Public sentiment regarding recent changes in US immigration policy is predominantly negative, highlighting frustrations over increased scrutiny, concerns about the humanitarian impact, and the perception that these policies exacerbate systematic issues within the healthcare sector rather than adequately address them. The divide amongst commenters reflects strong emotions around national identity, worker treatment, and the ethical treatment of vulnerable communities.

U.S. Government

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Nursing Professionals

Immigrant Communities

The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written.

Climate Change is going to displace a lot of the global south. I believe that we will be seeing mass migration into the US as a result of climate change. Obviously with this Trump administration we are enacting fascistic policy that treats immigration as a nail that needs to be hammered. I fear we are walking towards an inevitable dark path once we see a true exodus into our country once the climate becomes uninhabitable. What should we be doing now to prepare? 

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&gt;What should we be doing now to prepare?

I think the sooner we confront that Asylum as it currently stands does not work, the better. Asylum is great when its only a few people requesting it but when entire nation worth of people start coming then you have problems.

No-Ear7988

I fear that Xenophobia is going to get much worse as more people flee unlivable conditions. Especially if they come from ethnicities that are off white in skin color. The human race doesn't want to deal with issues until it's actually happening. When it actually happens, they look for the simplest surface level solution to fix the problem without actually fixing anything. So, it will be of course to deny entry and with possible violence or human rights violations to the people trying to find somewhere to live.

The best solution would probably be to fix our broken immigration system. Make it easier for people to come live here and become citizens. Beef up our immigration law system so people aren't waiting in limbo forever. Republicans don't want to fix it, because it will give them nothing to scare the shit out of there voters with.

WeenisPeiner

1. Let any type of housing get built everywhere.


2. Reform our immigration system so backlogs are virtually non-existent.


3. Let anybody who wishes to come in, unless having committed a heinous crime under our standards, into the country if they wish to.


Our country has had far high immigration rates before, than it currently has. Our country didn't collapse or was strained because of it. We can very easily have much greater population growth and be perfectly fine. [Higher immigration levels will actually lead to a massive boost on our economic growth](https://www.migrationpolicy.org/content/explainer-immigrants-and-us-economy), as it has always done.

Aven_Osten

Maybe in the future, Western countries would be forced to scrap the concept of national-based citizenship, just to accomodate climate change refugees from the equatorial regions. In other words, reforming immigration policies would require copying Gulf Arab immigration policies where climate change refugees themselves may not become *de jure* naturalized citizens at all.

Joseph20102011

We are preparing.  Trump wants Greenland and Canada to be part of the US.  This is his plan to handle Global Warming.  Militarize the southern border, likely with automated gun towers and move all the ~~white~~ right people to the more northern climates.

PopuluxePete

If the decision is needing to pick between "leaving swaths of people to die" versus "temporarily mildly inconvenience ourselves", I'm going with Option B, every time.

This answer is of course ignoring the beneficial aspects of incoming immigration, which are manifold.

cossiander

Prioritize refugees from countries which adhered to environmental targets. If we hit capacity, the rest are shit out of luck.

Be sure to announce this future policy ASAP.

azazelcrowley

&gt; What should we be doing now to prepare?

Liberalizing the immigration system—and making it easier to build infrastructure and housing. 

Due_Satisfaction2167

The reality is there will be other countries in the Southern Hemispheres that will be just fine. We should be investing in developing countries at least. Accepting mass migration is unpopular as a policy; I'm fine with immigration through a controlled and vetted process, but mass migration is a no.

azurite--

I think there should be a big nationwide debate about it that includes discussion of the role of cheap labor in our economy and then a vote. I’m sick of it being nothing but a political football, and the left failing to communicate a plan

cnewell420

Long term political trends are usually very difficult to predict, but an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment (and that's putting it kindly) in response to mass migration - for whatever reason, climate or otherwise - is super easy to see coming from miles away.  /u/Aven_Osten described [my personal preference](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskALiberal/comments/1m5mq6x/how_should_immigration_be_handled_in_the_future/n4d2p71/), but it's not what I expect to have happen.

CTR555

How can you be so certain there is going to be mass migration due to climate change?

steven___49

Without immigration and with current fertility trends, the US will eventually see economic decline. Not good. 

Key_Elderberry_4447

[deleted]

Humanely

We might as well endorse the most rigid immigration system possible, given the inevitable influx of climate refugees. But we should never compromise any person’s humanity. Ever.

torytho

Your "climate change" is nothing but a means to control people and take from them. 

prowler28

In Sweden we already have all that and a 2 year wait time

Background-Luck-8205

its been said before

u dont come back to usa

 u find new friends new life outside of the country

Motivated_By_Money

Thank you for bringing this up in this subreddit. I was waiting for passport bros to care

ParceInTheKnow123

If you’re trying to bring her back, you’re already making a mistake.

Leading-Bid9928

doxer_no_doxin

That’s great. Now instead of bringing them to the states where you lose a lot of leverage not only as a man, but as a potential father, you can go to wherever your partner lives and not deal with it. Poggers.

Tossmiensalada

It's still worse in the UK.

This already happened in the UK since 2012 when the tories set the income threshold at £18,600 (more than what 40% of the UK population earns). We used to have a loophole called the Surinder Singh route while we were still in the EU where if we go to live in another EU country for several months, we can sponsor our spouses and come back while bypassing these rules. Of course, Brexit closed this loophole.

The income threshold was raised in 2024 to £38,000 (more than 70% of the UK population earns) and it raises even higher if the foreign spouse has kids. 

So essentially 70% of Brits are barred from bringing a foreign spouse to the UK even if they wanted to. Since this rule came in, I foresee a major uptick in Britons uprooting their lives and living in exile whether they like it or not.

Bottom-Bherp3912

Boring_Designer8066

They should make it even tougher. Like triple interview during the process with a psychologist to vet out the bad ones. 4 year process since it will vet people out if they don't want to wait. Give them only a temporary visa for 5 years and of they divorce within 5 years or commit a crime they get their visa revoked and get deported. It shouldn't be easy for them. If they hate their partner they can just go back to where they came from. This will prevent alot of fraud and gold diggers. Simple as that

Tricky_Boot5606

Maybe it’s a good thing you people can’t sex tour across the globe hmm

maracusdesu

They're human beings. Always have been. My friend who is Latino drives around giving stuff out to homeless people and rescues animals off the street, I dont think even fear of ICE will stop her from helping people. She's not a first gen immigrant but I think that's irrelevant, ICE has arrested straight up Native Americans, they pretty much just snap up random brown people now.

It’s so rare of an encounter it’s a nonissue.

Telrom_1

Us citizens are being deported and denaturLized, only a matter of time before being a member of the wrong political parrt gets you disappeared so I thinknl were past the point of being able to do anything.  Half the country wants to go full Gilead there's no hope...minus the environmentalism they don't want to do that

leakybiome

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If true- total disaster 

As a conservative trump is becoming more and more disappointing.

marketMAWNster

Democrats need their slaves again. They keep talking about who’s gonna clean your toilets who’s gonna pick the crops?

darkvaider123

Workers are not impossible to replace at that skill level. The more accurate statement is that they are impossible to replace at the wage the business is paying which is often below the minimum wage. American businesses have to pay Americans properly not pay illegal immigrants peasant wage.

Those lower incomes jobs would be great for young Americans who need work experience or who would prefer that type of labor instead of college. Those jobs should still be paid well just like a garbage man is paid well (in my city they are paid well).

LiosDelSol

we need congress to get off of their lazy asses and actually do some legislating

randomhaus64

I wanted Trump to be aggressive against immigration and make it strict but Trump can't make up his mind I guess.

Massive-Ad409

I’ve always been of the mindset that immigration as an issue has always been overblown. No matter how many people you can realistically deport it would have no significant impact on our paychecks or cost of living. If anything, if you fire and deport illegals, they would be replaced by other workers who would demand a higher wage and employers would make up the loss by charging more for the end product or just outsource labor to other countries if that’s an option. 

I hate to admit this because prior to the civil war this was the argument. “Who’s going to pick our cotton?” 

The reason illegal immigrants should be deported is because most of other countries wouldn’t just let you waltz in without citizenship, a passport, visa or whatever and welcome you with open arms so we as a nation have no obligation to do so either. But pretending like deportation has significant external benefit to us outside of that is just naive. 

Obama had record deportation numbers. Numbers that I don’t have faith Donald Trump will exceed. Republicans didn’t love him for it. Democrats didn’t hate him for it. I’m all for nationalism but I hate when a politician uses it for virtue signaling just to earn cheap votes. Trump built only a fourth of the wall he promised, though he claimed it was completed. It costed $15 billion and America paid for it.

Signal_Scale2523

I don't understand this attempt at a gotcha on Republican voters. My stance is always to be cautiously optimistic, regardless of who the President is. 


I HOPE every President isn't so married to their platform that they are unwilling to change their mind with new (to them) compelling evidence to the contrary. You'd think Democrats would be happy, not criticizing him for this. After all, Democrats have been saying this for a while now. 


He should have known this before promising heavy deportation, but better late then never.

This means someone told him it's causing issue on the ground

Youngrazzy

mnshitlaw

I've never understood why the GOP hasn't tried to court the Mexican/Chicano vote in the first place, the way they've had the Cuban vote, and the way they got the blue collar vote.

f250suite

I agree that we have an illegal immigration problem. I think alot of people don't even understand what that means to a majority of immigrants. Ask your average american and they will think that an "illegal immigrant" is someone who crawled through a tunnel and jumped a wall to get here. Naw. Most of them are work/student visa holders who would be eligible to be full time citizens but visas typically last 6months to maybe a year or two vs getting a green card can be a 2 year to 10 year process. Its not an economic issue, its not a crime rate issue, its a logistics issue.

And its not like we don't know where majority of illegal immigrants work and live either. They're not exactly coming here to become computer tech analyst in new york.  If you arrest a couple of hiring managers from a few key corporations that knowingly hire illegals then those shops would close up camp and stop hiring them within a few days imo.

Robin_From_BatmanTAS

I have always supported the visa program for foreign workers and Congress needs to act to codify a farm worker program so these people can come and work legally. Unfortionately, there is too much resistance both on the right and the left to reform.

StedeBonnet1

It's a consequence of acting without having a plan.

Like ordering the dynamite destruction of the unsightly columns in the basement carpark while you entertain guests in your penthouse apartment. Then wonder why they all run for the elevators when you tell them how smart you are for increasing the number of car parks.

BandedKokopu

He campaigned on getting illegal aliens that have committed crimes out first. That still seems to be his course of action.  So ICE is going to continue to not focus on rural environments and instead go to inner-city and suburban areas to conduct these raids.  As far as I know of there hasn't been much mention of ICE going to hotels to detain people. 

This doesn't sound like a deviation, it sounds like a focusing of where the main problems currently exist.  On the criminal aliens.

Tarontagosh

There's nothing here that he hasn't said a hundred times. Hes been saying this stuff since 2016.

soulwind42

I think people are overreacting: https://www.semafor.com/article/06/12/2025/trump-will-target-us-employers-in-next-phase-of-immigration-crackdown-homan-says

WulfTheSaxon

I'd rather see immigration efforts focused on criminals.

gimme_toys

Gaxxz

I agree. I've always thought that a tight border plus decorations of recent arrivals and criminals while creating a path to citizenship for long time illegals who have worked and followed the law is the best approach. Unfortunately, that has never been an option. Maybe Trump will make it happen. The hard part is making sure the next president can't just open the border wide again.

throwaway09234023322

A massive betrayal of his voting base.

People voted for mass deportations not fucking amnesty for farm and hotel workers.

Way to tell democrats and illegals that they will face no repercussions for breaking our laws and invading our nation.

MAGA is now pro cheap slave labor over American workers.

Wait, did I just see that?  Mark the date.  06/12/25: the first time I ever heard Trump admit he was mistaken.

LonelyMachines

We already have temporary worker permits. Expand that program to include a front door for a period of time.   We get workers, and control over who is here and who should not be.

hurricanetarget

I disagree with it. I’m sure his base will flip flop like him on yet another position and defend it though. The focus should be mainly on the criminals and the employers and in doing so the rest will go back home. This seems like he’s gonna be lenient on the employers so that they can keep their cheap labor and it encourages people to stay 

LOL_YOUMAD

I mean I often disagree with him but that was a thing I actually liked, the deportation of illegal immigrants.

DLMlol234

If Trump balks on immigration, MAGA is over. Anti-immigration is the core of the movement and its beating heart. This is the make or break issue

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&gt;But not a lot that I can find, that is verifiable, listing what specifically Biden changed and what the consequences were for that change. 

Then you need to find sources outside Reddit. Biden made himself very clear both before and after he became president. 


During the election campaign, Biden openly said migrants should surge the border! *“make sure…we immediately surge to the border all those people that are seeking asylum. They deserve to be heard. That’s who we are. We’re a nation that says if you want to flee and you are fleeing oppression, you should come."*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwLYMPLYbo

In January 2020, Biden tweeted that he would end the Remain in Mexico program on day one.

https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1222691999364657152

In an August 2020 media interview, Biden said, *“There will not be another foot of wall constructed by my administration"*

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/05/899266045/biden-would-end-border-wall-construction-but-wont-tear-
down-trump-s-additions (accessed March 16, 2025)


In this first days in office, Biden signed a flurry of executive orders to make it easier for people to come here illegally. Too many to list them all here, but generally he expanded protections for migrants here from deportation, temporarily halted all deportations, and ordered a halt to construction on the border wall. Even for contracts that had already been paid for. 

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/20/joe-biden-trump-immigration/

https://ogletree.com/insights-resources/blog-posts/on-day-one-of-the-biden-administration-a-flurry-of-executive-orders/


Biden directed federal agencies to refer to legal and illegal aliens alike as “noncitizens” or "migrants" thereby ignoring statutory language to erase the line between legal and illegal immigration. 

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/files/4-19-21-cbp-memo.pdf 

Biden appointed and supported Alejandro Mayorkas in this role as DHS secretary. Mayorkas boasted in January 2022 that “*we have fundamentally changed immigration enforcement. For the first time ever, our policy explicitly states that a non-citizen’s unlawful presence in the United States will not, by itself, be a basis for the initiation of enforcement action*." In other words, illegal immigrants won't be removed until they commit a serious crime)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bidens-first-year-mayorkas-admin-fundamentally-changed-interior-immigration-enforcement

GoldenEagle828677

Also he cancelled “stay in Mexico“ policy, cancelled all the contracts for walls, reduced border budget

kimisawa20

You can look at any of the inception/release data points and tell that whatever Biden was doing, it was not effective.  When Trump took office again, whatever he was doing now, was *very* effective.

Kind of sad that the media isn't researching and reporting on the changes Trump made that absolutely reduced those metrics to darn near zero.  You'd think that'd be a massive story considering for months before the election we were told we needed a massive immigration bill to secure the border.

LordFoxbriar

He eliminated remain in Mexico and border wall construction.

Born_Sandwich176

**Biden Policy.**

Immigrant: “Hi!”


Border Agent: “what are you here for?”


Immigrant: “asylum”


Border Agent: “welcome!”

**Trump Policy.**


Immigrant: “Hi!”


Border Agent: “what are you here for?”

Immigrant: “asylum”

Border Agent: “You’re staying in mexico until we determine if you qualify. Go ahead and apply”

Vindictives9688

He undid all of Trumps executive orders and invited them in by creating the CBP One app and immigration processing centers in South American countries. He even went so far as to try to stop all deportations when he first took office, but that was struck down in court. He did everything in his power to flood the country.

Ask yourself: what did Trump specifically do at the border that reduced the crossings to something below 5% of what they used to be. Then work backwards. There's your answer.

MedvedTrader

He dismissed the asylum cases on 350,000 people so they never had to explain to a judge how they qualify.

He setup the CBP One app to allow people to schedule a time to enter illegally.

He told people to flood the border.

Layer7Admin

Biden snuck illegal aliens into the US however he could:

See chart and discussion below for more "correct" estimates.

~~- Refugee admissions **quadrupled** during his term.~~

~~- Asylums **quadrupled** during his term.~~

~~- Humanitarian parole increased by **50 times.**~~

~~- TPS ("temp protected status") population grew by **over a million.**~~

Critical_Concert_689

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has implemented new immigration rules aimed at enhancing scrutiny of family-based immigrant visa petitions.

US Immigration Policy Changes

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want