- “Black Americans have a long history of being subjected to heavy surveillance and aggressive policing.” – Jonathan Jean-Baptiste
In an opinion piece published by USA Today, author Jonathan Jean-Baptiste criticizes Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids taking place across the country and calls on the Black community to stand in solidarity with immigrants amid an expanded enforcement crackdown under the Trump administration.
Jean-Baptiste writes that immigrants have increasingly become targets of law enforcement over the past year and argues that the federal government’s approach mirrors long-standing patterns of surveillance and overpolicing experienced by Black communities.
“As a Black, first-generation citizen born in the United States, who grew up in an overpoliced immigrant community, I feel echoes of painful memories,” Jean-Baptiste writes in the USA Today opinion piece. He says the struggles for social justice faced by Black Americans and immigrants are closely connected and contends that solidarity between the two communities is critical as immigration enforcement intensifies.
Jean-Baptiste expresses frustration with what he describes as neutrality from some within the Black community during recent ICE raids, noting that Black Americans have a long history of being subjected to heavy surveillance and aggressive policing.
Drawing on his personal experience growing up in a neighborhood with a large Caribbean population, he describes how constant law enforcement presence became normalized in his community.
“I was always struck by how normal the militarization of our neighborhood seemed to some locals, even though it was anything but,” he writes.
He contrasts those experiences with visits to more ethnically diverse neighborhoods, where he observed that “people there didn’t face constant police checkpoints, frequent stops or fear of armed officers,” highlighting what he characterizes as unequal policing practices.
Jean-Baptiste also criticizes members of the Black community who believe that immigration enforcement does not affect them or falls outside their concerns. He argues that greater engagement is necessary, writing that efforts to advance Black civil rights are inseparable from the fight for immigrant justice.
“Alliances between immigrant and Black communities have historically advanced all civil rights movements,” he writes.
The opinion piece further describes how immigration enforcement actions can directly affect Black communities. Jean-Baptiste references Operation Midwar Blitz, an ICE operation in Chicago in which officers raided a predominantly Black neighborhood “with the stated intention of arresting undocumented residents who might have warrants.” The operation resulted in the detention of several Black residents, including four children.
“Those children weren’t criminals, but they witnessed ICE agents without warrants break down doors and zip-tie neighbors for hours,” Jean-Baptiste writes, warning that such experiences may cause long-term trauma.
He argues that the Chicago raid reflects a broader pattern of disproportionate enforcement against Black immigrants. Citing federal data analyzed by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Jean-Baptiste notes that Black immigrants with criminal convictions face a 76% likelihood of deportation, compared with 45% among the overall immigrant population with criminal convictions.
Jean-Baptiste writes that the data demonstrate how immigration enforcement policies disproportionately impact Black immigrants and reinforce the need for collective action. “The end of due process for immigrants is the end of due process for everyone,” he writes.
He concludes by urging the Black community to mobilize in defense of immigrant rights, framing the effort as essential to protecting Black children and future generations.
“The situation facing America’s immigrants now serves as an opportunity for Black children to see their parents be good leaders and speak out against injustice,” Jean-Baptiste writes, adding that visible opposition to injustice can inspire young people to pursue a more just future.
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