The Dangers of Trump’s Immigration Policy: Power, Control, and the Erosion of Democracy

Donald Trump has wasted no time unleashing a wave of immigration policies that are almost unprecedented in their scope and severity. Through executive orders and sweeping crackdowns, Trump has declared an end to constitutionally mandated and protected birthright citizenship. Tens of thousands of people already granted protected refugee status in the U.S have had their inbound flights canceled. Trump has shuttered the entire U.S. asylum and refugee program, which is no longer processing new applications. He has kept his promise to quickly declare a “national emergency” and further militarize the southern border.

These measures, coupled with beginning of mass deportation raids in major cities like Chicago and New York, show that Trump wasn’t just playing election politics and pandering to the extreme right wing. He wasn’t just blowing hot cheeseburger air when he ran on a blatantly anti-immigrant, xenophobic, authoritarian agenda that echoes policies of other dictatorial regimes. Just as troubling, they also raise critical questions about the true intent of a militarized border and its implications for democracy and freedom here in the United States.

The Authoritarian Playbook: Power, Not Democracy

Trump’s immigration policies aren’t merely about enforcing borders. These moves are part of a broader strategy to consolidate his power. Throughout history, authoritarian leaders have used immigration and border control as tools to centralize authority and scapegoat vulnerable populations. By painting immigrants as threats to national security, these leaders divert attention from domestic issues and create a climate of fear that justifies extraordinary measures.

From Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, From Stalin and Hitler to 19th century America, western regimes in particular have weaponized immigration policies to stoke nationalism and suppress dissent. Trump’s moves — ending birthright citizenship, militarizing the border, and orchestrating mass deportations — fit neatly into this old and unfortunately effective playbook. By targeting marginalized communities, he sends a chilling message about the limits of inclusion and the expendability of human rights in his vision for an American dictatorship.

A Militarized Border: Inward and Outward Control

The use of military forces to “secure” the southern border raises alarming questions about the future of American freedoms. While Trump frames this action as a necessary measure to combat illegal immigration, history teaches us that militarized borders often serve dual purposes: keeping people out and eventually keeping people in.

East Germany under the Soviet Union is a well known example. The construction of the Berlin Wall, much like Trump’s still unfinished border wall, was initially justified as a way to protect against external threats. But as every American has learned in middle and high school history classes since the Cold war, the Berlin Wall quickly became a mechanism to prevent the citizens of East Berlin from fleeing into capitalist West Germany. Trump’s decision to deploy military resources to the U.S.-Mexico border not only reflects a disregard for humanitarian concerns but also sets a dangerous precedent for internal control. How long will it be before these same military forces are turned inward on us and used to suppress domestic dissent or restrict the movement of U.S. citizens?

The Role of U.S. Imperialism in Mass Migration

In order to truly understand the duplicity and cruelty of Trump’s immigration policies, we have to look briefly at the history of U.S. involvement and intervention in the western hemisphere. Since the early years of U.S. independence, that involvement has been rooted and steeped in imperialism. Policies like the Monroe Doctrine and concepts like Manifest Destiny were designed early on to ensure U.S. imperial dominance in the western hemisphere by keeping European nations out.

It didn’t take long for the U.S. start putting it’s muscle where it’s mouth was. Western expansion of course involved the decimation of indigenous peoples and communities. By the 1840s it also involved what essentially amounts to the outright theft of half of Mexico, including the entirety of what is now Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and parts of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado (we actually occupied pretty much all of Mexico, clear down to Mexico City, but only stole what was north of the Rio Grande River).

By the late 1800s, U.S. imperial dominance continued its expansion by kicking Spain out of its remaining western colonial territories and then some. During the Spanish-American War the U.S. claimed to simply be liberating Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. It was about freedom and liberation. Sound familiar?

In fact, the U.S. didn’t liberate anything. Sure, they kicked Spain, but we moved right in. Both Puerto Rico and Guam are still U.S. colonies (aka “territories”) to this day with no signs of that changing any time soon (though the winds of change can certainly be fickle).

The Philippines was a U.S. colony controlled by the military for the next hundred years. The island nation technically gained independence in 1946. But the U.S. military stuck around until 1992 to make sure the new government of the Philippines stayed in line.

The U.S. never technically colonized Cuba. But we did have pretty solid control the country through puppet dictatorships until the revolution that swept Castro into power. And of course ever since then we’ve blockaded and sanctioned Cuba, and done everything we could to orchestrate “socialism’s inevitable failure.”

Although we haven’t directly colonized any territory south of the U.S. border since the Spanish-American War acquisitions, U.S. imperialism in the western hemisphere by no means ended there. As early as 1899 the U.S. was sending it’s marine force into places like Nicaragua and Honduras to prevent revolutions unfavorable to U.S. corporate interests. Throughout the entirety of the 20th century, the U.S. meddled directly in Latin America. Using the U.S. military and the CIA, the United States has worked hard to steer the politics and economics in favor of U.S. corporate interests in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Grenada, Panama, and of course again and again in Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras…

Long story short (“Too late!”), Trump’s policies ignore a fundamental truth: the United States is complicit in creating the very conditions driving mass migration. Decades of U.S. imperialism, including military interventions, economic exploitation, and support for corrupt regimes, have destabilized nations across Central and South America. From backing coups and dictator regimes in the name of anti-communism to imposing trade policies that benefit U.S. corporations at the expense of local economies, American foreign policy has sown the seeds of poverty and violence that force people to flee their homes.

For example, the U.S.-backed coup in Guatemala in 1954 led to decades of civil war and human rights abuses. Similarly, trade agreements like NAFTA devastated Mexican farmers, pushing many to migrate northward in search of work. By failing to address these root causes, Trump’s (and ever other presidential administration’s) immigration policies punish the victims of U.S. imperialism rather than acknowledging America’s role and responsibility in their plight.

A Bipartisan Legacy of Deportations

While Trump’s actions are extreme, they aren’t without precedent. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have contributed to the militarization of the border and the criminalization of immigrants. Under President Bill Clinton, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 expanded deportation mechanisms and set the stage for today’s enforcement practices. President George W. Bush ramped up deportations in the wake of 9/11, framing immigration as a national security issue.

President Barack Obama earned the nickname “Deporter-in-Chief” for overseeing more than three million deportations during his tenure, a record unmatched by his predecessors. While his administration focused on deporting individuals with criminal records, many families and asylum seekers were also swept up in the system. President Joe Biden’s tenure saw attempts to reverse some of Trump’s policies, but his administration still struggled with overcrowded detention centers and continued deportations, surpassing the number of deportations during Trump’s first term.

The numbers paint a stark picture of this bipartisan complicity:

• Clinton (1993–2001): Approximately 869,000 deportations.
• Bush (2001–2009): Approximately two million deportations.
• Obama (2009–2017): Over three million deportations.
• Trump (2017–2021): Nearly one million deportations.
• Biden (2021–2025): Over 1.2 million deportations.

These statistics reveal that Democrats and Republican administrations and congresses alike have perpetuated policies that prioritize border enforcement and deportations over humane solutions rooted in justice.

The Case for Open Borders

Trump’s policies highlight the urgent need for a radically different approach to immigration. Assuming we’re not finally returning sovereignty to the indigenous inhabitants (which, maybe should be taken more seriously), then instead of militarizing borders and criminalizing migrants, the United States should finally embrace its national myth as a reality and implement policies of radical inclusivity and open borders. While critics argue that open borders would lead to chaos, evidence suggests otherwise.

Open borders can foster economic growth, cultural exchange, and global equity. It was essentially the way the world worked under overt western imperialism. Whoever wanted to come to the “New World,” for example, and could somehow manage afford passage could just show up and move in without needing passports immigration papers.

The only exception up until 1882 was Africans, who for the most part could only come to the New World if it was as slaves. But aside from that glaring and shameful stain, until General Immigration Act and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the U.S had open borders. Even after that it was what amounts to open borders for a lot of people, especially white Europeans (with the exception of bouts of anti-Irish and anti-Italian sentiment).

Quite hypocritically then, now that it’s not politically in vogue for the U.S. and western European nation’s to outright colonize the globe, we suddenly want strict measures and controls on who can come here. We’ve taken the cake, but we’re sure as shit not willing to share it anymore.

Immigrants contribute significantly to the U.S. economy, filling labor shortages, starting businesses, and paying taxes. A 2017 study by the National Academy of Sciences found that immigrants and their descendants provide a net positive fiscal impact over the long term. By opening borders, the U.S. could harness the potential of a global workforce while addressing the wrongs of our imperialist history.

There’s no doubt that the exploitation of immigrant labor is a huge problem, one that needs to be addressed and rectified. But the answer isn’t banning immigrants and militarizing the border. The answer is returning to the U.S. tradition of open borders, including legal, constitutional rights and labor protections for immigrant residents who aren’t U.S. citizens.

Moreover, open borders would acknowledge the interconnectedness of global challenges. Climate change, economic inequality, and political instability do not respect national boundaries. By allowing people to move freely, nations can not only better adapt to these challenges, but can also create a world with more equitable distribution of resources.

Trump’s immigration policies aren’t just an attack on migrants — they’re an attack on the principles of democracy, freedom, and human dignity. By following the authoritarian playbook, Trump is using immigration as a tool for division and control while ignoring the root causes of migration and the contributions of immigrants to American society. His move to militarize the southern border also begs the frightening but very serious question of if and when he’ll turn that militarization inward and unleash it on us.

To move forward, the United States must reject the militarization of borders and embrace policies that promote inclusivity and global solidarity. Open borders are not a utopian ideal — they are a necessary step toward a more prosperous and equitable world for all. Only by dismantling the systems of oppression that drive migration and inequality can we truly uphold the values of democracy and freedom.