Immigration policies can (should) be discussed without taking into account people's race, and still lead to racially-biased outcomes, simply because the majority of immigration-seekers have a race that's different from the majority of people in the target country.
I don't think this is the case. I don't think the US bases immigration policy even partially on race.
Some nations leaders are a threat and their people are going to have a harder time but that is not a race issue. For example a North Korean would have a harder time than a South Korean yet they are the same race.
To me it seems similar to the difference between murder and manslaughter. Intent seems to make the crime more morally wrong. Neither are good but they are seen as very different things.
Perhaps my understanding of the word is wrong but if it is I feel that English is missing the ability to express an important nuance if that's the case.
Functionally, yes absolutely?
If racially biased outcomes just somehow keep happening, "racist" is absolutely a correct English word for that phenomenon.