With less than a week until Missouri's primary and early voting already underway, candidates are ramping up their ad campaigns.

Immigration has become a hot-button issue, especially for Republicans but the tone of some ads raises questions: Are they effective or divisive? Polls show a significant number of Americans believe immigration is the most important issue facing the U.S. but experts say claims of immigrants increasing violent crime do not hold up.

Nancy Foner, professor of sociology at the City University of New York's Hunter College, said labeling immigrants as criminals is an old but persistent myth.

"The foreign born, in fact, are much less likely than the native born to commit violent crimes," Foner pointed out. "Cities and neighborhoods with greater concentrations of immigrants have much lower crime and violence than comparable nonimmigrant neighborhoods."

In a February Gallup poll, almost 30% of Americans named illegal immigration as the country's biggest problem.

Immigrants are also blamed for smuggling fentanyl across the 2,000-mile southern border. But according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 90% of drugs linked to overdose deaths are smuggled by U.S. citizens through legal ports of entry.

As the Missouri primaries fast approach, Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, released a controversial ad.

"We're throwing 'em in jail, sending 'em back where they came from. ¡Ay, caramba! We're going to detain and deport every one of the estimated 70 to 77,000 illegals that are in the state of Missouri right now," Eigel said in the ad.

Manny Abarca, a Jackson County legislator and Democrat, sees such ads as destructive to the community.

"The reality of these narratives, primarily used by the Republican Party -- in an anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican, anti-Mexican American, in my viewpoint, way -- is very damaging to not only the communities that I represent, but that I also am a part of," Abarca asserted.

Abarca added he is concerned the rhetoric might damage Missouri's ability to attract international events, like the World Cup game scheduled in Kansas City in 2026. More than six Central and South American countries are expected to join.

As threats of deportation of illegal immigrants increase with the incoming Trump administration, groups in Washington say immigrants are an integral part of the state.

Research from the Washington State Budget and Policy Center and Economic Policy Institute finds nearly one-fifth of workers in the state are immigrants and they generate 145 billion dollars in economic output.

Kaitie Dong, senior policy analyst with the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, said incoming President Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations are a threat to the state.

"One, that is just inhumane and horrendous," she declared. "We don't stand by that at all. Secondly, it's bad for our state economy."

Dong's research also found 29% of "main street" businesses are owned by immigrants. A coalition of groups and lawmakers in the state, including OneAmerica, Washington Immigrant and Solidarity Network, and state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-South Seattle, is urging Gov. Bob Ferguson to protect immigrants. The groups say his office should direct the Department of Corrections to stop cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dong said lawmakers in Olympia have a chance to protect undocumented immigrants and adds the state can continue to fund health care for these folks. Lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill to provide unemployment insurance for people who are undocumented.

"Passing this legislation would be incredibly important in ensuring that our undocumented workers do have access to a wage replacement when they lose their jobs due to no fault of their own," she continued.

Dong added state lawmakers have an important role to play in this session as Trump comes back into power.

"Washington and especially our Washington legislators have an opportunity to protect immigrants, resource immigrants who are such an important part of our community, as well as our workforce and economy," she concluded.


get more stories like this via email

Southeast Asian refugees at risk of deportation in Massachusetts are asking President Biden to pardon them before he leaves office.

Deportations skyrocketed under the first Trump administration with removals of Cambodians up nearly 300%.

Kevin Lam, campaign coordinator for the Southeast Asian Freedom Network, said many Vietnam War refugees lacked the resources to apply for citizenship and risk being separated from their families once again.

"There's action that the Biden Administration can take right now to truly protect immigrant and refugee communities from the threat of detentions and deportations under Trump," Lam contended.

Lam pointed out it includes extending the Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from countries impacted by war or other dangerous conditions and protecting DACA recipients with new H-1B visas.

The 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War will be marked in 2025. More than 1 million Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees resettled in the U.S., including parts of Boston and Lowell. Some became entangled in the criminal justice system as they grappled with the trauma of war and now face removal over decades-old convictions.

Lam stressed Biden can rectify policies he once supported, which led to mass incarceration and expulsion of refugees.

"The implications of policies that were passed under him and actions that were taken through him have put Southeast Asians into the prison to deportation pipeline," Lam asserted.

Last month, Biden granted clemency to nearly 1,500 Americans and said he would consider more pardons before the end of his term next week.

Lam argued refugees who fled U.S. military intervention to rebuild their lives in Massachusetts deserve the same chance.


get more stories like this via email

With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Monday, a Pennsylvania group is helping some residents prepare for possible deportation actions and warning of the consequences.

Trump has said his administration will undertake what he called "the largest mass deportation in U.S. history."

Cathryn Miller-Wilson, executive director of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Pennsylvania, advised people to stay calm, assert their right to a hearing and avoid opening their doors to unexpected visitors. She added mass deportation would mean workforce shortages for the state, as well as higher tax burdens for residents and businesses.

"What's going to happen if there is success with the proposed policies is, first of all, a good chunk -- maybe 50% or more -- of the workforce will simply disappear," Miller-Wilson pointed out. "They'll either be put into detention or they'll be deported," she said.

America First Legal, representing the Trump administration, has already cautioned more than 200 officials in so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions about possible legal repercussions for hindering federal immigration enforcement or assisting undocumented people.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has pledged to protect residents' rights and uphold community safety.

Miller-Wilson said her organization is working with officials to help keep schools and courts safe, ensuring the children of undocumented parents can go to classes without fear. She added they are also working to provide legal resources and social services to people, particularly those who have lower incomes.

"We've been receiving, since Election Day, an increasing number of calls from individuals who want representation; who may be eligible for a legal remedy and are concerned about trying to get that remedy before the 20th, something that is likely not to happen because the immigration process is so slow," Miller-Wilson outlined.

Miller-Wilson explained misinformation leads to misunderstandings about who crosses the border, and said many people who are undocumented initially entered the country legally but let their visas expire.


get more stories like this via email