The reported proposal by Texas to allocate 1,400 acres of land for immigrant detention camps, coupled with former President Donald Trump’s plans to expand harsh immigration policies, is a chilling reminder of the dehumanization that characterized his first term. According to legal expert Tristan Snell, the strategy outlined in Project 2025 envisions tent cities to detain immigrants without due process, threatening not only undocumented immigrants but even legal residents.

“Whatsoever You Do to the Least of My People…”

The moral implications are staggering. The biblical verse, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, you do unto me," resonates deeply in the face of such proposals. Treating immigrants—many of whom are fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution—as disposable commodities rather than human beings challenges the foundational values of compassion and justice.

Immigrants are not just workers; they are mothers, fathers, children, and dreamers. To strip them of their dignity and legal rights is to turn away from the humanity that binds us all.

The Economic Reality
Trump’s immigration policies have already left a significant mark on America’s agricultural sector. During his first term, crackdowns on undocumented immigrants led to a shortage of labor, leaving fruits and vegetables to rot in the fields. The agricultural industry, heavily reliant on migrant labor, faced devastating losses.

Farmers warned of rising food prices and a collapsing supply chain, yet their pleas were largely ignored. If such policies return—and worse, are expanded to include deportation of legal immigrants—the economic consequences could be catastrophic. Food costs could soar, further exacerbating inflation, and the already fragile agricultural economy could falter.

A Humanitarian Crisis in the Making
Tent cities conjure images of overcrowded, inhumane conditions where basic rights and dignity are stripped away. We saw this during the Trump administration when children were separated from their families and kept in cages. The scars of those policies remain, with many children still unaccounted for and families permanently torn apart.

Expanding these policies threatens to create an even larger humanitarian crisis. Legal immigrants, who contribute to American society as workers, taxpayers, and community members, now face uncertainty. Deporting them en masse would not only violate international human rights norms but also undermine America’s identity as a nation of immigrants.

What About Melania?
Trump’s hypocrisy is glaring when one considers the immigration history of his own wife, Melania Trump. She immigrated to the United States on an EB-1 visa, reserved for individuals with “extraordinary ability,” raising questions about the fairness and integrity of the process. The double standard is evident: the rules apply harshly to the vulnerable but bend for the powerful.

A Deplorable Vision for America
The cruelty of these proposals is matched only by their shortsightedness. History has shown us that immigrants enrich the fabric of American life. They are the backbone of industries, the innovators of tomorrow, and the living embodiment of the American Dream.

It is time to reject fear-driven policies that divide and dehumanize. The consequences of these actions—rotting crops, rising food prices, economic downturns, and shattered lives—are not abstract threats; they are tangible realities that we have already witnessed.

America must remember its promise as a beacon of hope and opportunity. Turning away from that promise to embrace a vision of cruelty and exclusion is not just deplorable—it is un-American.

Let us choose a path of compassion, fairness, and justice. As history has shown, the least among us often have the greatest impact. In lifting them up, we lift ourselves as a nation.

(Tambuli Ng Bayan-Ronnie Estrada)