In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2024 election, there was a mandate for him to stop the invasion across our borders. Overwhelmingly, the public wanted illegal aliens to be removed from our country, particularly those who were criminals. That’s when the controversy began:
President Donald Trump’s signature promise during his campaign was to carry out the ‘largest deportation’ operation in U.S. history, targeting all migrants “who violated the law coming into this country.”
Since anyone living in the U.S. without legal permission has broken civil immigration law, Trump would have to deport all of the 11 million to 12 million immigrants living without legal consent in the U.S., not just people who have committed serious crimes. Most immigrants living in the country illegally have been here longer than 10 years, so many longer-term residents would be deported.
In fact, since January, not long after his election, President Trump had already made clear that his initial focus would be on illegal aliens guilty of violent, truly reprehensible crimes:
‘Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,’ Trump said. ‘We’re going to send them to Guantanamo.’
He added, ‘It’s a tough place to get out of.’
The president said the move will bring the U.S. one step closer to ‘eradicating the scourge’ of migrant crime in communities, once and for all.
(Image created by ChatGPT)
So, Trump made clear that the focus would be on removing criminal illegal aliens. He also stated that illegal aliens without criminal records who were found with those criminals would also be arrested.
In addition to lying about Trump’s promises, leftists have been demonizing ICE agents. Legislators and NGOs have demanded that ICE agents remove their masks and display identification. ICE agents aren’t wearing masks for fun or to appear intimidating. Instead, they’ve been forced to wear them to protect themselves from attacks and to prevent themselves and their families from being doxxed. In addition, leftists are accusing ICE agents of kidnapping so-called innocent illegal aliens. One of those accusations resulted in the accuser being indicted for conspiracy and false statements.
What do the American people currently think about mass deportation? It depends on whose polls you study. Some polls are structured to mislead people; whether that is done intentionally or not is irrelevant. What matters is that the polls will likely provide biased information.
One poll, from PBS News/NPR/Marist, provides what appears to me to be credible information, for it asked specific questions for determining who should be deported, and those questions adjusted their opinions according to those criteria. Here are examples:
Although the public overwhelmingly thinks that people who committed violent crimes should be deported, they even support deporting those who committed nonviolent crimes.
The second item above, the opposition to deporting people who are working in this country, sends a different message: Americans value people who work and are not living off the dole.
And it’s no surprise that there is a split on students who have overstayed their visas. Republicans and independents refuse to make excuses for the students whose visas have expired. Those students may also have already completed their studies.
What also influences public opinion is whether they believe that certain industries need foreign labor. In California and Texas, both of which exploit illegal labor, significant percentages of farm and agricultural workers are illegal aliens. A left-leaning think tank contends:
The U.S. economy has experienced a labor shortage in recent years. In 2023, approximately 3.2 million jobs remained unfilled, including positions in vital sectors such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, health care, and manufacturing. These shortages are primarily attributed to an aging workforce and declining national fertility rates. Immigrants have already played a significant role in addressing these labor shortages, bolstering the U.S. economy, but additional workers are still needed. Without immigration, the U.S. population is projected to shrink after 2033 and with it, its workforce — generating greater labor shortages.
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Economically, deportations would worsen labor shortages in key industries, lowering productivity and driving up inflation. Mass deportations are costly and would strain U.S. public finances, potentially requiring the Trump administration to cut other programs or secure additional funding. Ultimately, these actions could weaken the U.S. economy and reduce the well-being of its communities.
Since polling data varies from one extreme to another (pro-mass deportation versus anti-mass deportation), I’ve tried to provide suggestions that seem to make sense in light of Trump’s original goals, the nation’s support of them, and our current state. These are the conclusions I’ve drawn:
It’s time for the feds to get serious about dealing with the realities of illegal immigration.