Let Us Not Forget America’s Immigrants
Regardless of legal status, we must celebrate the value of—and protect—immigrants in the U.S. and Midwest
Joshua Kloss, Ariana Nguyen, and Carina Dieringer
In Minnesota, immigration has long been an integral part of the economy. The first large wave of immigration here began around the mid-19th century. These first immigrants were British colonialists who pushed the Dakota and Ojibwe people off of their lands and onto small reservations. In the following decades, Europeans from Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Finland, and other nearby countries settled in the area. They found opportunities working in the timber, mining, and farming industries. Jewish immigrants traveled from many countries and often worked as merchants, selling clothes and fur. Chinese natives moved to Minnesota from their original West Coast destinations during the Chinese Exclusion Act, which came with a wave of anti-immigrant and racist violence, and many started laundry businesses. Many Scandinavian, Irish, Italian, and Mexican immigrants settled along a ravine in St. Paul known as Swede Hollow, now an uninhabited park. From the late 20th to early 21st century, immigrants came from Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Japan, Somalia, and Mexico. All of these groups have continuously shaped the culture and economy of Minnesota.
According to a 2021 study by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, one in 12 current Minnesota residents are born outside of the United States. Hennepin County and Ramsey County, which house Minneapolis and St. Paul respectively, each having around 15% foreign-born populations. The same study also found that a greater proportion of Minnesota immigrants participate in the labor force than those who are born in the United States—a difference of about 5%. A higher proportion of foreign-born workers than U.S. natives find employment in transportation and production, yet the highest percentage work in management, business, science, and the arts. All of these occupations are integral to the continued functioning and growth of the economy in our state.
However, you do not need to look at statistics to see the effect that immigrants have on Minnesota and the Twin Cities. In St. Paul for example, the Hmong/Hmoob community has become a vibrant force. Places like Hmongtown Marketplace and Hmong Village draw customers from every background. Hmong Americans have also made significant political contributions, with many elected officials being of Hmong descent. Similar things can be said about Somali, Karen, Mexican, and many other communities in the area. From cultural events and vibrant communities to successful businesses and economic growth, immigrants and the diversity of experiences they bring are what makes Minnesota. This can be said about anywhere and anyone in the United States. Everyone who is not native to the “Americas” are immigrants on this land—separated from those we define as foreigners only by time.
Even beyond our state, the United States at large has always been composed of immigrants, whether one cares to admit it or not. From the first French and British colonists to the modern-day asylum seekers and dreamers, America is an immigrant nation. America is a nation who has always prided herself on being a land accepting of the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of teeming shores, the homeless, and the tempest-tossed. And though many so-called patriots deem her the nation of fighters—early ragtag underdogs toppling a steel-armed empire—we risk becoming a nation unwilling to fight for the very same people we claim to offer asylum for.
President Trump’s mass deportations, nativist sentiment, and blatant lies about immigrants—whether it be that immigrants eat dogs or are all violent gang members—are a self-sabotaging stab to our nation’s heart, a severance of our own bloodline. Immigrants are an important part of the fabric of our nation, and the Midwest is no exception. Beyond bringing diverse cultures to our cities and states, the economic impact of immigrants alone is massive. One study published by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs indicated that immigrants restored an aging workforce and reversed population decline patterns in 13 Midwestern cities. Part of this is because immigrant populations bounce back in waves following some legislative barriers being lifted. Consider, for example, the 1924 Johnson-Reed Act. “Following three centuries of free immigration,” as the immigration historian Maldwyn Jones describes, “America all but completely shut her doors on newcomers.” Obviously, Trump is not the first president to rile up anti-immigrant sentiment, nor the first to attempt to restrict immigration.
Despite America being a wealthy nation only because of our immigrant communities, Donald Trump promised to conduct the biggest mass deportation program in American history in his 2024 reelection campaign. Since his inauguration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has wreaked havoc on immigrant communities, instilling fear of arrest regardless of citizenship status or criminal record.
Under the Trump administration, ICE arrests have increased over 600%, and the policies that prevent ICE from arresting people at schools, churches, and hospitals have been rescinded. While President Trump claimed that his immigration crackdown would prioritize undocumented criminals, in the month of February, the number of detainees in ICE custody without a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges increased by more than 1,800, with almost half of all new detainees having no criminal records.
As expected, the increase in ICE raids through major cities has correlated with an increase in racial profiling. ICE stated that they “may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity.” But what criteria is being used to determine who must show citizenship? Multiple Navajo tribe members residing off-reservation in Arizona reported being asked for proof of citizenship. At a wholesale seafood store in New Jersey, a U.S. citizen and military veteran was detained and questioned. Luis Janota, the owner of the seafood store, told radio station PIX11, “He is Puerto Rican and the manager of our warehouse. It looked to me like they were specifically going after certain kinds of people—not every kind, because they did not ask me for documentation for my American workers, Portuguese workers, or white workers.”
International students have also been targeted by ICE despite their student visas. Some such as Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University graduate student, and Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. citizen and Columbia University graduate, were detained and threatened with deportation due to their pro-Palestinian beliefs and social activism. Others, including those from our own communities who attend the U or MSU Mankato, have no clear motivation behind their student status being revoked. Stories from students give a glimpse into the demeaning processes that ICE uses, from plainclothes federal officers arresting individuals in front of their homes to the overcrowded facilities providing little to no access to legal counsel.
These stories are only a tiny fraction of the impacts of Trump’s mass deportation plan, but it is clear that immigration policing is not about safety or legality. The law does not care about your citizenship—it cares about the color of your skin and the beliefs you stand for. At the end of the day, we must stand up for everyone facing risk of deportation and harassment from ICE. Not only is it a slap in the face to our own history to deny immigrants their right to rest in the land of the free; but how we respond to these crackdowns on our own neighbors is a testament to our own humanity.
Trump has only been able to carry out such legally-questionable deportations because the people he put into government positions agree to do his bidding prematurely before even being asked, much like many individuals are now preemptively complying and forgoing rights they see as on the chopping block.
And I hate to draw parallels, but if we’re so happy to comply with ICE orders without question…well, doesn’t this all feel reminiscent of something?