Trump's Immigration Policy Is Built on a Massive Political Miscalculation

[babylonsister]

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-immigration-policy-mass-deportation-miscalculation-rule-of-law

Trump’s Immigration Policy Is Built on a Massive Political Miscalculation
He doesn’t understand why Americans care about illegal immigration in the first place.
Linda Chavez
Aug 12, 2025

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Many critics of the administration’s policies have gone to the courts seeking relief. In July, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a temporary restraining order barring federal agents from detaining people indiscriminately based on their ethnicity, language fluency, location, or the type of work they do. But the administration will appeal to the Supreme Court. The underlying class-action suit claims the administration’s snatch-and-deport tactics violate the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. The administration will no doubt appeal the decision of the trial judge, too, if it doesn’t go their way.

Respect for the rule of law goes both ways in a democracy. Individuals must abide by the law or risk the consequences, including arrest, trial, and punishment. But those responsible for enforcing the law also agree to respect basic rights and follow certain procedures, including properly identifying themselves as officers of the law, notifying the person what they’re accused of, and if it’s a criminal offense, informing them of the right to remain silent and to legal counsel. Immigration enforcement officers have greater latitude in dealing with persons suspected of being in the country illegally—which in most cases is a civil offense, not a criminal one—but they may not violate basic constitutional rights, such as warrantless searches on private property, and they need, at a minimum, reasonable cause that their target is indeed illegally present.

snip//

As ICE grabs more construction workers, landscapers, farmhands, and domestic workers in its effort to fulfill quotas handed down by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, ordinary Americans will feel the pain. Those burned out by the devastating Los Angeles fires in January won’t be able to return to their homes any time soon because the workers doing toxic cleanup are afraid to show up. Employers in western North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene complain, “There are just not enough people being born here to fill all the roles that need to be filled.”

Red states and blue states alike are experiencing the ill effects of our haphazard and sometimes rough immigration policies. There is a better way: Reform our outdated immigration laws to make it possible for more workers to come legally and concentrate on removing convicted felons who have committed serious, violent crimes.

[Walleye]

1. Everything Trump does is based on some fantasy conspiracy theory he believes that isn't true

[usonian]

2. I sporadically communicate with a conservative (not extreme ) M.D.

He makes a big deal of illegal immigration. Of course, it's illegal. So is jaywalking.

It's not an existential issue, like climate change (I'm broiling here lately), but it gets blown up. WHY?

Like "crime in the streets" and "The War on Drugs", it's because of the VILIFIED minority targeted.

Whether individuals care that it's a law enforcement issue, or a racist play, the RWers want to play it both ways.

With their war on truth, and cult "cultivation" contradiction is just part of the doctrine.

In a cult, words bear no relation to fact or truth. Words are weapons, meant for effect (harm).

Doesn't work? Try something else. Try the opposite.

Underneath, it's still racism. Can anything overwhelm this?

That's the big question.