Let’s talk immigration.
Why?
Because by all accounts immigration was one of two central issues in the recent 2024 elections, the other being the economy.
Most research puts the number of undocumented immigrants in the US at about 11.5 million people, less than 3.5% of our total population. That is the highest it has been since the early 2000s when the number had risen to over 12.2 million people.
President Trump has promised a mass deportation program, along the lines of “Operation Wetback” launched during the Eisenhower Administration, to alleviate this problem. So let’s take a look at that.
ICE raids have already begun, with a stated goal of arresting up to 1500 undocumented immigrants a day. The Trump Administration has said their focus will first be on criminals, then the everyday non criminal immigrant. However Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently classified all people here illegally as criminals, making no distinction between violent offenders, past criminal actions and illegal immigration itself, which is a civil crime.
So let’s deal with the totality of the numbers of people here illegally, undocumented or without papers, as some describe them
A Boeing 737 has a passenger capacity of approximately 150 people. The military transport planes used on a few recent repatriations can safely transport about half that amount. Now let’s add in the Trump Admin deportation goals of 1500 daily repatriations as outlined by ICE leader Tom Homan, Press Secretary Leavitt and President Trump himself.
You see where this is going.
In order to reach the administration, and the MAGA faithful goal of deporting all of the people here illegally, using the administration’s goals of 1500 daily repatriations, it will take 20 years of almost round the clock flights.
According to US Federal budget numbers, the cost of deporting each immigrant is $10,500. This means each flight of 150 repatriated immigrants will cost the US over $1.5 million dollars. This puts puts the daily repatriation cost to Joe Sixpack, the average American at over $15.5 million dollars, or annually $5.5 trillion dollars.
For 20 years!
Which leaves us with one uncomfortable realities.
There is no way the Trump Administration, even without political opposition, can or will deport the over 11 million people here illegally. It’s a logistical nightmare, it costs too much and will wreak havoc within our mostly civil society
This reality means the current efforts of the Trump Admin, the live tweeting from cabinet secretaries, the involvement of “Dr Phil” are all bluster, show or noise.
Sadly however, until the GOP and the MAGA backers realize and accept this, we will never get to the solution large majorities of Americans desire…
A path to legal status for all the immigrants here illegally who have no criminal background or issues. And… a new system at the border and new laws to ensure we never get to this place again.
Only then will the scars of the immigration wars recede.
22 comments:
In reading the articles from folks pushing back I've learned that ICE has tried to deport members of First Nations with Tribal leaders advising their people to carry their papers. Apparently those doing the rounding up and shipping out aren't so concerned about paperwork but rather the color of the deportee's skin.
Learned a new term yesterday. Resegregation. Instead of unifying WeThePeople* the current admin is taking a sharpie to lines that were in the process of fading away. Anyway, when MAGA throws DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in our faces we reply with resegregation. The more you know...
Like minded people may quibble about the numbers of how many humans to admit but for the most part we all agree that migrants make our society a better one and that WeThePeople owe them more than scapegoating and publicity stunts that ruin their and our lives.
Final thought - when President Felon's mob figures out the math's aren't adding up how long before deportation turns into incarceration? Slave labor housed in private prisons making goods for the Robber Barons. Tell me it can't happen here and I'll point you to a plethora of tales from 'good' Germans back in the day who had no idea why their city was always covered in soot nor why shoes and other home goods were so plentiful and cheap.
*I'm using WeThePeople because We The People is divided. (ba dump bish)
One of the major reasons we are in this situation is for the last four years the border has had severe holes in it and border patrol was ham-struck to fix it and do their job. I realize you will not place blame where it belongs on the generosity of the biden administration just like many democrat policies of kick it down the road. I disagree with the current regime on many things but his deportation of people in this country illegally I support.
They should be sent back the same thy the got here and if they got here on foot they should be sent back the same way
"They should be sent back the same thy the got here and if they got here on foot they should be sent back the same way"
JHC!
Does that include pregnant mothers with babies? Anyone who's sick, old, or infirm? Unaccompanied children?
WTAF happened to Americans to make them so full of hatred that they'd suggest such an inhumane thing to do to their fellow human beings?
I really, really do feel that I'm living in Germany in the 1930s. The only difference is that the "good Germans" here are hoping to hurt and even cause the deaths of migrants instead of Jews.
I'm just sick in my heart with what this country has become.
How come the Mexican Lover didn't write anything about the
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries., who is being is being so widely criticized by the Republicans after pledging Democrats would be fighting "in the streets about President Donald Trump's agenda?
Yes, the House minority leader, Speaker in waiting Punk, has advocated fighting the Trump agenda in the Streets.! So what do you think of him?
Grey... I'm sure they ever get to the math. Solutions are not the point. Like Trump at the lectern after the AA/Helo crash, facts don't matter, just "common sense", which in his case is not common or sensible.
They all believe what little Trump can do will leave America better off when he leaves than when he took office. No matter what he does, or doesn't get done. And as it related to "illegal aliens", in their mind, everyone gone is one step better for America.
We've demonized an entire group of people, yes, those here illegally, because some dumb f*#k without papers killed a girl. "Immigrants" we are essentially told, are killing wantonly Americans. So if we get rid of them, poof! no more crimes.
It's interesting how that same logic doesn't apply to abusive bad cops, disaffected white men after shootings or the huge numbers of clergy, teachers and scout leaders who take advantage of their position and exact sexual favors from the ppl they lead, teach or guide.
We never see the grainy videos from the GOP claiming we have a problem with those groups and demonizing them. Even though they criminally affect thousands more people that our immigrants population here without papers.
Anon... for me, and it's a personal thing, it would be easier if I knew with whom I was communicating, or you had a specific moniker you used. How do I distinguish one Anon from another?
Regardless, you raise some good points.
Most of my more progressive liberal friends did in fact turn a blind eye to the border during the Biden admin. But on the conservative side, probably where you reside, most of that crew has deliberately misinterpreted laws and immigration status to call everyone appearing at the border, including refugees and asylum seekers as illegal.
That's just wrong on the facts and the law.
You are correct when you say the problem has been kicked down the road. It has without a doubt. But in the mid 2000's under Bush we had a Bi-Partisan deal worked out with GOP and Dem Senators that the GOP led House scuttled. That was when we had the highest number of ppl, over 12.2 million, here illegally.
In 2013, the "Gang of Eight" from the Senate with Marco Rubio, Mark Langford and Lindsey Graham, among other conservatives and yes, Democrats, also put together a Bi-Partisan deal to deal with the problem. That too was scuttled by the then GOP controlled House.
Then when the Biden Admin finally opened their eyes, they signed off on liberal Dems working alongside GOP Sen Lankford and other conservative leaders to get the "most conservative" [quoting GOP leaders at the time] Bi-Partisan immigration bill in generations. Again, at the behest of incoming President Trump, the GOP controlled House scuttled it.
You seem a little more thoughtful that our other conservative thinkers. What exactly should the Dems do? They've tried, with some GOP help to get a deal both sides could accept, but the House seems to keep saying no, to a yes.
You can't make a deal with yourselves.
In a multiparty system, laws get made on compromises. Unless of course, one side simply wants to run rough shed over the other.
How do we solve this?
IT, this post isn’t about Hakeem Jeffries. What can you offer to the discussion? Or are you just another “ hit and run” commenter?
PS, Dave Miller loves his fellow human beings, not just the good people he serves in Mexico. You could learn a few things from his example.
PS, IT, you have a short memory. Republicans Senate President, Mitch McConnell vowed to make Barack Obama a one term POTUS. We’re you as upset about that as you are with Jeffries?
Face it. We've lost. Democracy is dead. The fascists have won.
Now... silent running... Deep below the radar resistance... Guerrilla warfare... Bank on it.
IT... is it wrong for political leaders to use language about fighting when they motivate their political sides?
A simple yes or no will suffice... I'm asking for a friend.
And yes, as Jesus commands, I do try to love my neighbor and act accordingly, no matter who it is. Somedays I'm better at it than others.
But as Shaw pointed out, you didn't address the post. Any specific thoughts on what I wrote. Otherwise I've got to get back to my home remodel. I've got a family from Michoacan working all day to get the brown coat of stucco on. All of them, Mom and the 3 daughters included, are helping dad earn enough money to pay their taxes and put food on the table.
On a Saturday.
Les... all is not lost. The republic has faced worse and we've survived. It looked pretty bleak during the Civil War and again during the civil rights era.
But good people held out hope and ultimately prevailed.
Those good people are still here. Millions of them. So we can't give up. Our kids and future generations are depending us us to stand firm as the north did in the 1800's and blacks and the north again did in the 1900's.
It won't be pretty, but we will get through it.
That was me as anon 0912. I got signed out and didn't catch it. The republicans are just as guilty as the democrats. When GW came up with a bipartisan bill it was rejected by the republicans. When obama came up with a bipartisan bill, wait he didn't he just came up with DACA and kicked the can down the road. Yep both parties are guilty because there is nothing in it for the politician. Immigrants can't vote legally and they don't have enough money to buy the politicians off.
I am considering a move to Canada. I have zero faith this will end well. I have little faith in the democratic party and absolutely none in the now fascist trumpubian party.
They had their chance. And blew it.
Ignorance now rules this nation with fascist King Felon and MAGA delusionists aided by a corrupt scotus as it rapidly dismantles American democracy and decency.
To our clueless MAGA supporters, here's how tariffs work. The country being slapped with tariffs, in this little lesson, Mexico, suffers. If the pain is large enough, the possibility of economic recession is great.
Smart guy that I am, I read a lot from the conservative MAGA chattering class which seem to be pretty gleeful about exacting great pain on our neighbor to the south.
Stop and think about this for a few minutes and ponder this question... if a recession bites so hard at Mexico that families are in greater peril of hunger, bad health, etc., what do you think they will do?
A. Sit in the small brick and concrete homes and starve?
or...
B. risk life and limb to come to the US so they can feed their kids?
Then ask yourself this... What country exacts this potential level of economic chaos and mayhem on their closest neighbor and largest trading partner?
Two of them can take our place when we leave Trump's shithole looking in the rear view mirror.
King Felon, the Anti Christ now ruling the shithole he has turned Amerika into.
Clarification: Political, Ethical, and Moral Shithole.
The all the rest will follow.
Cause and effect idiot MAGAts.
What the ignorant, and yes, stupid MAGAts fail to realize is this... when they're through destroying everyone and everything they hate they will turn on each other. With the same hateful vengeance Trump has fueled against the good and decent people of his Amerika.
Countries don't. King Donnie does.
Great blog
Les, Are you going to start a go-fund-me page. If everyone left the US who says they would because they disagree with tump and include all the illegals being returned to their country of origin our census will drop dramatically.
If you believe any politician has any answer or desire to help the people then leaving would be a good choice.
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