The only place where you can immigrate from one country to another and truly feel assimilated in the culture is America. Only because of immigration is the United States one of the most powerful countries in the world. So why in this decade have we seen immigrants in such a negative light? How have people been affected by the recent ICE policies, and to what extent have they escalated to an unlawful place? Finally, how can we support friends and family who have experienced hate or unjust force because of these new policies and tenets?

I believe the main cause for this has been dehumanization and the increased spread and belief in stereotypes. Due to social media, information is processed and dispersed in a hive-minded way. You could believe one thing after seeing a video, but then check the comments and be completely swayed. Or, you could see a video and, without verifying with an external trusted source, completely believe it and share the
information.

This ties into my previous claim by showing extreme examples of both sides of America, with “aggressive immigrants” and radical far-right violence. If you go outside, only one of those examples actually affects people every day.

ICE has escalated to a point where agents point weapons at innocent women, children and the elderly. This is allowed to happen because of fear-mongering; what you can do to help is spread accurate information, become educated in your political beliefs and never believe anything you see on a 30-second video.

We used to make fun of our parents for believing outrageous things on Facebook. Recognize when you’re being lied to. Stop to think if you know anyone who has been affected by undocumented immigrants, and then stop to think about who has been affected by ICE and racism. You’ll notice that you probably can’t think of anyone who fits the first option.