This week, we asked readers what effect, in their opinion, a second Trump presidency will have on the immigrant community.

 

According to Pew Research Center estimates based on the 2022 American Community Survey, the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. grew to 11 million in 2022, the first sustained increase in the unauthorized immigrant population since the period from 2005 to 2007. The increase from 10.5 million in 2021 reversed a long-term downward trend from 2007 to 2019. However, the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2022 was still below the peak of 12.2 million in 2007. For more information, click here.

 

A National Institute of Justice-funded study found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes, and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes. For more information, click here.

“I think the immigrant community will be impacted greatly being that Donald Trump has already stated that he will go forward with mass deportations. However, in the immigrant community, there’s a lot of people who came into the country illegally and some who have come in legally, and whoever came in illegally and is doing illegal things should go.”

Christian Brito,

Morris Park

“There’s a lot of people flooding the border and coming here by the thousands, and I know this is the land of opportunity and people come here for a better life, but I’ve been hearing on the news that a lot of immigrants are committing crimes, and those people should go back to where they came from.

Immigrants who are poor and come here with their kids, I know it’s [expletive-up] that it’s illegal to cross the border without proper papers, but if they come and make it, and are just trying to work for a better life, I think they deserve a chance.”

Alban Alamiti,

Morris Park

“Yes, if people don’t have a work visa, they will more than likely be deported. I don’t know. He knows what he’s doing. He will stop this and stop the wars. Well, I don’t have an ID, they stole my wallet. I don’t know what will happen if ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) sweeps me up. They will have to go and find me on the computer. Yes, people can be deported by accident like me because I don’t have an ID, but they have all my documents. He will do the correct thing.”

Salim Rafek,

Olinville

“I think that Donald Trump being president will hamper relations with immigrants because it sounds like he wants to send a lot of people back to their own countries, Muslims, people from Mexico and China in particular. People with work visas can possibly be affected. I have a friend in Dallas who’s from Tokyo. I’m not sure if he has a work visa or not but he might be a U.S. citizen at this point. If a citizen didn’t have an ID and was deported, that would be awful, and I guess there is a chance that can happen.”

Robert Powell,

Norwood

“It will have no effect on the legal immigrant population. The good people will stay, and we will get rid of the criminals. I don’t believe anyone will be deported by mistake; Trump has a list of all the bad people. People should not be fooled by all the talk.”

John Schaffer,

Brooklyn resident visiting Indian Village

 

Read our pre-election coverage on how immigration was likely to impact voters here.