LETTER: Deportations by color code

There seems to be some confusion, intentional or otherwise, among Review-Journal letter writers about which undocumented immigrants should be deported and which should be quietly left alone.

At first, Donald Trump claimed he would deport only “the bad ones,” those who committed crimes. But when that didn’t produce high enough deportations to satisfy the base, he broadened the sweep to include law-abiding undocumented immigrants.

Then came the backlash, not from humanitarian groups, but from corporate farmers and big-box donors whose profits depend on cheap, undocumented labor. So, predictably, Mr. Trump shifted again: Undocumented immigrants would still be deported, just not the ones picking lettuce for Republican donors. Only the ones working for small businesses or maybe growing tomatoes in their own backyard would be targeted.

So maybe what we need is a color-coded ID system for undocumented immigrants — red for “criminal,” green for “noncriminal but works for a GOP megadonor” and blue for “undocumented and inconvenient.” That way, ICE agents can make quick, donor-friendly decisions in the field.