Stop Scapegoating Immigrants for Every Social or Economic Problem | Opinion

For some time now we have all been subject to a steady stream of ugly anti-immigrant rants and outrageous rhetoric from Donald Trump, JD Vance, and others in the MAGA camp. We need to stop and realize that this kind of talk is not only false and manipulative, but a moral stain on the reputation of this country. It is past time to reject politicians who trash and scapegoat others for their own gain.

Labeling immigrants as criminals, rapists, mental asylum inmates, genetically inferior, and pet eaters is not only repugnant, racist, ignorant, and false, but an affront to the best of America’s ideals. Alleging that immigrants “take jobs” from American citizens is an age-old ploy to dehumanize them further. Yet Trump and company throw this incendiary language around constantly, often without challenge. Don’t forget, the only people in this country who are not immigrants or descended from immigrants are Native Americans. If you are not Native American, you too are an immigrant.

So let’s drop the lies and look at the real story.

You may have noticed that every time Trump uses anti-immigrant language, he prefaces it with “they.” “They” are letting criminals out. “They” are letting people out of asylums. Conveniently, Trump never explains who exactly “they” are. Is he alleging that the governments of El Salvador, or Honduras, or Guatemala, or Venezuela, or Mexico have implemented an actual policy to release such individuals to the U.S.? Such an absurd claim has no evidence to back it up. The fact is, there is no “they.”

What about the charge that immigrants are criminals, and associated with increases in crime wherever they go? That notion is false, and mean-spirited to boot. There is a mountain of data out there showing that the opposite is true. Here are just a few examples: A Cato Institute study from 2024 found that in Texas, “illegal immigrants were 26 percent less likely than native-born Americans to be convicted of homicide, and legal immigrants were 61 percent less likely.” A 2018 study published in the journal Criminology and a study by the same author in 2020 concluded that increased concentrations of undocumented immigrants are actually associated with decreases in violent crime. And U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show that from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2024, the number of noncitizens arrested was nowhere close to the “millions” tossed around by Trump, a number that has been characterized as “laughable” by experts who work in this area. Of course, there is nothing actually funny about these malicious falsehoods, because real people get threatened and hurt as a result.

Data also show that immigrants strengthen the economy. An April 12 PBS News report documented that the influx of foreign-born adults vastly raised the supply of available workers—and jobs—after a U.S. labor shortage had left many companies unable to fill positions. “More workers filling more jobs and spending more money has helped drive economic growth and create still-more job openings,” said the report. Research by the Brookings Institute in 2022 concluded that “Dozens of empirical studies have found that immigration benefits American workers.” Importantly, it showed that the work immigrants do typically complements, rather than replaces, the work of those who are native-born. The report added that “the immigrant workforce will become increasingly central to the U.S. economy in the coming years.”

I could go on, but it should be clear that the anti-immigrant rhetoric from Trump and his supporters is not only ugly, but false, and maliciously so. As a public health expert and cultural anthropologist who has worked with different immigrant communities for almost 25 years, I know from experience how profoundly distorted this kind of rhetoric is.

As November 5 approaches, the American public must reject politicians who use such hateful, scapegoating language. Immigrants have always been a major source of the vitality that keeps this country strong, culturally rich, and adaptive to the new situations that will inevitably arise. Those of us who value an America that grows and sustains itself through future generations should be celebrating this country’s immigrant heritage, today and tomorrow.

Don’t be fooled by those who manufacture hate for their own small-minded gain. That is not how to make America great.

Mark Edberg, is a Professor and Director of the Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant and Refugee Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

The views expressed in this op-ed are solely those of the author and do not represent either the Center or the University.