Every country enforces its immigration laws. The United States is no exception. As protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue, many Americans are questioning whether ICE is a harmful agency—or simply one carrying out the laws Congress created. People often hold anger toward ICE workers because they think that “ ICE is violating its sensitive locations policy,” but in reality, that is far from the truth.

ICE has been a hot topic recently, and it has raised lots of emotions from the citizens of America. Many people assume that ICE is a horrible organization for removing illegal immigrants, but they often don’t take into consideration that ICE is simply following the laws of our country. There is no country in the world with open borders or no immigration laws.

We often hear arguments that ask the government to “Abolish ICE,” and many people blame our president, Donald Trump, for supporting ICE. But looking at statistics, Trump has fewer deportations than Bill Clinton, George Bush, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama.

From my point of view, the people protesting ICE need to do more research and educate themselves before they take the side of immigrants who are trying to circumvent immigration laws. Public debate should be grounded in immigration data and in the history of immigration policy. Others would say my opinion is wrong rather than showing mutual respect, and they might say the same thing I did about better education, because every point of view is different. There are 140 to 160 ways to become a citizen, meaning anyone who follows the process is eligible. While I acknowledge the process isn’t always simple and can be quite costly, there are indeed steps to follow.

Family-based immigration is the most common way to legally immigrate to America. Sixty-five to seventy percent of immigrants come as the spouses, children, or parents of U.S. citizens.

Other ways to immigrate legally include:  family-based immigration, employment-based visas, and diversity visas, among others. You may be wondering what these mean. Family-based immigration is when you immigrate because you have a family connection in America, and receive your green card. Employment-based visas are when an employer offers an immigrant a job to fill a specific role. The Diversity Visa Program makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available annually through a random lottery to applicants from countries with low levels of immigration to the United States. It is very competitive but very popular.

It has been reported that ICE detained some US citizens, which I believe is wrong, and the agency should have a respectful approach, which includes an apology. But if you are a legal immigrant deported by mistake, which I don’t think should happen, you should be returned within a few weeks to a month.

The legal immigration process is often lengthy, expensive, and complex, which leads some individuals to avoid or bypass it altogether. I understand how difficult it can be for people who want to “live the American dream” because it is a long and expensive process, but in the long run, it will be worth it. I do think our country should make the process more realistic and affordable, but right now, it is difficult, and anyone can see that.

When people come illegally, they come knowing the risk of being deported; it’s almost like they are signing up to be kicked out, and they should know that entering without authorization carries the legal risk of deportation under current law. I think our lawmakers should enforce stronger policies to ensure consistent deportation, not a pick-and-choose approach, which can make people think they have a chance of getting out of trouble.

The ICE agency made the statement that their goal was to “enforce immigration laws and protect safety and national security, with a stated focus on arresting and removing people who have criminal convictions, pose safety threats, or have violated immigration laws,” which is exactly what they have been doing. Although they have made errors, they have taken responsibility for their mistakes and even apologized in court during one case; that’s all that has been released. In 2025, thirty to thirty-five percent of the deportations were people with criminal convictions, and forty-four percent were immigration violators. Therefore, the ICE agency is sticking to its goals. 

ICE has been protecting us since 2003. They began this organization because of the 9/11 attacks, a day that instilled fear in American citizens, and protection was what our country needed. ICE was not created to ruin people’s lives; it was created to protect our country from danger, and when illegal immigrants come into America with no background checks, that builds more fear for citizens. ICE has shown that enforcing the law has reduced crime rates.

ICE began making appearances in states far from the border. This shocked the people of those states, causing anger and confusion. People thought they found places to hide, but the immigration “sweeps” caught many people off guard, which angered US citizens and illegal immigrants.

People are protesting to abolish ICE, but I don’t think people realize ICE is not evil; they are doing their jobs. In every country, there is a team that enforces illegal immigration; they are hired. ICE workers are attacked. In 2025, there was a heavy increase in assaults on ICE workers. This is wrong because ICE agents are doing their jobs as they were trained to do. I truly believe that they are just trying to help protect our country.

Immigration reform should focus on improving legal pathways while maintaining consistent enforcement. The challenge is not choosing between compassion and law, but balancing both.