From Huntington’s Cultural Threats to Empirical Failures: Desecuritizing Trump’s Immigration Policy Through Douglas Massey

Abstract

An “immigration policy” is not just about laws and borders; it deeply affects people’s lives. This paper critically evaluates the “efficiency” and “legitimacy” of restrictive border controls, often justified by claims of a “cultural threat narrative”. It assesses the arguments of scholars like Samuel P. Huntington against the data-driven research of Douglas Massey, which exposes the counterproductive upshots of these policies. The analysis exhibits that harsh enforcement does not stop migration; it fuels social marginalisation, separates families, and undermines basic human rights. This paper calls for policies grounded in compassion with empathetic understanding of immigrants’ perspectives and a realistic policy formulation regarding migration dynamics.