Understanding Trump's Immigration Blitz

There's been fierce pushback from religious groups and the media.

 

1. Contextualizing Trump’s Immigration Blitz

President Trump launched an aggressive overhaul of U.S. immigration policy on day one of his second term, issuing executive orders and guidance to expand deportations, restrict asylum, end birthright citizenship for some, use the military to enforce border control, and, perhaps most controversially, lifting a ban which prevented immigration authorities from entering schools and churches.

Church resistance: The administration’s immigration onslaught faced backlash from religious leaders immediately, with Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the bishop leading the inaugural prayer service, urging Trump to his face to “have mercy” on transgender Americans and immigrants.

  • Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the new policies “deeply troubling.”

  • In an open letter, the Episcopal Church condemned Trump’s family separation policy and pledged to oppose deportations and support Dreamers and refugees.

  • Pope Francis condemned Trump’s deportation plans as “a disgrace.”

Local government resistance: Leaders in sanctuary cities and counties in Pennsylvania, have dismissed the Trump administration's threats to prosecute officials who defy federal immigration enforcement.

  • Instead they’ve reaffirmed their commitment to policies protecting immigrant communities despite the president’s new directives.

  • A spokesperson for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston told NBC News: “Denver defines itself as a welcoming city and we do have laws on the books, both city and state, that ensure that local police do not do the work of federal immigration enforcement.”

  • Last week, the Chicago City Council voted to uphold the city’s sanctuary ordinance, rejecting a proposal to weaken protections for undocumented immigrants.

Media outrage: Much of the mainstream coverage of the immigration overhaul has been focused on humanitarian concerns.

Context: While media coverage has highlighted opposition to Trump’s immigration policies, polls show strong public approval for mass deportations, especially for illegal immigrants with criminal histories.

  • A whopping 87% of Americans are in favor of deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records, according to a new Ipsos/New York Times poll.

  • Trump “border czar” Tom Homan, has said the administration will take a “worst first” approach to large-scale raids, focusing on “public safety threats and national security threats.”

  • Per an Axios/Ipsos poll released last week, more than 6 in 10 Americans support deportations of all illegal immigrants.

How we got here: Citing unprecedented immigration levels over the last four years and public disapproval of President Biden’s lax border policies, Trump and his allies argue they have a mandate to aggressively tackle the problem.

  • As The New York Times’ David Leonhardt noted last month, the U.S. experienced the largest immigration surge in its history during Biden's administration, with net migration likely exceeding eight million people.

  • In the runup to the 2024 presidential election, immigration became one of U.S. voters’ top concerns.

Bubba’s Two Cents

Speaking to Bloomberg Radio last October, Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury pick, questioned the logic of open borders by saying, “If illegal immigration boosts GDP, why not build a road from South America to the U.S. and let everyone in?” His point gets at the inherent contradictions in advocating for unchecked immigration.

While Bessent was focused on the economic side of things, the idea applies more broadly: if there’s a limit to how much immigration is sustainable, enforcement and deportations follow as a matter of course.

America has always welcomed immigrants, a sentiment captured by the famous words written on the Statue of Liberty. But that tradition has to be balanced with practical limits.

Some people may not like the tone of immigration hardliners, but Trump’s election was a mandate for stricter enforcement, and deportations are an unavoidable part of that.

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