Comic: We’ve Got Nothing Against Immigrants, Except the Immigrant Ones

I’m chuffed to again collaborate with R.E. Ryan, whose last cartoon with me was “Let’s Outlaw Being Homeless” over a year ago. I love the way his drawing recalls the style of classical cartooning. (Or so it looks to me, I haven’t actually discussed this with him).

I don’t drink and consequently rarely think of setting my cartoons in bars. (Before this one, the last one I recall is Sheeple!, in early 2023). But I should do it more often – it looks really sharp. And it’s an environment where it’s plausible that strangers would end up chatting or arguing, which is the premise of an embarrassing number of my comics.

In June 2025, Congressman Charles “Chuck” Edwards, a Republican, posted on Facebook that “Republicans aren’t anti-legal immigration, we’re anti-illegal immigration.” This is something a lot of Republicans have said, including from the stage at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

But it’s more important to look at what the GOP does than what it says. The GOP has become a party of fanatical immigrant hatred, driven not by logic or economics but by spite and bigotry. Against all immigrants (and especially non-white immigrants), not just undocumented immigrants. (With a few exceptions, like white South Africans, select right-wing pundits, and Donald Trump’s wife.)

On Govtrack, a website tracking the Federal government’s actions, Amy West and Joshua Tauberer responded to conservatives claiming “that the Republican party is only opposed to immigrants who are present illegally” with a lengthy yet far from comprehensive list of recent “Republican legislation and executive orders [which] have sought to limit legal immigration, limit benefits for legal immigrants, and limit the rights of legal immigrants.”

And that was several months ago – before the State Department said that they’d revoke Visas for criticizing Israel. Before Republicans voted to give ICE a budget larger than that of most countries’ militaries. Before Alligator Alcatraz – a literal concentration camp for immigrants – was announced. (This isn’t saying it’s a death camp; “concentration camp” and “death camp” aren’t interchangeable terms.)

Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, wrote:

I visited four continents to write a global history of concentration camps. This facility’s purpose fits the classic model: mass civilian detention without real trials targeting vulnerable groups for political gain based on ethnicity, race, religion or political affiliation rather than for crimes committed. And its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country. […]

What will happen in the U.S. if the pressure to self-deport fails, as it did nearly a century ago? We’re already seeing aggressive moves against people living in the U.S. legally. The administration is still trying to strip legal status from half a million Haitians who were allowed in before Trump’s return. The DOJ is prioritizing cases involving the possible revocation of citizenship, working to undo birthright citizenship itself and targeting the citizenship of political enemies. The administration wants to define who can be an American in ways that appear profoundly racist, and it seems immigrants are the most politically advantageous large population to target.

All of this is terrible for immigrants. And that alone would be reason enough to oppose it.

But we shouldn’t forget that it harms all Americans, non-immigrants included. Our economy depends on immigration, and in the long run this resurgence of nationalism will make all of us poorer, including our children and grandchildren.

It remains to be seen how permanent the damage is. Will future Democratic administrations be able to undo the attack on all immigrants? And even if they’re able, will they have the political will?

There is one bit of good news this week, which I’m hoping will turn out to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Most Americans don’t support the extremist attacks on immigrants.

A majority of Americans also disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration, with 53 percent giving him negative marks and only 42 percent approving of his approach, according to the poll. […]

Brad Jones, professor of political science at the University of California Davis, told Newsweek that other than “MAGA diehards,” most Americans “probably bought into the narrative that immigration enforcement would be focused on violent criminal offenders.”

“This is not what we are seeing. Instead, we’re seeing indiscriminate round-ups, raids, and detentions of individuals ICE and other immigration officials deem to be immigrants. This includes individuals with no criminal backgrounds and even US citizens. The increased focus on this kind of draconian immigration enforcement is revolting to many Americans…”

Frank and I have been making good progress on the new book collection! I’ll post more about that soon, including a preview of cover art.

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon has four panels, plus a tiny fifth “kicker” panel underneath. All panels show the same scene. Two men are sitting at a bar, nursing beers. The first man is wearing a purple zip-up jacket; the second a green t-shirt.

PANEL 1

“Purple” looks suspiciously at “Green” as he asks an unfriendly question; Green replies angrily.

PURPLE: Why do you guys hate immigrants so much?

GREEN: That’s unfair! Conservatives have nothing against immigrants!

PANEL 2

Green lists off items on his fingers.

GREEN: We’re only against immigrants who sneak across the border, because they’re lawbreakers. Oh, and ones who overstay their Visas.

PANEL 3

Green looks up a bit, concentrating, as he continues his list.

GREEN: Plus those here legally as refugees… Student op-ed writers… Those brought here as kids… Latino guys with tattoos… Harvard students… Ones who are only “American” cause they were born here… People who criticize Israel…

PANEL 4

GREEN: But other than that, when have conservatives ever gone after law-abiding immigrants?

TINY KICKER PANEL UNDERNEATH THE COMIC

GREEN: These people should just use the legal pathways to immigration! Which we’re closing!

CHICKEN FAT WATCH

“Chicken fat” is an old-fashioned cartoonists’ term for unimportant but fun details in comics.

PANEL 1: On a shelf below the bar, a mouse is guzzling beer.

PANEL 2: There’s a framed picture of Sam Eagle (from the Muppets) on the wall. A highway route sign on the wall says “Route 65 ½.” Fry and Bender, from the TV show Futurama, are sitting at a table.

PANEL 3: Green is still counting points off on his fingers. To facilitate that, he now has nine fingers on his right hand.

PANEL 4: The drinking mouse has passed out.

We’ve Got Nothing Against Immigrants, Except the Immigrant Ones | Patreon