“[No state] shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This is a matter of our security and dignity.

“[E]ven one whose presence in this country is unlawful, involuntary, or transitory is entitled to that constitutional protection.” This is a matter of our civil rights. 

For over a century, these quotes, from The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and a 1903 Supreme Court Case, respectively, have been accepted as law. More than the law, however, they have guided individual lives and expanded our freedoms. Despite a clear understanding of these ideals, the fundamental integrity of these promises is becoming progressively ambiguous.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) federal agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been tasked with identifying, arresting and deporting individuals who have violated U.S. immigration laws. In recent months, President Donald Trump initiated and signed several executive orders, including the controversial Protecting the People Against Invasion order, which directs the DHS to implement aggressive nationwide immigration crackdowns. The DHS  agenda includes a goal of 3,000 arrests per day, 10,000 new agents, and 75 billion in funding.

This Jan. 20 executive order made clear punishments, resources and policy promises that would impact “illegal aliens” and ordinary citizens alike. Beyond those who are deported, neighbors and allies have been deeply affected by ICE activity. Since Trump took office, ICE efforts have intensified and expanded into cities with major immigrant populations. It is evident that Trump intends to keep his promise to “begin the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” Already in the past year, there have been over 605,000 deportations, and more than 2.5 million undocumented immigrants have left the nation’s borders, both voluntarily and by force. 

With ICE’s bold presence, critics have raised concerns about transparency, oversight and the balance between federal authority and trust throughout communities. Issues of deceptiveness have stemmed from ICE and other DHS agents’ frequent use of masks and face coverings — a method of concealing their identities. While DHS has alleged that coverings protect against doxing, this is concerning to the public, who, as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged, deserve to know the identities of officers performing public duties. ICE has also been deemed violent by critics on social media, often using excessive force when detaining individuals. Agents have been entering homes without proper protocol. Their actions have contributed to a deep culture of violence that has shocked individuals nationwide. 

Tensions have intensified with the murder of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7 and the killing of ICU nurse and U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, an employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, on Jan. 24 — both events occurred in Minneapolis. While Minneapolis has become a hotspot of ICE activity, it has also inspired thousands of protestors to partake in peaceful demonstrations. In St. Louis, protests have attracted crowds of over 800 people. On Jan. 30, St. Louisans and individuals nationwide took part in one of the largest demonstrations so far, dubbed “Ice Out of Everywhere.” Individuals refrained from attending work, school and avoided shopping to create a ‘national shutdown’ of the economy. The grassroots 50501 Movement, which also organized the popular “No Kings Protest” on June 14, 2025, played a major role in facilitating January 30th’s vigils, demonstrations and strikes. 

Even though St. Louis has not experienced immigration crackdowns of the same magnitude as other states, it is clear that St. Louis residents believe that escalated federal immigration enforcement and the violence that comes with it are not wanted. ICE was recently permitted to enter homes of suspected undocumented immigrants without a judicial search warrant — a clear constitutional violation of the Fourth Amendment and counterintuitive to the enforcement promised by ICE. 

Raids are becoming triggered by racial profiling rather than confirming the status of an undocumented person. Now, fear has taken hold of lives, discouraging people of color from reporting crimes, going to work, or even seeking medical care, as they fear for their safety. Local economies feel the strain as immigrant-owned businesses have started to lose customers, employees, or close entirely.

St. Louisans have strongly opposed ICE activity because of their diverse backgrounds. According to a U.S. Census survey, around 24,000 foreign-born residents live in the St. Louis metropolitan area, representing a broad mix of countries, cultures and communities. For a city as vibrant as St. Louis, a large-scale immigration crackdown would mean empty classroom seats, shuttered doors of immigrant-owned businesses and ultimately, the eroded trust between neighbors and the state. When the fear of being deported outweighs students’ ability to receive an education, get proper medical care, or make a living, the fundamental safety and character of a city are eaten away. St. Louis has historically been a city built up by refugees and immigrants. If we allow national rhetoric to dismantle our local communities, we will lose the diversity that defines the greater St. Louis area.

Even without a strong presence like other U.S. cities, ICE has conducted raids in the St. Louis area since Trump made a promise to send immigration enforcement to St. Louis. For students in the St. Louis region, the possibility of a large-scale ICE crackdown is not a distant political threat but rather one that reaches directly into their daily lives. Schools are meant to be places of stability and safety, but national immigration policies have the power to disrupt that sense of security. When students are unsure whether their parents, relatives, or friends could be detained, the impact extends beyond individual households and into the broader school community. 

“Especially in certain school communities, I could certainly see that [immigration enforcement] impacts kids going to school because families are scared that ICE can target kids outside of schools and people outside of churches. I know here at Parkway West, we have a decent-sized immigrant community. I know there are communities here in St. Louis [where] that could really impact their lives,” Challenges to Democracy teacher Kristen Collins said.

Ultimately, policy is not just about the laws written out by the government. Policy is a reflection of the views and priorities of an administration and its most vocal supporters. As the debate about immigration management unfolds from the halls of Washington D.C. to the streets of St. Louis, we as a country must decide if we are a community that supports the violence of other human beings or one that supports the safety and dignity of every resident, regardless of where they come from. In the end, the strength of the nation will not be found in how many people we can push out, but rather in how we can embrace and protect individuals venturing to the land of the free and those who have already made it.