The immigration discourse has been loaded for a very long time, and it has not become any less polarizing. Growing up as the child of immigrants, it never quite made sense why. What was so bad about people like my parents coming over to the U.S. and working hard to secure a future for their children so that we didn’t have to struggle like they did? After all, there would be no America without the vigor and labor of the immigrant. As an adult, I still ponder these same questions and thoughts, especially in light of the recent United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in places like my home state of Minnesota or in Maine. But if there is one thing that has to be said, it’s that the phrase “secure the border” is deeply entrenched in racism and xenophobia and must go. Enough is enough.

To set the scene, I began to seriously contemplate my identity as a first-generation American around the 2016 presidential election, because immigration was at the forefront of any conversation about politics. I saw what was happening on the news,  seeing then-presidential nominee Donald Trump call Mexicans rapists and witnessing  his words manifest themselves in racist harassment at my middle school, which was located  in a predominantly white suburb. The rhetoric I would hear from my white peers, likely informed by their parents, ranged from things like “illegal immigrants are stealing our jobs” to “we need to secure the border.” Comments like these made me loathe my heritage and immigrant background, as I then felt unwelcomed in this country. For years, I frequently downplayed my own ethnic identity and tried my best to assimilate into whiteness, which admittedly was easier for me due to my light complexion and lack of an accent, all for the sake of blending in with my white peers. It took me years and years of introspection and soul searching to accept that I was a mestizo and a Mexican-American, let alone embrace and be proud of  it.

Fast forward to 2026, and immigration is once more on the forefront as Operation Metro Surge as well as the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE have unfolded down the streets of where I live. And although many politicians and public figures denounced these barbaric actions, I was left frustrated by the reluctance to acknowledge the fact that ICE as an institution is fundamentally racist and the true threat to public safety. Instead, politicians such as Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-MN), who is running for the U.S. Senate, believe that dismantling agencies like ICE will only alienate moderates. People like Craig still cling onto this notion that the southern border and the people who come through it are a threat to national security and that, by appealing to middle-of-the-road white Americans on this issue, they will win votes. But it isn’t that simple.

A few white Americans perceive the border not necessarily as a physical barrier, but as a mental block or a separation between them and immigrants—many of whom are from Latin America. In places like the Rust Belt, demographic change is a relatively recent phenomenon compared to other places in the country, and groups such as Latinos have only begun to be more noticeable in the 21st  century. For example, my parents moved to my hometown of Fridley in 1997, when, according to the 2000 census, the town was nearly  90 percent white and just 2.6 percent Hispanic/Latino. By 2010, however, the town was only around three-quarters white, while the Hispanic/Latino population had grown to 7.3 percent.  Thus, for many white people here, seeing non-white Latino faces makes them uncomfortable and conjures up an image of us encroaching on the fictional “border”  they have conjured up in their minds. So, to say that you want to “secure the border” has no real meaning: Our borders are secure, and Latino people and undocumented immigrants are no more a threat than the average, everyday American. Rather, it is a  repugnant, debauched dog whistle that only serves to stoke fear of Latino peoples under an innocuous guise.

Erik Valtierrez is a member of the Class of 2027.