The two deaths during ICE operations in January have led to an inundation of left-wing outrage to begin the new year. Thankfully, however, the amount of screen time allotted to America’s vocal minority is not indicative of how successfully—or unsuccessfully—any given issue is being handled. When it comes to illegal immigration, President Trump has, perhaps unsurprisingly, quelled the issue while exhibiting mastery in responding to pushback, just over one year into his second term.
On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to end the border invasion on day one, before carrying out the largest deportation effort in American history over the ensuing four years to reclaim the U.S. for those who have a legal right to call it home. He outlined in explicit detail how this would unfold and made clear that the Biden immigration crisis required swift and decisive action if there was any hope of correcting it. Both the President and his tens of millions of voters knew this would come with severe leftist and mainstream media backlash—perhaps even more intense than during his first term—and voted for him anyway, which is why his approach is viewed positively by the American public.
According to a recent Cygnal poll, 73% of Americans believe entering the U.S. illegally constitutes breaking the law. Other responses revealed that 61% support deporting illegal aliens, 58% oppose defunding ICE, and 54% support ICE enforcing all immigration laws. No amount of noise from leftist resistors, hyperemotional MSM appearances by congressional and state-level Democrats, or sound bites from “elitists” within their awards-show echo chambers, will change the minds of the majority of Americans who support Trump making America a net-negative migration nation for the first time in 50 years—nor should it. They are not supporting these actions due to savvy political messaging by Republicans, but rather because the current Republican stance was universally agreed upon and viewed as common sense by Democrats not long ago.
During a 2015 interview, Hillary Clinton stated that “any city should listen to the Department of Homeland Security,” adding that she had “absolutely no support” for cities that ignore strong evidence presented by the federal government. Five years earlier, Barack Obama pushed back against the pro–illegal immigration mob when he said that allowing unchecked immigration to continue would “be both unwise and unfair,” and would “suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there would be no repercussions for such a decision, which could lead to a surge in illegal immigration, and ignore the millions of people around the world waiting in line to come here legally.” He went on to say that “ultimately, our nation, like all nations, has the right and obligation to control its borders and set laws for residency and citizenship.” Even Chuck Schumer was adamant in voicing concerns about the broken U.S. immigration system, stating that “the abuses [of the U.S. immigration system] are so large that, unless you undergo major changes, you’re not going to be able to sustain it.”
While most of the outcry has come from the left, there is also a self-proclaimed “centrist” portion of the spectrum, comprised of bandwagon Trump-supporter types like Joe Rogan, who have taken the bait by believing that this method of immigration enforcement is “not what Trump voters voted for,” suggesting that the American people only want deportations for those with serious criminal records. However, a number of polls have revealed that anywhere from 55% to 64% of Americans support the deportation of all illegal aliens, even those whose only criminal act is entering the country illegally.
Illegal immigration is a politically sensitive issue that has persisted throughout all administrations besides Trump’s because they failed to shelve emotion and fear in order to focus solely on execution and how to solve it. Mass deportations at the scale needed to correct decades of systemic abuse will inevitably be messy. Feelings will be hurt, Democrats will resist, and the mainstream establishment will manipulate how it is unfolding—but it must be done. You cannot ask permission from the left-wing mob to act, or ask illegal aliens themselves how they feel about it; only decisive and unapologetic action will suffice. The outcry is not surprising, nor is it a deterrent, because President Trump—and, thankfully, the majority of the American people—understand this.
Despite all of the sentiment surrounding President Trump’s rough nature, he and his administration—including Vice President JD Vance, who masterfully articulated that the real tragedy is Americans dying as a result of falling victim to a left-wing ideology that views obstructing law enforcement, in many instances in life-threatening ways, as acceptable and lawful behavior—have effectively communicated the aftermath of these events. They have done so by carefully walking the line between fully supporting and defending law enforcement while also offering sympathy to the families of those who lost loved ones who were opposing the administration, regardless of how justified the officers were, which they appear to be.
There has been no spiking of the football, no tough-guy rhetoric, and no partisan claims that the agitators deserved to die. While that should be the status quo for our leaders, America just recently endured a “presidency” that demonized the entire MAGA coalition as an extremist group representing a threat to the nation, while other Democratic Party elites (like the aforementioned Clinton) openly targeted and expressed a sincere disgust toward fellow Americans with different viewpoints.
Perhaps unknown during his first campaign but quickly proven upon taking office, President Trump does not speak tough to everyone. Rather, he reserves that for those who do not have America’s best interests at heart—whether cartels and terrorist groups, U.S. officials who possess anti-American values, or leaders of other nations who harbor animosity or ill will toward the U.S. When it comes to “average” citizens, however, Trump consistently extends love and unity, even to those who hate him and what he represents. Despite claims to the contrary—that he hates those who oppose him, particularly during an era in which left-wing ideology has become more openly hostile—the President and the rest of his administration should be commended for setting an example that all American citizens are equal, loved, and respected by their president and his administration.
This article was originally published by American Thinker here.
Matt Kane served in President Trump’s second administration as Assistant Press Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. Follow on X:@MattKaneUSA, Truth Social: @MattKane
