Opinion: Dehumanization of undocumented immigrants is a bipartisan issue

As the 2024 General Election approaches, the issue of immigration is once again at the forefront of political discourse. During last week's State of the Union Address, President Biden spoke about several pressing political issues. When discussing the topic of immigration, he called on Republicans to collaborate with Democrats in order to pass the bipartisan border agreement. This agreement would allocate more than $20 billion for increased border security and include significant policy changes.

During Biden’s speech, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a political representative from Georgia and a staunch Trump supporter, interrupted the President. In response, Biden went off script, reached down behind the podium, and held up a pin with the name of a 22-year-old American nursing student who was killed while jogging in Georgia, Laken Riley. 

Directing his comments to Rep. Greene, Biden stated “Laken Riley an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal,” before adding “That’s right, but how many thousands are being killed by legals.” The poorly-phrased response was meant to counter the false narrative of migrants as being more linked to crime, but fell flat due to Biden’s use of the dehumanizing term, “illegals.”

The use of the word “illegals” is considered derogatory by many and describes immigrants living in the United States without “proper documentation.” Although it is language that both parties have used, it is more frequently utilized by conservatives to underscore the default criminalization that exists from being undocumented in the United States. It has long been criticized by immigrant advocates who view the term as being outdated, xenophobic and rooted in the false vilification of undocumented individuals and migrant communities.

During her rebuttal, the Republican U.S.  Sen. Katie Britt from Alabama told a misleading story about how the cartels had exploited a 12-year-old girl, continuing the narrative that the border and immigrants from south of the border are dangerous criminals. “President Biden’s border crisis is a disgrace. It’s despicable. And it’s almost entirely preventable,” Britt said. The problem is, the girl she spoke about “was not trafficked by Mexican drug cartels, but by a pimp,” according to CNN.

She also mentioned Riley and went even further, saying she was “brutally murdered by one of the millions of illegal border crossers President Biden chose to release into our homeland.”

The term is also sustained by false media anecdotes that foreign-born individuals are responsible for higher crime rates. However, the misconception of immigrants as being linked to crime lacks empirical evidence and is primarily based on negative stereotypes and bigotry. 

The reality is that most immigrants are essential to the United States’ economic growth and sustainability. A majority of our agricultural industry is comprised of immigrant farm workers. Despite the continued criminalization of migrants, many of whom are fleeing violence within their own home country, the U.S. labor market benefits from their contributions, where an estimated 75% farm workforce consists of immigrant laborers. 

While Biden’s use of the term “illegals” may seem like a one-off issue, it is reflective of a greater problem in the way both political parties dehumanize immigrants. In the 2020 election, the Biden campaign took a strong stance against Trump's anti-immigrant policies. They opposed the "zero tolerance" policy, which mandated the arrest of anyone caught crossing the border illegally, leading to the separation of children from their families.

However, the Biden Administration has since shown many similarities to that of the previous administration in pushing for stricter border restrictions in the wake of record numbers of migration across the U.S.-Mexico border. President Biden also expanded Trump-era border restrictions in 2023, implementing policies that the Human Rights Watch said limited access to “life-saving asylum.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris also famously made headlines during a news conference with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, she warned Guatemalan migrants: "Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders."

Biden’s bipartisan border agreement also raises some questions as well. In addition to hiring 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel, it provides an additional 4,300 Asylum Officers. The proposed bill aims to enhance the capacity of detention centers by increasing the number of beds from 40,000 to 50,000. The Biden administration believes that this will help alleviate overcrowding in migrant detention centers. However, this bill neglects the crucial issues of inhumane living conditions; sexual assault, inadequate medical care, and insufficient food, water, and sanitation, which have resulted in the tragic death of detainees.

With the 2024 Presidential election less than a year away, Democrats need to act fast to shift public opinion and address their approach to the border crisis. To address the current challenges facing the asylum process, a comprehensive plan is required. The Democrats must aim to expedite the process and ensure that it is fair and just for all involved parties. 

Furthermore, Congress must take immediate action to redirect funding from state-sanctioned solutions to immigration toward pathways to citizenship. This involves investing in programs and initiatives that facilitate the integration of immigrants into society, such as language training, education, and employment opportunities.