Houston Immigration Perspectives: An Immigrant Asks, Houston Answers
Houston views on immigration can look very different depending on where you’re from and what you’ve lived through. I immigrated from Cuba and became a U.S. citizen through the legal process. Still, I feel confused by today’s immigration debate. So I asked Houstonians to share civil, honest answers about undocumented immigration, due process, safety, and ICE.
I’ll admit something that feels risky to say out loud right now: I’m confused.
Specifically, I’m trying to understand why many people defend immigration outside legal channels, and what “fair,” “safe,” and “humane” look like when real families and real communities are involved. I don’t personally know anyone who has been deported, and I also recognize that what was once the privilege of being Cuban in the U.S. may shape how I see this topic.
So I asked Houstonians to weigh in, civilly, so I could include diverse perspectives in a Houston City Beat article. Here’s what people shared.
Editor’s note: Comments were shared on a public post with notice they may be used for editorial coverage. For privacy, Houston City Beat lists commenters as first name + last initial.
1) Why support illegal immigrants if they didn’t come through the legal process?
One reader, April C., framed it as a straightforward fairness issue: if crossing borders requires permission and ID elsewhere, the U.S. should be no different.
“I don’t agree with it… I still had to go there (Canada) and show ID and get permission to cross the border… that’s how I think it should be.” — April C.
On the other side, Meghan S. argued the real issue is that “legal” isn’t equally accessible in practice, and that the system can become a moving target even for highly qualified people.
“The immigration system is just broken… over 8 years and $150k… the rules kept changing…” — Meghan S.
She also pointed out that many undocumented people were brought here as children and only discover their status later, meaning, in her view, punishment falls on people who didn’t make the original decision.
“This is the only country they have ever known. Why should they be punished for things done to them, not by them?” Meghan S.
Theme readers kept circling: people aren’t only debating “law vs. empathy.” They’re debating whether the pathway is realistic, who gets access, and whether long-term roots change what someone deserves.
2) If they haven’t gone through the process, should taxpayers (or you personally) pay legal costs?
This was one of the sharpest divides in the thread.
Bob C. answered “yes” in the sense that it’s already happening through public funding, though he clearly wasn’t happy about it.
“Yes… we pay property tax to Harris County, which has allocated money for defense of illegal entrants.” — Bob C.
Meghan S. responded from a constitutional lens, saying due process applies to every person, not only citizens.
“That’s actually a requirement of the Constitution. Every person has the right to due process, regardless of nationality.” — Meghan S.
Bob’s follow-up, asking her to “define ‘due’”, showed where many people get stuck: they may accept due process in theory, but question how it’s defined, how long it takes, and what it costs.
3) What about undocumented migrants with violent tendencies or criminal records?
This question brought out both firmness and nuance.
Meghan S. argued that removing “dangerous” undocumented immigrants is not a new concept and that procedures already exist. But she added a concern many people don’t consider: deportation can sometimes mean no accountability inside the U.S. justice system, and the cycle may repeat.
“The process of removing dangerous undocumented immigrants already exists… But we still need to hold them accountable for the offenses they committed in this country. Instead, many are deported and never answer for their crimes. Then they just come back again.” — Meghan S.
That’s a key Houston-area point: for many residents, community safety isn’t only about immigration status, it’s about outcomes for victims, accountability, and preventing repeat harm.
4) Why oppose local law enforcement cooperating with ICE?
While my original question asked about opposition to local cooperation, the comments leaned heavily into concerns about how enforcement is carried out and whether due process is respected.
Meghan S. said she believes ICE has moved away from due process and that families, including citizens, are being harmed.
“They are profiling, arresting even real citizens and detaining them for weeks and separating families.” — Meghan S.
For many communities, trust is part of public safety. When trust breaks, people fear reporting crimes, cooperating as witnesses, or seeking help.
5) What was ICE meant to do vs. what people think it’s doing now?
This is where the gap between perspectives widened the most.
April C. voiced a view many Americans share: that ICE’s mission is to remove people who are in the country illegally.
“I believe ICE is trying to remove anyone that is here illegally.” — April C.
Meghan S. presented a very different view—that ICE should exist within due process guardrails, and that the current approach has crossed lines she sees as unacceptable.
“The main issue with ICE as it stands now is that they have completely forgotten due process… The conditions humans are being held in are deplorable…” — Meghan S.
Whether readers agree or not, that’s the fault line: not just enforcement vs. non-enforcement, but enforcement with what constraints and what protections.
One long comment, one big takeaway: “The system is broken—so what do we do?”
One reader, X.R. S., shared a long story he said shaped his thinking about border crossings, smuggling costs, family desperation, and the economics that push people to take illegal routes.
His conclusion wasn’t simply “open” or “closed” borders. It was that incentives matter, exploitation is real, and the system should identify people, verify who they are, and channel them into structured accountability rather than chaos.
He also expanded the conversation into education and economic opportunity, arguing that strengthening education broadly would strengthen the country.
“Imagine a country full of the most educated people on the planet.” — X.R. S.
My closing reflection: belonging is bigger than paperwork
One of the most resonant moments in the thread came when the conversation shifted away from documents and into identity.
“It doesn’t take a specific birth certificate to love this country and belong here.” — Meghan S.
Houston is full of stories like that, complicated, emotional, and real. If we’re going to talk about immigration honestly, we have to be willing to sit with the tension: law, humanity, safety, fairness, cost, and the parts of a system that different people experience very differently.
