Donald Trump blames migrants for crime

Former US President Donald Trump made a comeback during the 5 November presidential election by winning more than 270 electoral votes and about 4.7 million more popular votes than Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Based on how he implemented a ‘Muslim ban’ against people from predominantly Muslim countries and the United States’ historically racist treatment of migrants, his new administration is likely to continue its course. Just consider what he said during this address two months ago at a New York rally, where he accused Congolese migrants of being criminals.

Anti-immigrant sentiment is rife in the US, much like in Europe, where the far-right has seen a rise in popularity in Italy and Germany, among other countries. In this viral video clip, Trump blamed the lack of safety in US cities on migrants and pledged a purge should he take office.

However, the facts prove him wrong.

Christian Gunadi’s 2019 published research found undocumented immigrants are 33 per cent less likely to be incarcerated compared to US citizens, with that figure as high as 47 per cent in Texas, a state bordering Mexico, according to the Cato Institute.

Plus, the Global North owes a debt to the Global South. Many people flee Western-manufactured conditions in their home countries to seek a better life in the West.

Slavery forcibly removed millions of people from Africa, while Europeans colonised Africans on the continent and plundered our lands. Upon ‘flag independence’ in the mid-20th century, neo-colonialism kept Global South countries in shackles because of high debt to Western financial institutions. Plus, for centuries, European powers and the United States have destabilised Africa, such as with the 1961 US/UK/Belgian-supported assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba (1925-61), who wanted to use Congolese resources for the Congolese people. These powers then supported one of the most corrupt leaders, Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-97), who pillaged the country for decades.

Today, Trump demonises those same Congolese people fleeing militias, backed by US allies Rwanda and Uganda, to fight over resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, resources that are essential to US tech giants Apple and Tesla.

With the US meddling throughout the Global South, is it any surprise that people would flee their homes and wind up in the US?

Video credit: @wfaa (X)