Last month, a Pew study revealed nearly one in four U.S. adults—23%—worry they or someone close could be deported, up from 19% earlier this year. That anxiety isn’t limited to immigrants; second-generation Americans and even U.S.-born Black adults report rising fear. Meanwhile, Black migrants—just 5.4% of the undocumented population—account for over 20% of deportations due to criminal convictions, highlighting systemic bias in both policing and immigration enforcement.

Despite those disparities, some black Americans have reportedly expressed that the issue of deportation feels separate from their own historical struggles with systemic racism. Researchers note that this perspective reflects a mix of frustration, fatigue, and longstanding divisions between communities. It is within this broader debate that Cowboys legend Michael Irvin shared his personal views this week.

Irvin laid it out that he tries not to speak publicly about politics. But he feels so upset about recent deportations and how his people are choosing to remain silent. “We’re watching these people get deported and I hear my people say, ‘this is not our fight,'” Irvin said on Thursday, July 3. He then ranted, “Not our fight. Not our fight. That vexes me, man, because that’s so absolutely not true. This is absolutely our fight. Our fight was never for supremacy. It was always about equality.”

The Cowboys’ legend made it clear that he respects the President’s difficult job, and he doesn’t pretend that he knows what it’s like to have to make those decisions. But this issue feels personal to Irvin when he hears his people keep saying, “This is not our fight.” It bothers him deeply because he believes this is everyone’s fight.

He cleared his stance on criminals vs. hardworking people. Irvin believes that if a person has broken the law, then they should get out of the country. “I understand and I’m with President,” Irvin broke down, tears in his eyes, “everybody else, you, we, anybody, you broken laws, you killed people, get the hell out. Get out. You consistently you get out.” However, Irvin strongly disagrees with deporting people who have lived here ten, twenty, thirty-plus years, worked hard, paid taxes, raised kids, and never committed crimes.

It breaks him thinking about the fact that the rest of the world had to see that. “I can’t even fathom what these people are going through, leaving this country after working thirty or forty years for their families like that, and then get kicked out like that, and then us, of all people, coming up saying ‘this is not our fight.’ I’m sorry the rest of the world sees that,” he further said.

Irvin argues only one thing: this is everybody’s fight. The fight was always about equality. And people should be measured based on their character, not the color of their skin.

Michael Irvin sheds light on the fine line between character and color

Michael Irvin is strictly against how people who worked hard for thirty-plus years would have to be deported just because his people are against this fight. He believes that the fight was never for supremacy. In fact, “It was about being measured by the content of your character, not the color of your skin. Just give me a chance to show you that’s what the fight was about… Get past the black skin and just give me a chance to show you it was the content of our character.”

Michael Irvin’s frustration isn’t happening in a vacuum. Lately, enforcement has only intensified. ICE raids now target schools, churches, and homes—even in places once called sanctuary cities. A blow to public gatherings has followed: Hispanic events canceled, communities retreating in fear. The Senate-approved “One Big Beautiful Bill” would add 10,000 ICE officers and mandate 3,000 arrests daily. It’d be sweeping up hardworking families and deepening deportation anxiety.

Yet even under this relentless pressure, some Black Americans still insist the deportation crisis is separate from their own generational fight against the same agenda. And that saddens Irvin. Deeply. From his perspective, it doesn’t make sense. The Cowboys legend observes that life should make sense. He didn’t shy away from using himself as an example. “Life should make sense,” he ranted. “I outwork everybody. I should win more championships. That’s why I outworked everybody because I need life to make sense.”

Still, data show that Black migrants are disproportionately affected by deportation proceedings compared with their share of the undocumented population. That disparity has drawn concern from civil rights organizations and public figures, including Michael Irvin. He believes this struggle over who belongs should unite communities, not fracture them further. But unfortunately, it’s fracturing the communities.