Deportation Nation: How Racism Fuels the Right’s Immigration Agenda

It Was Never Just About the Border: How Racism Fuels Deportation Policy

Deportation Nation: How Racism Fuels the Right’s Immigration Agenda

Series: Deportation Nation | Part 1

“Show me a border, and I’ll show you who’s meant to stay out.”

When we discuss immigration policy in the United States, the conversation is almost always framed around “national security,” “law and order,” or “protecting American jobs.” But scratch beneath those polished talking points, and you’ll find something older, uglier, and deeply embedded in the political DNA of this country: racism.

In reality, the issue never solely revolved around the border.
The border’s purpose was always to exclude people of color.

The Roots of Racist Immigration Control

Long before MAGA hats and “build the wall” chants, American immigration policy was explicitly designed to keep out people of color. Here are a few reminders from the archives:

• The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): The first significant immigration restriction , which targeted a single race.