To be very clear, there is nothing inherently racist or xenophobic about demanding secure borders and robust immigration enforcement. But even the most strident immigration hawks would be remiss if they did not consider the heartlessness inherent in much of the recent crackdown.

Consider the deportation of Jorge Garcia, who came to the U.S. from Mexico 30 years ago at the age of 10, worked hard and amassed no criminal record, but who is now separated from his wife and two children in Michigan by thousands of miles.

Or 19-year-old Dylan O’Riordan, Irish born but living in the Boston area since he was 12, now detained for months by ICE and on a fast track to deportation.

Or Lucasz Niec — a doctor, green card holder, and possible U.S. citizen — who may very well be deported to his native Poland (whose language Niec does not speak) over two misdemeanor convictions when he was a teenager.