CLEVELAND – Given unverified reports of immigration agents being spotted in the Delta region, one might begin to question the border implications and activities that are taking place.
According to the most recent data available on Tuesday afternoon, there have been 4,829 arrests in the immigration crackdowns that began with President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
In August 2024, the State Auditor’s office estimated that Mississippi had approximately 22,000 undocumented immigrants.
In 2019, Mississippi saw some of the most extensive workplace immigration raids of Trump’s first term, with 680 people arrested during sweeps of chicken-processing plants.
Randolph Blakeman believes migrants have a good reason to come here.
“People who simply cannot make a living where they are and desire a better life. And I know there are people who are seeking asylum and want to come here legally,” Blakeman stated.
He believes there may be a better solution than mass deportation without considering the consequences.
“It appears that they do not want a solution. They just want to complain about something, and if that’s not the impression, or the truth, then they should sit down and figure out a solution,” Blakeman said.
Jamaal Bryant of Cleveland believes that mass deportation is unfair to everyone because America is the land of freedom.
“It just doesn’t really constitute to the way America really represent as the land of the free us being able to give people opportunities, and people coming over because they feel like they have better opportunities out here” according to Bryant.
Cliff Johnson, director of the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law, believes this is not the best solution.
“If that’s the approach, if we’re going to treat all these folks like criminals and perhaps try to remove all 11 million people, then people like the conservative business owners who called me yesterday are going to be in for a world of hurt” according to Johnson.
He says he discovered that some local business owners are having difficulty finding employees.
“Some Republican business owners contacted me and said, ‘Look, you know, my crew didn’t show up for two days. They are afraid to come to work. “What can you do about that?” said Johnson.
In the meantime, Blakeman believes it is time to simplify the immigration process.
“First and foremost, I want them to go through the legal process simultaneously. “I don’t think we need to make that too difficult,” Blakeman said.
