This week, we asked readers for their opinion on the ongoing raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on immigrants in New York City and elsewhere.

 

“Personally, I don’t get into politics but the only thing I could say is I hate to see families torn apart. But to say something for Trump…. Man, it’s like it is what it is. It’s legal and he’s trying, I don’t know. Absolutely Congress should create a path to citizenship. There’s a certain protocol they must adhere to, to become a citizen from another country legally.”

Kathryn Willett,
West Farms

“I think that it’s unfair and they should at least give them a chance to show their paperwork instead of just running down on them and locking them up. They [ICE] need to at least check with the authorities and have them call somebody to verify their identification to make sure that they aren’t legal citizens of the United States.”

Abu Muhammad,
West Farms

“Everyone is scared for the simple fact that they voted for Trump and he went back on his word, and these people have been here for more than 30 years. They have legitimate businesses and they go to work every day; they don’t bother anybody and now they feel it. Kids are not going to school. I have people tell me that they voted for Trump, and now they don’t know if their families are next.”

Kevin Harris,
Hunts Point

“The ICE raids and deportation of illegal aliens is long overdue! Nobody complained when [former U.S. President Barack] Obama deported illegals. The people who oppose President Trump’s policies are racist because he is White and has been a target by elected [officials] who have money-laundered taxpayer money for decades and don’t want their gravy train to end. Trump is doing a great job, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the next month, and if people harbor illegals, then they should be arrested too.”

Grace Marrero,
Allerton

“I am against mass deportations and think what’s happening is a truly dehumanizing way of addressing our broken immigration system. I work with vulnerable populations, many of which are undocumented. A deli near my job was raided; it’s scary stuff! There should be amnesty for people already here, more resources for people wanting to migrate here, more processing centers at the border for people wanting to come here [who] can be processed quickly. Immigration is never going to end, so we need to adapt and put more resources into it if we want to process people properly.”

J.C. Amorini,
Forest Hills, Queens

 

Editor’s Note: NBC News and other media groups reported on May 23, 2024, that Senate Democrats failed to advance a bipartisan border security bill with nearly every Republican voting to filibuster it, even as former U.S. President and then-2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wielded border chaos as a centerpiece of his campaign against former Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden.

 

According to a White House release dated Feb. 2, based on ICE data, there are over 425,000 non-detained “illegal immigrants with criminal convictions” in the U.S., including 13,099 murderers, 56,533 with drugs charges, and 15,811 convicted of sexual assault.