World Immigration News

Mass deportations don’t keep out ‘bad genes’ - they use scientific racism to justify biased immigration policies

Release Date: 2025-01-13
Media: The Conversation
Summary: The threat of mass deportations looms after the 2024 election, with some supporters claiming immigrants bring "bad genes" into America. This argument misuses science to legitimize unscientific and racist views, despite the fact that immigrants, regardless of legal status, have lower crime rates than native-born citizens. There is no genetic evidence linking violence to biology.

The concept of genetic essentialism, which suggests that genes alone determine traits or behaviors, disregards the impact of structural biases such as racial discrimination. For example, criminal justice systems often unfairly target minorities, skewing research on violence.

The misuse of genetics to justify racial superiority, as seen in scientific racism, has historical roots in the eugenics movement. Figures like Samuel Morton attempted to use flawed data to claim that certain races were biologically superior, particularly promoting white supremacy. Such pseudoscience continues to influence immigration policies today, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

Genetic studies show that human genetic variation is vast and overlaps across populations, with no evidence supporting genetic differences in intelligence between racial groups. Current rhetoric invoking "bad genes" to justify deportations echoes past eugenics-driven immigration policies that discriminated based on race.

By understanding science and history, we can reject unscientific claims and protect marginalized communities from racism.
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