As President Trump continues his first few months in office, many Americans are worried about what he will do next. During his campaign, Trump proposed a temporary ban on Muslim individuals seeking entrance to the United States (an executive order that was blocked only thirteen days after its signing), repeal Obamacare, and most notably, build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.  At President Trump’s initial campaign launch in June of 2015 he said that “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” (PBS). Trump’s statement about the kinds of people that he suspects are illegally immigrating caused a lot of controversies, especially in the media.

After calling the Mexican immigrants “rapists” and people that bring “drugs” and “crime”; President Trump introduced VOICE, which stands for the Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement office, at his first address to Congress. President Trump mentioned on Tuesday night that he “[has] ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create [this] office to serve American victims,” and by creating VOICE “[they] are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests” (CNN). Trump hopes that this office will help those who have been affected by crimes perpetrated by illegal immigrants.  

With this new office and the controversial plan to build the border wall, people who are illegally immigrating, especially from Mexico, are feeling more alienated than ever. Contrary to popular belief, these immigrants, illegal or not, play a gigantic role in the United States. In North Carolina alone, farmhands who are Mexican-born stay much longer through the farming season in contrast to native-born workers.  Across the country industries, like agriculture and housekeeping are dominated by Mexican-born workers and without these immigrants, our country would not be able to put food on the table.

As President Trump maintains an exclusion driven dialogu