A forgotten truth: Migrants = Humans.
What do French, Filipinos, Guatemalans, Nigerians, Jordanians, Mexicans, Canadians, Turks, Chinese, Hatians, and Americans all have in common? Maybe I can turn this into a joke – An Italian, a Salvadoran, a Japanese, a Palestinian, a Norwegian, an Israeli, a Haitan and an American all walk in to a bar. The Bartender says “We don’t serve your kind here!” The Italian, Salvadoran, Japanese, Palestinian, Norweigian, Israeli, Haitan and American exchange confused looks and ask “Who don’t you serve?” The Bartender says…. “Humans” and immediately transforms into his true form as a Robot Lizard from space…. Yeah, I know, I’ll stick to lawyering and writing snarky blogs, but without jokes. But, did you get the point? They are all people, humans, Homo Sapiens. A single species spread across the planet.
If you are a conservative Christian, you might believe that we are all common descendants of Adam and Eve. Science tells us that human beings are primates which evolved from single-celled organisms, as with every other animal on the planet. (To be clear, this is not about evolution vs. creationism, I don’t want to wade into that debate.). Thus, whether viewed through the lens of religion or science, it is agreed we are all human beings.
The Declaration of Independence states that “All men are created equal…” Of course, in 1776 “all men” meant all white land-owning males (everyone else was excluded). Overtime, that phrase has evolved to represent a fundamental principle of governance/political philosophy in the United States - that under the Constitution, under the laws of the United States, all humans are equal. The criminal justice systems of all 50 states operate on the idea/principle/value that criminal codes are applied equally regardless of gender, race, religion or ethnic/cultural background. The criminal codes apply to all people, all humans. (Yes, I agree, the idea of equality under the law is aspirational at best, and largely ignored, at worst. But I am making a point about principles.).
Whether its religion, science, governance or political philosophy, we are supposed to, as a structural norm, believe that people are people. This isn’t a Democratic or Republican belief, it is not liberal or conservative, it is just true. It is the most apolitical, universal truth.
Why is it, then, that Donald Trump and by extension the Republican Party have forgotten that migrants (their legal status being irrelevant) are humans too? What began as a debate about differing policy perspectives on our immigration system has devolved into the naked dehumanization of all people born south of the United States. Trump and his party’s focus has shifted toward blatant efforts to convince voters that migrants are not people, do not share in our humanity and instead exist as something lesser.
The examples are innumerable:
- “… bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” – Donald Trump 6/15/15.
- “It’s poisoning the blood of our Country.” – Donald Trump, 9/2023.
- “…. If you can call them people. I don’t know if you can call them people. In some cases, they’re not people in my opinion.” – Donald Trump, 3/16/24.
- “Democrats say, 'Please, don't call them animals. They're humans.' I say no, they're not humans…They're not humans. They're animals." – Donald Trump, 4/2/24.
- “I’ll use the word ‘animal,’ because that’s what they are.” – Donald Trump, 4/2/24.
- “… coming into our country with contagious diseases.” – Donald Trump, 5/22/24.
- “… prisoners, murders, drug, dealers, mental patients and terrorists, the worst they have.” – Donald Trump, 4/2/24.
- “They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” Donald Trump, 9/10/24.
- “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country.” – JD Vance, 9/10/24.
- “…. Most of them are garbage.” - Tommy Tuberville, 7/23/24.
Of course, most of the quotes above fell from the lips of Donald Trump himself, and perhaps, some would argue this demonstrates the rhetoric belongs to him and not the GOP. But make no mistake, he is the Republican Party in 2024 and has been since 2015. He was their President, he was their kingmaker. The party faithful still line up to kiss the ring. He is their chosen Presidential candidate again. His voice is the party’s voice. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.
The point, if it isn’t painfully clear, is that instead of promoting a set of rational policy goals for the border and immigration, the Republican Party’s avowed policy is that migrants are not human. Through Trump, the Republican Party has adopted the strategy of intentionally dehumanizing migrants. Any decent American should find this shift appalling. Americans should be deeply and profoundly ashamed that our mainstream political discourse has deteriorated to such a point.
What makes matters worse is the dehumanization of migrants is done with intent. Trump and the Republican Party undoubtedly believe that they can gain political advantage and power by denying a migrant’s humanity. It is a truism in politics, psychology and sociology that people will unite when they have a common enemy to direct their ire. In 2015 Trump found a way to tap into an undercurrent of resentment among white conservative voters, mostly male but not entirely. He found the embers of misplaced anger that arose from evolving cultural norms, slight redistributions of power and wealth and burgeoning inclusivity that some felt left them excluded from the opportunities they had previously held and hoarded to themselves. He fanned the embers, gave voice to the resentment and rode those flames into the White House. But all fires need fuel, and for moments since 2020 it seemed as though he and the Republican Party were running out of wood.
In 2024, Trump and the GOP have succeeded in maintaining their traditional sources political power (Christian conservatives, the wealthy and small government/libertarian proponents) but have also focused on three sources of fuel for the flames of resentment: the economy; the misplaced perception of political persecution and the southern border. To be fair, the border has been a political football for at least the last six presidential election cycles. However, in the past there was actually debate about policy (or at least that is how it was framed). In retrospect, even Trump’s language in 2015 and while in office was, in relative terms, tame.
A “border crisis” and the nuance of immigration policy, like all things, eventually loses its ability to ignite passion. Particularly, when the vast majority of Americans live far from a border state. Thus, Trump and his party have sought to reignite those passions by creating a less-than-human enemy upon which their voters can direct their previously unfocused resentment. The Trump/GOP strategy is to lay blame for crime and economic immobility at the feet of migrants. Of course, merely blaming migrants, a group of humans, is insufficient to create a full-blown conflagration, because most people maintain a degree of empathy and sympathy for the plight of other humans. Most people will understand that migrants are mothers, fathers and children who are merely trying to find a better, safer, healthier life. Humans all deserve food, shelter, clothing, clean water and opportunity. Few people would truly debate that point. But, when the shared humanity is stripped away and the commonality of a species denied, the empathy and sympathy will wither into the dried fuel Trump and the GOP need to burn their way to power. Because, when the migrant is transformed into “garbage”, “rapists” and… “animals”, there is no longer any need to balance the debate. Instead, the “animals” can carry all the blame because “animals” are not granted a valid perspective. “Animals” do not need empathy. Cruelty toward a human is one thing, cruelty to an “animal” another entirely.
By dehumanizing migrants Trump and the Republican Party have created an evil boogeyman they can pretend to fight against and protect their voters from. Moreover, Trump and the Republican Party shed the need to adhere to basic moral and ethical constraints when the enemy is less-than-human. Policy choices that might normally raise moral and values-based objections from all sides become permissible to those who adopt the migrants are “animals” viewpoint.
Let’s be honest though, do Trump and the Republican Party really believe migrants are less-than-human “animals.”? Certainly, some in the Republican Party do, but for the most part the answer is no. I do not think Trump even actually believes his rhetoric. Instead, it is a conscious and intentional strategy that they believe can yield dividends. It is a place to find the fuel they need to burn. It is also nothing new, just look to the Salem Witch trials, and McCarthyism (to name just a couple). Those with coveting power/advantage dehumanized a perceived enemy to accumulate more power/advantage. Certainly, in each historical example there were those who truly believed in the inhumanity of their enemy. But if you look more closely, at the core you’ll always find shrewd cynics exploiting an anger for their own benefit.
The most troubling aspect of political dehumanization is that it is uncontrollable, and results in the justification of unthinkable atrocities. The examples are innumerable. We need only look to our own history of slavery and the ethnic cleansing of Native Americans. The 20th Century saw the genocide of Jews, Bosnians, Cambodians and Tutsis, to name just a few. In each circumstance one political, racial or ethnic group sought power over another and justified its actions by dehumanizing its perceived enemy. Trump and the Republican Party find themselves in very poor company when utilizing this strategy.
The greatest irony of this shameful rhetoric is that the Republican Party expressly claims to represent Christian values. There is no reasonable or respectable interpretation of Christian values which allows for the degradation of other people simply because they were born in another country. The language Trump deploys, and the Republican Party accepts is the absolute antithesis of Christian values. What would Jesus do? He sure as shit would not declare Guatemalan children to be animals. There is no reconciliation between Christian Values and the dehumanization of migrants. It is the worst kind of hypocrisy.
Alas, this is where we are. This is what American politics has degenerated into. We can disagree about policy, but it is beneath us, as Americans, as humans, to allow this shameful approach to politics to be the mainstream discourse. It can be stopped though. Americans have the power to stand up and say enough is enough. Indeed, the solution is simple. Don’t vote for Trump and vote out those who enable him. This election is about a lot of things, not least of which is decency. I’d like to believe that the American people are, at the core, decent. But it is increasingly hard to hold that belief.
*Please forgive, spelling and grammar errors. I am incapable of self-editing.
