Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration is extending its anti-immigration agenda beyond US borders, collecting migrant-related crime data in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and Western European nations.
- The administration’s stated purpose is to assist US allies in reforming their immigration systems and curbing "mass migration", which it labels an "existential threat to Western civilization and the safety of both the West and the world".
- The request is unprecedented and harmful, perpetuating a false narrative that migrants are to blame for perceived increases in crime rates.
- Empirical research shows that migrants do not offend at disproportionate rates, despite persistent political claims.
- The US government’s actions, including deporting migrants without due process, detaining migrants with no criminal history, and separating families, have been criticized for violating international law and curtailing domestic civil liberties.
Introduction to the Trump Administration’s Agenda
The Trump administration is taking its anti-immigration agenda to a new level by extending it beyond US borders. Recently, US embassies in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and Western European nations, were instructed to collect and transmit migrant-related crime data to Washington. The administration’s stated purpose is to assist US allies in reforming their immigration systems and curbing what it labels "mass migration". However, this request is unprecedented and extremely harmful, as it perpetuates a false narrative that migrants are to blame for perceived increases in crime rates.
The Harmful Effects of the Trump Administration’s Directive
The Trump administration’s directive is not only harmful but also based on flawed assumptions. Empirical research over decades in the US shows that migrants do not offend at disproportionate rates, despite persistent political claims. However, the Trump administration continues to escalate its harsh crackdown on migrants, justifying its actions by claiming that US cities are under siege. This has enabled the government to take actions that critics say violate international law and curtail domestic civil liberties, including deporting migrants without due process, detaining migrants with no criminal history for long periods, and separating families. Furthermore, the US government has also taken lethal military action against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, alleging "narco-terrorists" are flooding the country with drugs.
Australia’s Response to the Trump Administration’s Agenda
Australia is described in the US State Department briefing as a "great ally", and the spokesperson explained the US government’s intent in collecting migrant crime data. However, public inquiries and criminology research in Australia have consistently found claims of a link between migrants and crime to be exaggerated and harmful. These studies often call for stricter media regulations on inaccurate crime reporting to avoid scapegoating marginalized communities. Despite this, successive governments have continued to expand their powers to deport migrants under the guise of public safety, creating harsher consequences for non-citizens who commit offenses compared to citizens. Many people who have not been convicted of a violent crime, and sometimes no crime at all, have been caught up in these exclusionary processes.
The Consequences of Australia’s Harsh Response
In 2023, the High Court ruled in the NZYQ case that continuing to detain individuals who cannot be removed from Australia is unconstitutional, resulting in the release of hundreds of non-citizens into the community on bridging visas. This ignited heated parliamentary debates about a supposed existential threat to Australian society, featuring divisive language and unsupported claims characteristic of the current US administration. Emergency laws were hastily passed, resulting in punitive measures, including enhanced visa cancellations and deportation powers. However, it is not clear how these measures improve community safety, and they may only trigger safety concerns for multicultural communities.
The Need for a More Rigorous Approach
Migration is a feature of our globalizing world and does not represent an existential threat to Western civilization, as claimed in the US State Department. Retreats into ultra-nationalist rhetoric and the scapegoating of migrants are never the answer. A more rigorous and evidence-based approach is needed to address the social determinants that increase the risk of marginalized communities coming into contact with the criminal justice system, including systemic racism. Every day in Australia, people are processed by the criminal justice system and returned to the community, and the government should take responsibility for effective crime prevention by targeting the root causes of crime, rather than punishing and excluding non-citizens.
