We need to understand the history of US immigration policy if we are going to resist the Trump threat of mass deportation

The incoming Trump administration’s threat to engage in mass deportation is the first time a US President has threatened to deport all undocumented people. However, it is important that we understand that deportation has been a long standing strategy used by numerous US administrations for more than 100 years.

Deportations tend tp happen when the US economy is failing most working class people, like during the period right before and right after the 1929 global depression. Deportations have also used xenophobia and racial discrimination as a justification for forcibly removing people from the country.

After the US adopted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico, there was an increase of people from Mexico fleeing economic hardship. The Clinton Administration was the first US president to aggressively militarize the US/Mexican border, which did not necessarily prevent people from entering, but it did force immigrants to cross the border in more remote area, often at great risk. 

US economic and military policy towards Mexico and Central America caused massive displacement of many people from those countries, many of which came to the US. There was been an increase of people from the south coming to the US since the 1992 NAFTA agreement, and along with that every administration since – George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden – have used deportation as a strategy. Barack Obama was often referred to as the “Deporter in Chief”, while the first Trump Administration and the Biden Administration continued that trend.

It is true that the rhetoric from the first Trump Administration and the incoming Trump Administration is vile, but he is not the first US President to refer to undocumented immigrants as “illegal”, nor is he the first US President to use fear and xenophobia to get regular Americans to hate immigrants.

I have taught classes on US immigration policy for several years and I am willing to continue to offer educational session with community groups, churches, non-profits and any other group that wants to have a more robust understanding of the history of US immigration policy over the past 250 years. 

I am offering to do the following for organizations, community groups, non-profits and faith communities that want to learn more about the history of US immigration policy. At this link is a Popular Education tool that I use with those who are interested in learning more. These slides are visuals that are accompanied by sections of numerous books that can assist us in developing a more critical analysis of US immigration policy.

I can offer the following educational opportunities:

• A three hour workshop on the history of US immigration policy
• A three session class on the history of US immigration policy
• An 8 week class on the history of US immigration policy

If you are part of a non-profit, a faith community, a grassroots group or any other organization that wants to learn more about the history of US immigration policy, then please reach out to me and we can talk about what would work best for your group. You can contact me at sjeff987@gmail.com.