“I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people… I want everybody to stop dying. They’re dying. Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying” (as cited in Forrest, 2023).

When Donald Trump spoke those words in 2023 regarding the war in Ukraine, he bypassed geopolitical posturing to address a raw, human truth: the rising death toll in Russia and Ukraine was a tragedy that needed to end. It was a sentiment of basic empathy that many, regardless of party, could find common ground in. Today, as we face a different kind of crisis on American soil, we should demand that same clarity of sentiment from our Commander-in-Chief and other political leaders regarding the human cost of our immigration crisis.

The 2024 presidential election was a decisive win for Donald Trump. By securing both the Electoral College and the popular vote—a feat Republicans had been unable to attain in over two decades—he signaled a shift in the American political landscape. The core pillars of his campaign, focusing on economic revitalization and a crackdown on immigration, combined with Trump’s expressed regard for human life—as seen in his comments on the Russia-Ukraine war—clearly resonated with a broad cross-section of voters across the United States.
The Trump administration saw success with the implementation of several key policies during its first year. GDP increased, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was expanded, and international peace deals were initiated under the ‘Peace through Strength’ strategy. Trump was fulfilling the mandate his voters gave him—but was he doing it in the way they expected?

According to a Pew Research Center study, the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population rose to a record 14 million in 2023, reflecting an increase of approximately 3.5 million people since 2021 (Passel & Krogstad, 2025). To counter this, the Trump administration expanded the operational scope of ICE by rescinding previous restrictions on enforcement zones, resulting in an increase in removals and arrests.

As ICE expanded its operations, opposition grew. Due to actions that many felt threatened civil liberties, the agency was branded as fascist and racist, and even compared to the Nazi regime and the Gestapo. According to official data, threats against the agency skyrocketed: physical assaults increased by over 1,300%, vehicular attacks by 3,200%, and death threats by a staggering 8,000% (DHS, 2026).

A sharp divide exists between local and federal narratives regarding immigration enforcement. While some local officials claim ICE’s aggressive actions and lack of transparency have caused public disdain, federal authorities argue that “radical rhetoric” from sanctuary city politicians and media outlets has encouraged physical assaults against agents (DHS, 2026). For example, in December 2025, Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey characterized ICE operations as “political theater” and accused the agency of sowing “chaos” that undermined community safety (Ferguson, 2025).

This sharp divide extends to broader political fractures, which intensified following the investigation into a massive multi-million-dollar fraud scheme in Minnesota involving members of the Somali community (House Oversight Committee, 2026). The federal response further polarized the region when the administration deployed an unprecedented 2,000 ICE agents to Minneapolis to enforce immigration laws. Local leaders condemned it as an overreach of federal power (Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, 2026; Ferguson, 2025).

After the tragic death of American citizen Renee Good during an incident with ICE, the situation escalated further. Federal officials were quick to defend the agents, while local officials put the fault solely on ICE. Only a short time later, history repeated itself when Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents. Various cellphone videos uploaded to social media show the heartbreaking incidents from different angles in vivid detail. While local and federal heads spew their typical talking points, commentators continue to make their “expert” claims. Were federal agents being stalked or threatened, as some claim? Were Pretti and Good peacefully protesting, aiding others, or simply filming and attacked without cause? Or did two U.S. citizens die in the streets due to escalated situations in a country increasingly polarized by political rhetoric and constant finger-pointing?

My political outlook leans conservative; I prefer conservative viewpoints to win in any election. But for the sake of our country—to resolve the fighting and the unsettled tensions that have become a constant—I no longer think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop hurting all these people. I want everyone to stop dying. They’re dying. Including our fellow Americans. I want them to stop dying.

References:
Ferguson, D. (2025, December 23). Minnesota leaders condemn ICE for ‘chaos’ in immigration actions as operation goes on. MPR News. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/23/minnesota-leaders-condemn-ice-for-immigration-actions-as-operation-goes-on

Forrest, J. (2023, May 10). Trump’s CNN town hall in New Hampshire. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/10/politics/ukraine-russia-putin-trump-town-hall

Montoya-Galvez, C. (2026, January 5). 2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-federal-agents-crackd

Office of the Minnesota Attorney General. (2026, January 12). MN Attorney General, Minneapolis and Saint Paul sue to halt ICE surge into Minnesota. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/2026/january/ag-lawsuit/

Passel, J. S., & Krogstad, J. M. (2025, August 21). U.S. unauthorized immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/08/21/u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-population-reached-a-record-14-million-in-2023/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2026, January 8). Radical rhetoric by sanctuary politicians leads to an unprecedented 1,300% increase in assaults against ICE officers and a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks. https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/01/08/radical-rhetoric-sanctuary-politicians-leads-unprecedented-1300-increase-assaults