by David Volden


A nice thing about evening trips to the grocery store is that there are relatively few shoppers. So, on a recent weary weeknight visit near my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I wasn’t expecting someone to approach me asking about the slogan on my tee shirt. Perhaps I should have known better. Some might take issue with the words “F-La Migra,” but here was a well spoken young man asking what the word “La Migra” actually meant, apparently curious why I would wear such a thing. For those uninformed it is an informal term in Spanish meaning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and similar immigration enforcement agencies. When I explained this to my confident new friend, he replied, and I paraphrase, “Well, we have to do SOMETHING about illegal immigrants!”

My first thought was “Why?”

Perhaps his concern was crime. While right-wing rhetoric describes an “invasion” of “rapists and murderers”, a quick Google search of legitimate sources suggest otherwise: “The result shows no statistically significant correlation between the immigrant share of the population and the total crime rate in any state,” and “This means higher immigrant population shares are not associated with higher crime rates, which aligns with a wealth of prior research on this topic.” This is from FBI data.

Perhaps his concerns are simply with the rule of law. After all, they’re called “illegals.” In fact, the penalty for first time illegal entry into the U.S. is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $50 to $250 and up to six months imprisonment. For comparison, a speeding ticket in New Mexico may result in fines from $25 to $200 plus up to 90 days imprisonment. My observations from behind the steering wheel suggest the vast majority of my fellow drivers could be described as “illegals.” Considering that over 40,000 people die in traffic accidents nationally every year, this is a pretty high risk group. Few would advocate jailing folks for minor traffic violations, however.

Let’s assume my new friend, who mentioned he is a college student at nearby St. John's College, is unaware of the significant contribution that undocumented immigrants make to the U.S. economy. Would he support the goal of deporting all undocumented folks in the U.S. if he knew that, in 2022, undocumented immigrants paid $59.4 billion in federal taxes and $37.3 billion to state and local governments — almost $100 billion, typical numbers for recent years? Indeed many people are unaware of the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) that many folks without a Social Security number use, contributing mightily, but without access to most U.S. government benefits. These are the folks we indirectly interact with on a daily basis, millions of people who play crucial roles in the economy from harvesting our food to preparing it in our favorite restaurants, and working the most demanding jobs in conditions many folks would refuse. Exactly who is going to do these jobs when we’ve removed those who have done them for generations?

We parted with a handshake and me thanking him for hearing what I had to say about immigration. But not before I asked him if he was OK with plainclothes and hooded ICE agents disappearing suspected undocumented people on the street, or in schools, or churches or work places, without due process. There was a brief discussion about the rights of undocumented folks in this country compared to U.S. citizens, per the U.S. Constitution. Despite his claim of having actually read the U.S. Constitution, he seemed unsure about this point. To be clear, everyone in this country, regardless of immigration status, enjoys equal rights under the Constitution.

So how is it that so many intelligent, educated people in this country can accept the atrocities regularly committed by ICE today? Mothers suddenly separated from their young children with no opportunity to plan for their care; people who have worked, raised families, and contributed to their communities for most of their adult lives picked up at their place of employment never to provide for their families again; “detainees” dying in private corporate immigration prisons with horrific living conditions, each facility making millions from government contracts for its privileged shareholders and many more being planned as I write this; people with no criminal backgrounds being deported to countries they have never known; innocent U.S. citizens detained, students grabbed off the street as punishment for political protest — the list, of course, goes on.

Perhaps the bigger question is, “Who will be the next group artificially demonized by the government to the point of having their constitutional rights violated?” Non-Christians? LGBTQ? Grassroots activists?

Indeed, immigration reform has long been needed. And, of course, all violent criminals, immigrants or not, should be dealt with in accordance with the law. But that certainly doesn’t justify traumatizing our undocumented friends, neighbors, and co-workers for misdemeanors — people who we have, as a country, covertly embraced for generations and, in fact, our economy depends on. It absolutely doesn’t justify violating people’s constitutional rights.

The next time you see someone reading your “F-La Migra” or similar tee shirt say, “Hello.” Maybe they’ll want to know where to get one. Maybe they’ll have a question like my friend at the grocery store. Maybe they support and encourage these and other ICE atrocities.

That’s why we wear the shirts.

F-La Migra.