reaction underscores a cruel reality—many Americans simply do not care because they are unaffected by this issue. But an injustice against one group of people is an injustice against us all.
America was never meant to be a nation of one singular identity. It was “discovered” by European immigrants, built on the labor of enslaved Africans and rests on land stolen from Indigenous peoples. The very foundation of this country is one of migration, struggle and resilience. To now turn our backs on immigrants, to vilify them and strip them of their rights, is a betrayal of our own history.
It’s time to stop voting solely based on personal identity and privilege. Immigration policy should not be dictated by fear or self-interest but by compassion and justice. Those who support these raids and draconian policies must recognize that the leader they endorse is not just governing for them—he is making decisions that shape the entire nation. The Statue of Liberty does not stand in New York Harbor as a relic of the past; she is a reminder of what this country represents. We must decide whether we will continue to honor her message or turn our backs on it forever.
