Trump’s vicious statements about immigrants are racist — and might seriously damage economy

The “Crisis on the Border” and the perceived need to deport millions of immigrants who are in this country illegally, have been a volatile issue throughout this year’s presidential campaign.

Donald Trump continues to use intemperate rhetoric to castigate immigrants, whom he describes as “animals, not people,” as “the worst of the worst” who are “poisoning the blood of our country.” He has advocated deporting millions of immigrants, using military funding to build detention camps near the Mexican border. It is also suggested that Trump would deploy National Guard units from Red states like South Dakota to round up these people and place them in the detention camps.

Since children who were born in the United States are granted citizenship by the 14th Amendment, we could expect that hundreds of thousands of children could be separated from their parents under such a scheme. That prospect would not trouble Trump, or right-wing advisers like Stephen Miller who have advocated this drastic measure. After all, children were permanently separated from their parents during the last Trump administration.

The National Border Patrol Council, which is the union that represents 19,000 border agents, is fully supportive of Trump and his plans. The union was historically non-political until 2016, when it endorsed a presidential candidate (Trump) for the first time. As recently as 2012, the union had opposed construction of a border wall, which it considered a waste of taxpayer money. Today it is a confirmed partner in the MAGA movement. 

On the other hand, retired Gen. John Kelly, who served for a time as chief of staff in the Trump administration, has been speaking out against Trump’s declared plans to use the military against undocumented immigrants and against U.S. citizens who have offended him.

If an elected president can deploy the military to achieve domestic political goals, we will have crossed a visible line toward dictatorship. Such proposals, like much of Trump's agenda, should not be dignified with the “conservative” label, but should be frankly described as fascist policies. 

Interestingly, Palantir Technologies, which is the data analytics company that contracts with the federal government to provide the software for immigration raids, was founded by Peter Thiel, the right-wing billionaire who funded much of J.D. Vance’s U.S. Senate campaign back in 2022.

Vance’s wife Usha is of Indian descent, but he did not hesitate to spread the lie that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are killing and eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats. Ideally, a senator would not spread falsehoods that lead to bomb threats against his constituents, but we are not living in an ideal world.

We should contemplate the practical effects of a mass deportation of immigrants from our country. Currently, an estimated 10% of all American construction workers, including an estimated 32% of roofers, are undocumented. A new house is financially out of reach for most American families, but the removal of millions or immigrants would make housing even more unaffordable.

Since half of all American farmworkers are undocumented, the fruit and vegetable harvest would be devastated. Oranges, grapefruits and avocados might simply rot in the field.

The Center for American Progress estimates that the deportation of 7 million workers would reduce America’s GDP by 2.6%, likely causing a severe recession or depression. It is worth mentioning that undocumented workers contribute an estimated $13 billion annually into Social Security, a benefit they are not eligible to draw, and pay another $21.5 billion annually in federal income taxes.

Trump and his supporters can hate the people who managed to sneak into this country, seeking a better life for their children, but they cannot deny the economic contribution they are making to America. Rep. Greg Casar, a first-term Texas Democrat, bluntly predicts that “the economy would collapse” if Trump is elected and succeeds in his plans to remove millions of undocumented immigrants.

An alternative plan would be creating a path to citizenship for people who are living and working, and raising American-born children in this country. Perhaps that is too sensible to be a serious possibility, but we need to recognize that immigrants from Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela and many other countries are making a significant contribution to our economy and to our society. 

Much of the information in this piece was gleaned from the September/October issue of Mother Jones magazine, which is largely focused on the question: “What if Trump Actually Deports 11 Million People?”

Jay Davis is a retired Rapid City lawyer and a frequent contributor to The South Dakota Standard.

Photo:  Public domain 2019 image of illegal aliens apprehended in Yuma, AZ, posted on wikimedia commons