How Trump’s Looming Border Policy Could Impact Virginia Immigrants

RICHMOND, Va. – Stricter immigration policies could be the hallmark of the recent election where Republicans gained control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on stronger border policy and has appointed Tom Homan, former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director as his “border czar.”

“We’re talking about millions of immigrants that the administration wants to expel … right away,” said Chad Hankinson, a lecturer in the political scientist department at Virginia Tech. “That would have a probably catastrophic or at least a very serious negative impact on the nation’s economy.”

A common misconception about immigration is the belief that immigrants drive up housing prices and when they are deported, new jobs and housing will open up, Hankinson said.

He added that in reality, immigrants have essential jobs native-born citizens don’t want to do. If immigrants who work in construction, agriculture, and other fields are deported, it could create more inflation and potentially a housing shortage.

“Just one policy like that is going to have a broad economic impact, not just nationally, but also here in Virginia,” Hankinson said.

Military and Law Enforcement Help With Deportation

Trump promised to complete the Mexico-U.S. border wall he started in 2018. Trump has said his border plan involves mass deportation with local police and military help.

“The president’s going to feel pretty comfortable just trying to use executive action,” Hankinson said. “The Senate’s going to be fine to let him do that kind of stuff, so that he takes all the political fallout.”

More modest, impactful policy changes such as increases in border enforcement could occur, like the bipartisan immigration bill which almost passed earlier this year, according to Hankinson.

Trump’s executive level changes could be challenged in the Supreme Court. However, the court leans conservative 6-3. Three of the conservative justices were appointed by Trump.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has stated that Virginia’s law enforcement professionals have “both the authority and a moral duty” to cooperate with lawful federal immigration orders. The U.S. is a nation of immigrants, but more importantly “we are a nation of laws whose observance remains the only sure foundation of any free society,” he stated.

“I understand immigration in a way few others do,” Miyares stated, as his family immigrated from Cuba.

Miyares did not respond to phone and email requests for an interview.

How Immigration Policy Impacts Virginia Business 

Although Republicans flipped the Senate, Virginia’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine beat Republican opponent Hung Cao with a 54.1% majority.

“I will do everything I can to protect Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and other immigrants with long ties to the U.S. from mass deportation,” Kaine said in a statement.

Kaine previously said the mass deportation of over 10 million immigrants proposed by Trump would devastate the economy.

Immigrants represent 16% of Virginia workers, including entrepreneurs who make up 29% of “Main Street business owners,” according to a recent study by The Commonwealth Institute. Main Street businesses are “storefront shops that help keep downtown areas vibrant.”

Virginia immigrants generate $104 billion of economic output in the state, according to the study. Immigration to the state creates more job opportunities for more consumers, workers and business owners, which benefits U.S.-born workers.

How Immigration Policy Impacts Education 

There are an estimated 11,000 undocumented students in Virginia, according to research published last year by the American Immigration Council and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

The Migration Studies Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University hosted an event on Nov. 19 with David Morales, attorney with the Farmworker Unit of the Northwest Justice Project, to discuss the future of immigrant studies.

The immigration system is complex, as are the “safeguards in place to protect the integrity of justice administration,” according to Antonio Espinoza, who helped organize the event with the Humanities Research Center.

The continuity of presidential initiatives like DACA, and others, may be uncertain, according to Espinoza, but immigrant students will potentially have other options through study or work visas, and individual recourse to courts, although not ideal.

“In the second case, although the Executive has enhanced authority regarding certain aspects of immigration, the Administrative Procedures Act guarantees that federal agencies cannot develop, issue or apply rules in an arbitrary or capricious manner,” Espinoza stated.

The upcoming administration will impact the access of international and immigrant students to higher education, but the overall impact is uncertain, according to Espinoza.

The enrollment of international students in U.S. higher education has declined, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of immigration policies and official rhetoric, according to Espinoza.

“This was a negative development, as international students enrich the diversity and outcomes of higher education, and contribute to the local, state and national economies,” Espinoza stated. “In the case of immigrant students, excluding them from access to higher education is, in my opinion, an injustice as well as a loss of human capital and qualified labor for the U.S.”

Advocates Push Organizing, Unity

Trump’s vision could lead to the removal of TPS residents and U and T visas, both humanitarian visas for victims of crimes, said John Cano, senior organizer for the Virginia-based Legal Aid Justice Center.

There is uncertainty about what 2025 will bring, Cano said. People are worried about job security, interactions with ICE, separation from their children and what that would mean for children born in the U.S.

Virginians can support immigrants by being involved in local advocacy and attending board of supervisors meetings to ensure protective policies remain in place, Cano said.

“We need to be that light,” Cano said. “We need to be more unified than ever now and continue to ensure that Virginia stays the way it is and push back on any potential negative rhetoric.”

Several allies and impacted people have already been at the forefront to push for change, Cano said.

“We know when we’re united, we can overcome anything,” Cano said. “We’ve done it before and we will do it again.”

By Samantha Granados
VCU Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.