17. Opinion (National News)

 

  Lately, every time I scroll through the news, I see something about ICE taking people into custody, people who aren’t criminals, people who’ve been living normal lives, people who came here looking for the same safety and opportunity this country claims to stand for. And honestly? It's tiring to witness and absolutely sickening. And I’m confused about how we got here. Because the whole point of immigration enforcement was supposed to be about safety, removing actual threats, protecting communities, focusing on people who are harming others. But somewhere along the way, the mission got twisted. Now it feels like ICE is arresting anyone they can get their hands on, even if they’re living peacefully, even if they’ve been here for decades, even if their only “crime” is trying to survive.

ICE data shows 72% of people detained have no criminal convictions | Fortune

   America loves to brag about being the land of freedom, opportunity, and second chances. But what kind of message are we sending when families are getting separated for no real reason? When parents are taken from their kids because of paperwork? When people who work, pay taxes, go to church, go to school, and contribute to their communities are suddenly treated like criminals? Somewhere along the line, the plot got lost. The empathy disappeared. The common sense disappeared. The humanity disappeared. What frustrates me the most is how people talk about this issue like it’s just “policy.” No. These are human beings. Kids watching their parents get taken away. People afraid to call the police when they’re victims of crime. Families living with constant fear in a country they’ve been part of longer than some of us have been alive. How is that protecting anyone? How is that justice? How is that American?If ICE is arresting innocent people, working people, peaceful people, then it’s not protecting America. It’s failing America. I’m not saying there should be zero enforcement. Every country has immigration laws, and every country has the right to enforce them. But enforcing them should not come at the cost of basic humanity. In order for us to get back to the real plot of the story, America needs to focus on actual threats, not families, stop treating every undocumented person like a criminal, reform this system so people who contribute to their communities aren't being punished, and bring empathy back into policy, because right now, it's nowhere to be found.

   I think the saddest part is that so many people forget what America was supposed to stand for. We talk about freedom and equality like they’re automatic, but for so many people, especially immigrants, those words have become empty. If we want to keep calling ourselves the “land of opportunity,” then we have to stop tearing down the very people who are trying to build a life here. We have to stop letting fear and politics erase our humanity. ICE has lost the plot. And honestly? It’s time America finds it again.