Trump made a lot of lofty promises on the campaign trail, but his most popular proposals were related to the issue of immigration. For decades, our representatives have kicked the can down the round, opting not to tackle the all-important issue.
As a result, we have anywhere between 15-30 million illegals occupying or country. And to make matters worse, quite a few members of the GOP are inclined to grant them amnesty and make them citizens if given the chance. Trump was elected to do the exact opposite of that nightmare scenario, as Americans have expressed their anger of the Open Borders agenda the Left has foisted upon the nation.
Thus far, Trump has made some positive moves, but a new report may have border hawks squirming and cause them to lose a little faith in the president.
As reported at Bloomberg, according to data from the Mexican government, President Trump has actually deported 26 percent fewer Mexicans this year than Obama did during the same period in 2016.
About 152,000 Mexican nationals were repatriated from the US between January and November, according to data from Mexico’s Interior Ministry. That compares with just under 205,000 in the first 11 months of 2016 under Obama.
Of course, there are some other variables at play influencing these numbers. While the numbers, regardless, should be much, much higher based on the promises made, it’s not too surprising that the numbers are lower than last year.
For one, it’s the first year of his presidency and he hasn’t had the time to fully implement his agenda. Two, his rhetoric and subsequent election has caused many would-be illegals to forgo coming to the US altogether, due to fear they’d be deported anyway. Then there’s those that have been self-deporting for similar reasons. And while deportations aren’t as high, illegals aren’t as free to move around and take advantage of government handouts and the like as they were before, which is a good thing.
While deportations are down, ICE has arrested 30 percent more illegals in 2017 than 2016. The agency’s own data also suggests that the only reason deportations were down this year is because there’s been about 17 percent fewer migrants apprehended at the border, which means fewer are trying to get in.
“For Mexicans who enter illegally, effective tools like expedited removal have led to increased deterrence, which has impacted entry levels,” Tyler Q. Houlton, acting press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said in an email response to questions.
So the news isn’t all bad, as there are legitimate reasons for the numbers. However, the optics are still bad considering Trump’s supposed anti-illegal immigration agenda. Across the board, all the numbers should reflect the president’s rhetoric, or else he risks alienating those that specifically voted for him thinking that the illegal issue would be dealt with.
Source: Bloomberg