Immigration has been at the forefront of political issues in the country for as long as this generation can remember. From Obama to Biden to Trump, each president has set clear standards and goals for their administration’s immigration efforts. However, in the nation’s history, immigration has not only been an issue throughout the last four presidential administrations but also since the nation’s early years.
Going back to the 1800s, members of the Federalist Party and the Adams administration passed laws that made it harder for immigrants to enter the nation. In the 1880s, Congress passed the first major federal law restricting immigration, the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was extended in 1892 by the Geary Act and made permanent in 1902, lasting until 1943. Big changes to immigration continued through the following decades with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act), which abolished national origins quotas. Key legislation followed: the 1976/1978 amendments set a worldwide ceiling of 290,000 annual immigrant visas, the Refugee Act of 1980 established asylum procedures, and the 1986 IRCA granted amnesty to any undocumented immigrants who could prove they lived continuously in the United States before January 1, 1982.
What makes it different today is the violence, fear and anger.
Junior Kat Molinaro commented, “I support ICE to an extent. What is okay is the deportation of violent criminals; what I don’t support is deporting people who are here to make a better life for themselves.”
Invitations to become part of the ICE task force are being showcased everywhere. From the Super Bowl to YouTube to TikTok to Instagram to music streaming services, almost everyone is aware of the ICE recruitment efforts.
Senior Mark Gulich said, “Trump definitely makes it more known and brags about it way more than Obama or any other president has, plus I don’t like how ICE is going into private property to deport people because they need to have warrants. On public property, it is what it is; it is definitely necessary.”
There are many different factors that contribute to the country’s opinion on ICE, especially in different areas of the country. In more rural areas, citizens feel a lesser effect, but in some major cities, the issue is extreme.
“We obviously have an issue concerning our border and who is coming in, and as a nation, we have always struggled with the balance between law and order and rights. That’s what we are being told this is about: law and order, and if that is true, then ICE is legitimate and worthy. However, we also have a concern in our country about armed and masked law enforcement in our cities. This is what is concerning to many Americans, considering one of the events leading to the founding of the country was the Boston Massacre, which occurred within the context of troops patrolling American cities. This is causing many Americans today to feel these efforts are an overreach, especially since American citizens are dying,” adds APUSH teacher Mr. Majoris.
Thirty-two people died in ICE custody in 2025, and at least six this early into 2026. There have also been multiple fatal shootings of citizens by ICE officers, the most notable being Renee Nicole Good on January 7, 2026, and Alex Pretti on January 24, 2026. Both of these incidents happened in Minneapolis, where there were very large protests against ICE. According to the constitution, protesting must remain peaceful and lawful; however, if protesting gets out of hand, officers are allowed to intervene. The move away from this peaceful protesting is what led to these two individuals losing their lives.
Even though anyone is welcome to apply to become an ICE agent, there is a detailed application process. This process includes a background investigation, physical fitness test and medical exam. Once an application is submitted, 12 weeks of training are required, significantly less than the 20-30 weeks State Troopers go through.
“America has a tradition of reform and in this situation, it could be something as simple as a better vetting system process and not just the open invitation to whoever wants to join. These disagreements originate possibly from people not having a strong understanding of the nation’s history, what our core values are, such as those stated in the Declaration of Independence, and the importance of finding common ground on what those values mean to function as a stable democracy,” mentions Majoris.
In these troubling times, one thing is for sure: the only thing that can combat hate is love. So, Hillers, love one another.
