The ‘bad immigrant’ lie — and why it’s so dangerous

Today, in communities across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are grabbing people, regardless of immigration status. People are afraid to go to work, and to send their children to school. A new and disturbing level of terror is growing around us.

And that’s exactly what the Trump administration wants — to foster and help flourish the fear that has kept us increasingly divided.

While they tell Americans that they are going after all of the bad and scary immigrants that have held the country hostage, to the shock of none, many of those targeted by ICE in just the first two weeks of February had no criminal convictions or pending charges. Simultaneously, President Trump is selling the idea of a “gold card” visa to wealthy would-be immigrants, while those who have been building and contributing to this country for years are cornered and caged for the “crime” of being poor and working-class people of color.

I grew up undocumented and living in fear. My family and I walked on eggshells, constantly afraid that making the slightest slipup could lead to racial profiling, deportation and our family being broken apart. We did everything we could to show this country we were “good” immigrants. We worked hard, and kept our heads down. We didn’t complain when we were exploited and abused in the workplace. We stayed out of trouble, and paid our taxes. I learned English, became an honors student, and went above and beyond in my volunteer work and community service.

That didn’t stop my dad from being constantly racially profiled by the police and my then 12-year-old younger brother from being assaulted by the NYPD on his way home from school for being a young Latino man and, therefore, suspicious. Amazing, kind and beautiful friends have been shackled, detained and deported.

In spite of doing everything right and making sacrifices for our families and our communities, immigrants have, over and over again, become the punching bags of politicians who have nothing else to offer the American people.

Growing up, I felt proud about my parent’s sacrifices and their courage to leave everything behind and seek a better life in the U.S. But over time, I started to feel ashamed of being a poor undocumented immigrant of color.

As a young immigrant living in a post-9/11 America, I experienced firsthand being labeled a “threat” and a “suspect” in the place I call home. Everything around me — what I watched on TV and the stories of immigrants I read about — told me my parents and I were “bad” for fleeing poverty and being in this country seeking refuge and a better life. Sadly, my young mind internalized the lie and felt the urgency to show this country that I was worthy of being here. Many immigrants believe this too, and consequently think that nothing could possibly happen to them or their families because they are “good” immigrants.

Yet today, we’re seeing a constant flood of stories of so-called “good” immigrants and their families being torn apart by deportation efforts — from model students with green cards whose only crime was using their voice to Trump-supporting Latino voters who genuinely believed in his promises to fight for them. Some on the left have piled onto their pain with vindicated glee, but while I’m frustrated with those who thought that a red hat and hate would give them the extra patriot points, I do understand them.

Immigrants are made to believe in “personal responsibility” — a trap from which there is no way out. We’re pushed to buy into the idea that somehow, while our president can pardon his family, friends and cronies without reserve, people like us, who have to flee our homes and come to this country in search of safety and security, must be continuously punished for the “crime” of wanting a better life for our families.

This is exactly what the president and his administration are doing. They are blaming immigrants for the costs of eggs, housing, a failing healthcare system and an economy that benefits only the rich. They are scapegoating immigrants to distract us from this administration’s cruelty and fealty to rich men like Elon Musk, who are stealing our resources, our data and our money while the majority of Americans are struggling to make ends meet.

“Bad” immigrants being the nation’s scapegoat is not new, but the faces and cultures of who we define as such have. In the 1920s, during the Prohibition Era, German, Italian and Irish immigrants were also labeled as immoral, un-American drunks and blamed for threatening public welfare and deteriorating American values. Ironically, many of those same immigrants have now become “white” in America’s story, and some of their descendants are now saying the same things about people like me, and calling for the mass deportation of immigrants.

As we always have, immigrants power key sectors in our economy, from the agricultural to the construction sectors. In 2022, undocumented workers paid an estimated $96.7 billion in taxes. But beyond their economic contributions, immigrants make us better because many of us, documented and undocumented, believe in the aspirational values of this country, and are doing the work to achieve the promise of a nation where true democracy, equality, freedom and justice prevail.

Although history sometimes repeats itself, we have the ability to make different choices this time around. Regardless of what this administration has to say, immigrants are not to blame for everything that ails this country. Quite the contrary — we are just as much a part of American communities as anyone else who just wants to do right by their families. But it’s not just American citizens who support Trump who need to hear that. My fellow immigrants need to hear it, too.

Cristina Jiménez is a MacArthur Genius, co-founder of United We Dream, the nation’s largest immigrant youth network, and author of “Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear into Pride, Power, and Real Change.”

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