Washington, DC, March 5, 2026 – Below is a column by Maribel Hastings from America’s Voice en Español translated to English from Spanish. It ran in several Spanish-language media outlets earlier this week:

Now that President Donald Trump is escalating foreign conflicts, it is critical to emphasize that the United States’ immigration crisis remains urgent and unresolved. Despite shifting media and public focus, indiscriminate detentions, questionable arrests, and deportations continue daily. Children endure physical and mental crises in and out of detention centers, and families are torn apart. The immigration crisis has real economic and civil rights consequences that persist regardless of international events.

Trump has accustomed us to the daily reality show of his presidency. But this is about more than deposing a totalitarian regime that didn’t pose an imminent threat or laying the groundwork for “liberating” a people. It is also about diverting attention from current issues that make him uncomfortable.

It is about turning the page on issues like the Jeffrey Epstein files or a harsh, chaotic immigration policy. This policy has led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, dozens of deaths in detention centers, widespread racial profiling, and an assault on the rights and freedoms of both citizens and immigrants.

Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie described it this way on social media: “PSA: Bombing a country on the other side of the globe won’t make the Epstein files go away, any more than the Dow going above 50,000 will.”

Trump and his team have given several reasons for leading, along with Israel, the attack on Iran. This has led Iran to launch offensives against several countries in the region. Trump has claimed that Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, that its long-range weapons could reach the United States, and that the Iranian people must control their own government.

If it sounds chaotic, that’s because it is. Government intelligence has refuted some arguments. Reportedly, there are no plans for regime change. Americans do not support war without immediate, convincing justification. Congress gave no authorization.

If the consequences begin to impact voters already burdened by high food, housing, and health costs, Trump could add more problems to his list. This is especially true with eight months to go before the midterm elections.

This war also creates security issues. DHS lacks full funding because Republicans and Democrats have not agreed on how to hold ICE and CBP agents accountable for violence or actions resulting in citizen deaths, such as those of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.

Kristi Noem, secretary of DHS, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and did not retract her statement calling Good and Pretti “domestic terrorists” without evidence.

As the standoff over how ICE and CBP operate continues, DHS remains without full authorization to fund and operate its agencies, including FEMA, the Secret Service, and TSA.

In addition, the department has redirected funds and staff from agencies such as FEMA, the Secret Service, and TSA to immigration enforcement, even though ICE and CBP have received sizable funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill of 2025. This bill allocates $75 billion to ICE, compared to its usual $10 billion annual budget.

But there are Republicans who want some of those ICE and CBP funds diverted, for example, to pay TSA agents’ salaries during the shutdown.

In short, ICE and CBP continue to have the means for detentions, deportations, abuses in detention centers, and warehousing immigrants as if they were merchandise.

While Trump calls on the Iranian people to take control of their destiny, authorities here beat, tear-gas, or fabricate cases against those protesting violent immigration operations across U.S. cities.

Every day, reports emerge of cruelty in detention centers, driven by inadequate and untimely medical care—even for children. Last year, over 30 immigrants died in ICE custody. In January, six more died, with the list growing.

Even as focus shifts to Iran, the domestic crackdown on immigrants persists.

The original Spanish version is here.