Not your own — someone else's: how the fight against migrants is splitting the United States

Protests continue in Chicago, the third largest city in the United States and the most populated city in Illinois. Residents of the metropolis have been opposing the deployment of National Guard forces in recent days, which Donald Trump sent to help the Migration and Customs Police (ICE). The deployment of troops has become another initiative of the president to limit migration, which, according to experts, only exacerbates the split in the United States. However, there is another opinion — it will not be possible to improve the security situation in the country without tough measures.

Protest actions in the USA

A new protest rally will be held in Chicago on October 10, after hundreds of dissatisfied people took to the streets of the metropolis a day earlier. The protesters condemn the measures taken by the president to combat illegal migrants, such as the deployment of National guardsmen and the granting of broad powers to federal agents conducting night raids using helicopter gunships and snipers.

At the same time, residents are waiting for a court hearing, where federal judge April Perry should consider banning the Trump administration from introducing the National Guard into the city. This situation has become the next stage in a series of lawsuits challenging the president's attempts to tighten police surveillance over Democratic-led states.

Recall, the presidential administration announced plans to redirect an additional 200 National Guard soldiers from Texas to Chicago. According to the White House, this city, along with Los Angeles and Washington, is allegedly gripped by "riots and lawlessness" that are not stopped by local authorities. The Midway Blitz operation has already been underway in Chicago since the beginning of September. According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and local National guardsmen arrested more than 800 illegal migrants.

The presidential administration is trying to tighten police measures not only in Illinois, but also in Oregon, by transferring 300 National guardsmen from California to Portland, which has been officially declared a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants since 2017. The president motivates his decree with week-long demonstrations outside the ICE office, describing them as "violent riots" organized by "internal terrorists." Authorities in Oregon have filed a counterclaim, stating that the protests in recent weeks have been few and far between and without arrests since June.

A common reason for carrying out violent actions against illegal migrants in Chicago and Portland was the shooting at the ICE department in Texas, where two people died. Moreover, the National guardsmen were sent not to republican Dallas, but to megacities controlled by the Democrats.

Such a policy of interference in the affairs of democratic states is completely inconsistent with the traditional Republican doctrine of protecting the rights of states and is aimed more at strengthening the power of the president than at a real fight against illegal immigrants, says Pavel Koshkin, senior researcher at the Department of Domestic Policy Studies at the Arbatov Institute of the USA and Canada (ISKRAN).

— Trump always reacts painfully to criticism from the outside, he is offended by the Democrats and dreams of taking revenge on them by introducing a conservative agenda everywhere. And this is possible only if the regions are subordinated to the federal center. In fact, the US president is trying to transform America into a corporation with a rigid vertical of power. In conditions of socio-political polarization, such trends are inevitable," he told Izvestia.

According to American political scientist Peter Kuznik, Trump is challenging the American constitution by destroying the system of checks and balances.

— The President of the United States is trying to show that he is above the law, especially when it comes to the use of force in an unprecedented manner. He is simultaneously punishing democratic states and teaching Americans to see police on the streets," he is sure.

Republicans, in turn, draw attention to the serious crime faced by the United States, including due to illegal migrants.

— The crime rate is a big problem for the United States. Under former President Joseph Biden, 55,000 cases of illegal border crossings by people with criminal records, including for murder, were recorded," Marina Chernykh, a researcher at ISKRAN, told Izvestia.

The problem of rising crime due to the surge in migration does exist. According to a Pew Research study, 57% of Americans believe that an increase in the number of migrants directly leads to an increase in crime in the country.

Republicans also accuse Democrats of suspending the government's work (shutdown) due to the desire to provide free medical care to migrants with the status of "legally present." We are talking about those who may be in the country, but are still only going through the process of obtaining a visa or green card in order to obtain the status of a legal migrant. Republicans want to ban these "legally present" immigrants from accessing federal health care programs. Their political opponents, on the contrary, plan to restore this access along with the costs of the $1 trillion Medicaid insurance program.

Under Biden, over 1 million migrants received this status. In the eyes of Republicans, this is a loophole used by Democrats to legalize illegal migrants.

The risk of worsening the situation of Americans due to the reduction of migrants

According to the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, since January, the number of foreign—born workers in America (legal and illegal) has decreased by about 1.2 million people, to 32.1 million in July - this affects various sectors of the economy. The measures primarily affected agriculture, in which about 40% of the workforce are illegal migrants. In recent months, the number of immigrants employed in this industry has decreased by only 155 thousand people. Because of this, farmers in Florida and other states are forced to hire workers on an H-2A visa, which leads to additional costs. According to some reports, the registration of migrants, along with their deportation and a reduction in exports to the Chinese market due to the trade war between China and the United States, has led to a sharp increase in the bankruptcy of small farms and higher prices for agricultural goods inside the country.

Earlier this year, President Trump himself stated the need to be flexible with immigrants working in agriculture. "Our farmers have suffered a lot," he said at a press conference in mid—June. — They have very good employees, they have been working for them for 20 years. We can't go to the farmers and take all their people."

The anti-immigration policy has affected healthcare, in particular, the introduction of a consular fee of $100,000 for H-1B visas for qualified specialists may worsen the shortage of medical staff. Doctors from abroad make up almost a quarter of all doctors in the United States. They provide most of the staff in rural and rural areas of the country with underdeveloped social infrastructure. At the same time, many of them work in important areas of medicine that are often avoided by doctors educated in the United States, such as primary health care, psychiatry and pediatrics. If their number decreases, the country will not be able to cover the projected deficit of almost 86,000 doctors by 2036, according to the largest doctors' union, the American Medical Association.

The changes in obtaining an H-1B visa have also affected the IT industry. According to the Trump administration, the hiring of low-paid foreign specialists in this field hinders the employment of Native Americans after graduation and threatens the country's leadership in the development of computer science and technology. This decision worsens US relations with India, from which a significant number of IT specialists come, Kuznik believes.

At the same time, despite the possible costs for business in the future, Trump's actions are quite pragmatic and currently do not critically threaten the American economy, Marina Chernykh noted.

— Firstly, in border states such as Texas, they take jobs, agreeing to low pay, and thus deprive Americans of jobs with low qualifications. Secondly, almost 60% of immigrant families receive benefits using at least one social assistance program. In turn, only 40% of American families receive benefits, while immigrants apply for federal and state social assistance much more often than natives. This significantly burdens the budget system," the expert noted.

China can take advantage of Trump's policy

ICE previously conducted a raid on a plant under construction in Georgia, owned by the South Korean auto giant Hyundai. Federal agents detained 475 workers, most of whom were South Korean citizens. According to LG Energy Solution, the company's owner, all the workers were in the country legally and entered on various visas.

The opening of an electric car manufacturing plant, which is important for the economy of the country and the state, has been suspended for two to three months. Republican Governor Brian Kemp called it the largest economic development project in the history of the state, employing more than 1,200 people.

While the United States restricts the issuance of H-1B visas for foreign programmers, its geopolitical competitor, China, on the contrary, has introduced a new category of visas for young highly qualified workers. On October 1, the Chinese government launched the K visa, which requires at least a bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering, or Mathematics (STEM).

However, it must be remembered that the next president of the United States, if desired, will be able to lift the restriction. "After Trump ceases to be president and, for example, a Democratic candidate takes his place, he has the power to repeal this decree and restore the positions of American tech giants," Marina Chernykh from ISKRAN summed up.