The Justice Department’s new plan to offer cash rewards for anonymous tips about immigration crimes is not just misguided, it’s dangerous. 

This kind of system sets a chilling precedent and opens the door to false accusations, personal vendettas, and racial profiling. We’ve seen this before in history. In Nazi Germany, neighbors turned on each other, tipping off authorities about Jews in hiding in exchange for money or favor. Those tips didn’t just lead to wrongful detentions—they led to death camps.

We cannot ignore the parallels. Encouraging the public to spy on one another and profit from unverified accusations targets the most vulnerable in our communities. Innocent people, immigrants who are our coworkers, friends, and family members, could be harmed or deported based on nothing more than hearsay.

There are already legal pathways to investigate immigration fraud. Turning it into a bounty hunt invites abuse.

We demand that the Department of Justice immediately end the policy of rewarding anonymous tips related to immigration violations. Fear, suspicion, and profit-driven accusations should have no place in American justice.