imo, i think one of the most vital aspects of understanding the class composition of the US is that, because of its settler-colonial nature, those who are hyperexploited constitute a qualitatively different class than those who are not. and, i think those that live under the constant fear of becoming hyperexploited also belong to this class, sort of in the same way that the proletariat lives under constant fear of becoming unemployed and homeless. the three classes that i see that fit this definition are:

• the indigenous, who often live in the worst conditions and have limited to no sovereignty. the reservation system continues to be a product of settler-colonialism
• black people, with particular reference to the effectively forced labor systems in prisons. slavery is still technically legal according to the constitution, with the stipulation that slavery can be applied to prisoners. their status as prisoner gives them next to no legal rights or means to bargain with their employer, and they are paid a pittance as a result if anything at all
• foreign and/or hispanic people and their families, with particular reference to undocumented immigrants. there are many strong incentives for white capital to hyperexploit these people: because they have no documents, usually have little education and often have a strong language barrier, they also have next to no bargaining power with respect to their employer. this results in the most horrible of working conditions: slums on company property, extra-long work days with considerably less pay than those who are documented, child labor, etc.

the irony here is that, because of their undocumented status, they are in fact much less likely to commit crime than the general populace, because it risks losing access to their family, their job, and their means of life. structures like ICE typically have existed in order to strike fear into those who are at risk, similar to gangs of whites being given arms in order to combat or dissuade slave revolts in early american history (which was the derivation of the 2nd amendment, the right to bear arms).

but, now that ICE is actively deporting and killing the undocumented and anyone who has anything to do with them, it’s literally self-defeating because settler-colonialist structures rely on hyperexploitation to keep the wheels turning, especially as it relates to much of the menial labor in the core. not to mention that its different and more prominent use of force is obviously having the effect of making people more class conscious as well.