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“If we can save American lives, American jobs and American futures, … we can [collectively] save America itself.”
— Former President Donald Trump
Over the last three decades, the United States has confronted a growing immigration crisis as an increasing number of illegal immigrants have entered the country, putting a strain on government resources, burdening taxpayers plus state and local governments with substantial costs, and jeopardizing national security, public safety, and the rule of law.
If a country is unable or unwilling to manage its borders, it will lose its independence and sovereignty. A sovereign government with a solid immigration policy determines who is permitted to enter the country, both temporarily and permanently, and picks citizens who will contribute to the country’s intellectual life, economic prosperity and overall safety.
During Barack Obama’s first three years in office, he deported nearly 1.18 million illegal immigrants, compared to roughly 800,000 deported in Donald Trump’s first three years. In February 2021, there were more than 100,000 immigrants flooding the border in an attempt to enter, three times more than in February 2020. Compared to both preceding and following presidents, Trump has deported fewer illegal immigrants and had fewer immigrants trying to enter the country. As a result, Trump has done a better job of maintaining America’s independence and sovereignty.
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Trump’s merit-based immigration system awarded a visa to those who will benefit our safety and economy. This system included common-sense national security travel restrictions to keep terrorists, jihadists and violent extremists out. Under Trump, the Department of Justice and Department of Human Services prohibited foreigners who had been “convicted of federal or state felonies, illegal reentry, alien smuggling or harboring, street gang crime, drunk driving, domestic violence, or certain misdemeanors” from immigrating.
As of Jan. 20, 2020, Joe Biden’s immigration reform bill proposes returning to the visa lottery system, which picks individuals at random and not on the basis of merit or public safety. With the return to the lottery system, immigrants are not selected based on those who will benefit America.
Migrants also damage Americans’ job opportunities. Trump signed Executive Order No. 13788 in response to the misuse of H-1B visas — temporary visas for individuals coming to America to perform services in specialized occupations. The order tightly enforced and regulated the laws governing foreign workers. This executive order protected American citizens from being replaced by foreign workers misusing their visas. Allowing those from other countries to come into our borders and compete with native citizens hinders opportunities for our future generations.
Although Trump had some missteps with immigration policy, no policy is perfect. His policies overall moved the U.S. in the right direction by selecting immigrants who will assist in the security and economy of the United States. The execution of his plans brought much-needed constraints to the immigration of criminals and illegal workers. As a result, our nation was poised to be safer and richer with jobs for future generations.
A country can no longer be sovereign if it is unable or unwilling to govern who is allowed to enter it, both temporarily and permanently, in order to contribute to its security and economy.
Ultimately, thus far, despite how people feel morally or ethically about him, Trump protected our sovereignty better than Biden.
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Ema-lani Ebesu is a student at Island School on Kauai, Class of 2022.
“Raise Your Hand,” a monthly column featuring Hawaii’s youth and their perspectives, appears in the Insight section on the first Sunday of each month. It is facilitated by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders (www.CTLhawaii.org).
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