The Ortega Blog: Stop Using Immigration to Tear the Country Apart

By Roy Ortega

A simple quote I read on social media today from Dean Withers rings very true: "Nobody in this country is struggling because of an undocumented immigrant." My mind went directly to an argument I have been making for years. Immigration is not now and has never been a national security crisis.

So why is ICE killing people over immigration? Why are the President of the United States and his supporters using the immigration issue to incite rage and divide the American people? Why did Renee Nicole Good have to die?

As a long-time journalist living on the border, I have reported on just about every aspect of the immigration issue from Mexico, El Paso, Austin and Washington D.C. I have written countless news reports, Op-Eds and blog entries using facts, figures and analyses to back up my assertions. I concluded very early on that

In DC reporting on
immigration issues
in 1986.

there is nothing sinister about immigration. But it does one thing we can't ignore: It speaks to the racist inclinations of too many in our society.

Frankly, an objective and unbiased review of the facts surrounding the immigration "issue" can easily prove that immigration is nothing to dread and certainly nothing to be fighting about. Politicians know these facts but choose to ignore them because of the obvious political gain involved.

But in terms of actual harm to our country's security, immigrants have never posed a serious threat of any kind. To the contrary. The positive economic and cultural benefits and contributions are clearly known throughout the land. No need to re-visit those numbers here.

But amid growing public rage and discontent over our government's most recent attempt to purge legal and illegal immigrants through harsh government policies, I feel the facts on immigration should once again be brought to light.

Let me offer these facts: Immigration flow into the U.S. is normal. Over history, immigration levels have ebbed and flowed depending on a number of political and economic factors both domestic and international. Sure, there have been periods of dramatic increases, but the numbers have remained fairly constant since the 1800s. Don't take my word for it; a cursory search on Google will verify it. For your convenience, I've offered several links below.

Here are a couple of figures from the Migration Policy Institute:

The percentage of immigrants in the U.S. population in 2024 was exactly the same as it was in 1890 - 14.8%.
The percentage of immigrants in the U.S. population in 1870 was 14.4% and the percentage in 2023 it was 14.3%.

As you can see, those percentages did not change considerably over the span of 153-years. The message I get from these numbers is that immigration is a normal part of the American experience.

El Paso, Texas

Now, at this point you've probably noticed I haven't made a distinction between legal and illegal immigration. In review of the facts, illegal immigration carries a much different tenor than legal immigration. In this regard, I offer this information from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics:

There were 527,459 apprehensions of illegal immigrants between 2023 and 2024.
There were 10,319 apprehensions of illegal immigrants in 1934, the lowest since 1925.
There 1,813,729 apprehensions of illegal immigrants in 2000, the highest since 1925.

These numbers serve to amplify one basic assertion from the federal government: Customs and Border Protection historically has been effective in arresting and removing undocumented and criminal immigrants. No major issue there except one: Border Patrol officers are forced to work under nearly impossible policy directives that change with every government administration. But overall, the numbers clearly show CBP is doing its job.

Fundamentally, immigration is part of who we are. But it must not be used as a political weapon against our own citizens. Dean Withers is right. Nobody in this country is struggling because of an undocumented immigrant.

You may reach me at rortega54@elp.rr.com. All comments welcome.