I understand the urgent need to reform our immigration policy to streamline the current chaotic and disjointed immigration laws. However, Trumps approach to addressing migration will gravely affect the health of the economy, to which immigrants are indispensable. Expelling hard-working immigrants without due process is a gross violation of their rights, and subjecting them to inhumane conditions before their expulsion is outrageous and must not be tolerated. To justify his policy, Trump claims that immigrants are infesting the country with crimes, which is false.

By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir

Trumps False Claim

Trump, who has routinely labeled immigrants overwhelmingly as criminals, rapists, drug traffickers, and gang members, as compared to US-born citizens, is wrong. Research consistently showssince 1870, in factthat immigrants, including undocumented ones, commit crimes at lower rates than US-born citizens. For example, a 2020 federal study found that immigrants in Texas were arrested less than half as often as US-born citizens for violent and drug crimes.

The Migration Policy Institute reports that nationwide, immigrants are 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated than US-born citizens. Indeed, the vast majority of immigrants are hard-working men and women who struggle to feed their families, escaping persecution in their country, and aspire to and live the American dream while making significant contributions to American enterprises in all of their facets.

Economic Disruption, Labor Shortages, and Declining Innovation

The fallout of Trump's immigration policy on the economy is hard to exaggerate. Removing millions of immigrant workers, particularly in sectors like agriculture, construction, and hospitality, would lead to labor shortages, reduce production, and increase the costs of goods and services. Studies show that families would face an average annual cost increase for everyday goods and services of more than $2,000, and agricultural yield could drop by up to $60 billion.

In addition, obstructive immigration policies risk converting the US from a dynamic, growing economy into a stagnant one, similar to countries with aging populations and limited immigration, as workforce growth slows and innovation declines. Many businesses that rely on immigrant labor, such as cleaning and service industries, struggle to replace immigrant workers with US-born citizens. This threatens business viability and slows economic growth, as workforce expansion stalls and companies face difficulties finding replacements.

Erosion of Due Process

Mass deportations and aggressive enforcement tactics have resulted in wrongful detentions, including of US citizens, and have increased the likelihood of racial profiling and legal rights violations. Presently, raids to incarcerate and expel migrants are now occurring in locations previously protected, like schools and hospitals. The policies, such as reinstating family separation at the border and targeting undocumented childrens access to education, have devastated families and created widespread fear in immigrant communities, deterring engagement with public services and authorities.

Furthermore, Trumps new executive orders have barred asylum seekers and suspended refugee admissions, dismantling long-standing protections for those fleeing violence and persecution. This not only harms vulnerable individuals but also undermines US commitments to international human rights. The implications of the above highlight the immediate broader risks to the US economy, public health, and the nations hardships for immigrants, as well as legal and humanitarian principles.

Egregiously Inhumane Conditions

According to multiple independent investigations and rights groups, migrants detained under Trumps intensified deportation policies are subjected to serious human rights violations. Detention centers are consistently overcrowded, with detainees often forced to sleep on concrete floors or benches, lacking adequate bedding, and facing insufficient access to toilets and showers. Reports describe unsanitary environments, including contaminated water and expired food, leading to widespread illness among the detainees.

Adding further to the extremely harsh conditions, detainees regularly experience slow or denied medical care altogether, resulting in preventable deaths and untreated illnesses. Medical facilities often lack sufficient staffing. Many complaints detail patterns of physical assault, sexual abuse, and intimidation by guards. Incidents include the use of force, and those who speak are retaliated against and placed in solitary confinement as punishmenta practice widely recognized as psychologically damaging and potentially amounting to torture under international law.

Finally, to expand the capacity of detention centers, the Trump administration is using military bases and private prisons, where profit motives and lack of oversight aggravate abuse and neglect. In particular, the administration has drawn atrocious plans to detain migrants at Guantnamo Baya facility known for severe rights violationswhich has raised alarm among human rights observers.

Denial of Legal Rights and Due Process

Many detainees are held arbitrarily, with limited or no access to legal counsel, and face prolonged detention without explanation. Transfers between remote facilities further isolate detainees from attorneys and family, undermining their ability to challenge detention or deportation. Sadly, children are not spared; they are frequently separated from parents or caregivers and suffer similar deprivation, including cold, hunger, and psychological anguish, resulting in prolonged trauma for children and parents alike.

Amnesty International, the ACLU, and other organizations have documented systemic violations, including arbitrary detention, denial of due process, and conditions that meet the threshold for cruel treatment under both US and international law. The reduction in oversight and lowering of detention standards has further entrenched these abuses, with internal government reports and independent investigations confirming the persistence and worsening of such violations.

Paul Chavez, litigation and advocacy director at Americans for Immigrant Justice in Florida, stated bluntly, These are the worst conditions I have seen in my 20-year career. Trumps record-setting migration crackdown is creating a horrific human rights disaster, and it will only get worse.

To add insult to injury, Florida is building its Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant holding facility on a disused airfield in the Everglades infested with snakes and alligators. It seeks to begin to hold migrants in tents starting this month, which often provide little to no protection from the summer heat and humidity. It was recently reported that at least 10 migrants in ICE custody have died in the first 6 months of the year because of the callous treatment within current facilities; with the extreme environment in Florida, we can undoubtedly expect more.

This crosses every red line of human rights violations, which disgraces America and robs millions of the American dream. Our predecessors have sacrificed so much to make a more perfect union with immigrants of every race, religion, creed, and national origin. That is what made America the greatest country in history. Now, Trump is bent on destroying it.

I beg everyone who reads this article to share it and express your outrage at how massive and unprecedented Trumps human rights violations are and how America is being portrayed to the world. Shame on us all if we allow this monstrosity to continue without a national, peaceful and relentless protest from coast to coast to force Trump to change this despicable policy.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

Pressenza New York