The response from progressive voices to President Trump’s deportations has begun, and it’s already being criticized as irrational and hysterical.
MSNBC hosts Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid have suggested that the current situation could potentially lead to another Holocaust.
“Similarities to what happened in Germany and what’s happening now in America are just undeniable,” Reid stated recently.
A recurring argument is that the criminal illegal immigrants being targeted are predominantly black and brown, which some view as suspicious.
Progressives tend to view these deportees not as violent offenders who pose a danger to society, but as people of color who are inherently victims.
Al Sharpton claimed on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that “we’re looking for people of a certain black or brown color.”
On “The View,” Sunny Hostin pointed out that the Trump deportations seem to be focused on “a certain group or type of immigrant.”
Hostin suggested that while many Asian and European visa overstayers are not being targeted, the administration is focusing on immigrants coming over the border based on their skin color.
“So I think there’s a very clear message as to what this president wants the look of a criminal migrant to look like,” she said, labeling it as “racist,” to the applause of the studio audience.
This perspective is lacking in accurate information.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, in 2022, 80% of all illegal immigrants in the United States were from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The top five countries of origin were Mexico (45% of illegal migrants), Guatemala (7%), El Salvador (6%), Honduras (5%), and India (3%).
No European country made the top 10. Altogether, illegal immigrants from Europe, Canada, and Oceania accounted for 7%.
The majority of illegal immigrants are non-white and come from economically disadvantaged countries geographically close to the US.
This is a factual statement.
It has nothing to do with Trump’s preferences regarding the appearance of illegal immigrants.
If ICE conducted completely random raids, 80% of the individuals apprehended would likely be black or brown.
Currently, the raids are not random and are mainly focused on criminal aliens.
In general, criminal behavior is associated with lower education levels and socio-economic status.
This does not imply that all individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds are criminals.
However, individuals with less education are more likely to have encounters with the law compared to those with higher education levels.
(The same holds true for the US-born population).
So, why aren’t there many Indian illegal immigrants being detained by ICE?
If we assume that the demographic characteristics of Indian illegal immigrants align with Indian immigrants in general, they will have a different profile than other illegal immigrants.
The Migration Policy Institute states, “On average, Indian immigrants are highly skilled and earn significant incomes: the vast majority hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, their median income is more than double that of the US- and overall foreign-born populations, and their likelihood of living in poverty is half that of these groups.”
Hostin mentioned visa overstayers, and there are a significant number from Canada.
However, these individuals are travelers and students from a relatively affluent and well-educated country, making them less likely to be involved in criminal activities compared to, for example, members of prison gangs.
What is the equivalent of the French-Canadian Tren de Aragua?
While every illegal immigrant should be subject to deportation, it is unlikely that the criminal migrants, as Hostin described them, will fit the narrative that she and other commentators focused on race expect.
Their argument implies that it is racist to exclude non-white illegal immigrants, racist to deport them, and ultimately racist to have a country that takes its borders seriously.
And then they wonder why they are losing.
Twitter: @RichLowry
