When it comes to immigration reform, President Donald Trump is fundamentally correct.

It’s not just needed; It has been necessary for a long while now.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the heavy-handed, damn-the-procedures methods by which his administration is going about implementing his brand of reform is good for the country. Quite the opposite is likely true, in fact.

Through a series of executive orders, Trump essentially declared war on undocumented immigrants in the opening week of his second presidency. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have initiated a slew of raids nationwide, leading to thousands of arrests, the detainment of several citizens and immigrants in the country with legal status, and concern throughout immigrant communities. Some of the raids were executed without proper search warrants, others filmed and released by the federal government, which has raised concerns about it using the footage as a needless intimidation tactic.

By executive order, ICE officials can now arrest undocumented immigrants in places previously considered sanctuaries, like churches and schools. It has led several area schools, including ones throughout Lackawanna County and in Hazleton, to consider procedures in the event ICE officials arrive at schools in search of undocumented children. The Supreme Court has upheld the rights of undocumented children to receive a public education in the United States.

Trump made immigration a grave concern on the campaign trail before the 2016 election, backed with disgusting rhetoric that made his words and lack of empathy for the situation as much of a story as the issue itself. But the numbers don’t lie.

In 2022, the federal government estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants lived in the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped around 2.5 million people as they attempted to cross the Southern border in fiscal year 2023, a record. An influx of Central American migrants and unaccompanied children arriving at the border led to a backlog of about 2.8 million cases pending in immigration courts, according to the independent, nonpartisan think tank Council on Foreign Relations. Again, that’s a record.

Calling this “an invasion” or painting asylum seekers or those illegally crossing the border as violent criminals to the degree this administration does is nonsense. It’s inflammatory rhetoric that detracts from the actual issues at hand, and it’s creating a call for vigilantism that is unnecessary to combat the issue.

Last week, a post on a popular area Facebook page encouraged citizens in Scranton to help deliver flyers encouraging others to “Report Illegal Aliens.” Nobody arrived at a designated meeting time to help, but it didn’t stop others from pushing for similar community action. The Facebook campaign page belonging to State Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Luzerne, posted ICE’s website and hotline number, indicating “It’s The Law!” for citizens to report suspected undocumented immigrants.

Problem is, nobody is required to report anything. ICE does accept tips on illegal activity, but on its online form, it specifically asks for examples of violations of criminal law, ranging from terrorism to human smuggling, child exploitation to gang-related activity. Reporting neighbors and random shoppers at the supermarket on hateful whims is not only against the spirit of ICE’s mission, it detracts from the more serious mission at hand to ensure actual violent criminals inside the border are dealt with first.

This type of shock-and-awe approach is meant to instill fear in those who have crossed the border illegally and others considering it, but it is also a disruption of lives and reputation that has no place in America for citizens who have every right to be here.