logo
Editorial: High price of the Trump roundups — Stephen Miller wants to deport law-abiding immigrants

Editorial: High price of the Trump roundups — Stephen Miller wants to deport law-abiding immigrants

Yahoo8 hours ago

President Donald Trump's campaign promise to deport 'violent criminal illegal aliens' won him votes, but has now become a far broader effort ensnaring millions of law-abiding people living and working productively in all parts of the country.
And who are these dangerous foreigners?
They're watching your kids. Building your homes. Cooking your food when you go out to eat. So please don't be too surprised when the cost of basic services climbs even higher under a president who is already wreaking havoc on the economy with his on-again, off-again tariffs.
The architect of this campaign is White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The right-leaning Washington Examiner reports that Miller gathered ICE leaders in Washington to berate them for not arresting more people. An exasperated Miller asked 'what do you mean you're going after criminals?' and demanded that the ICE field office directors explain 'why aren't you at Home Depot? Why aren't you at 7-Eleven?' to arrest immigrants.
This was after ICE had already sent agents to arrest people at their immigration court hearings, after it began sending masked cops out to make detentions, after ICE ended its sensitive locations policy to allow it to detain people in churches and hospitals, after a blitzkrieg operation to send hundreds of people to a Salvadoran mega-prison. None of this is nearly enough for Miller.
It was clear to anyone paying attention that Trump's second term would make it a focus to detain and deport as many people as possible — even if it meant mainly targeting regular long-time residents and actually deemphasizing enforcement against dangerous criminals, which the administration has done via pulling federal agents away from functions like investigating drug trafficking and child sexual exploitation.
This is what Trump himself said so frequently, and his rallies infamously featured those 'mass deportation now' signs.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do not really pay attention, or only hear what they want to hear from political figures. This attitude was neatly exemplified by Vanessa Cowart, a friend of Ming Li 'Carol' Hui, a longtime resident of Kennett, Mo., who was detained by ICE in April. 'No one voted to deport moms,' Cowart said of the heavily Trump-voting town where Carol was raising her three American-born children.
The problem is that these folks, unwittingly or not, did vote to deport moms, and they should understand that. It's a shame that these realizations have come only after so much damage has already been done, and after innocent community members have been punished for some voters' ignorance.
Who is going to take the low-paying jobs that undocumented immigrants filled? Who will take care of your kids or clean your home?
There was never going to be a system that somehow only nabbed the really bad guys and excluded all of the 'good guys' that people believed would be exempt from Trump's explicit promises. It was always going to be an effort to bump up the numbers that Miller wants at all costs.
Miller does dislike immigrants because they are 'criminals,' but precisely because they are immigrants. If Miller can expend the exact same amount of resources to capture and deport 100 law-abiding families versus a few hard-core criminals, he'll pick the families every time, because that just means fewer immigrants overall, his ultimate objective. It's not and never was about safety.
_____

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Amid backlash, Tesla remained resilient in Texas
Amid backlash, Tesla remained resilient in Texas

Axios

time31 minutes ago

  • Axios

Amid backlash, Tesla remained resilient in Texas

Even as Tesla deliveries plunged nationally this year amid Elon Musk's very visible (if short-lived) alliance with President Trump, there was at least one state where Tesla registrations were up: Texas. Why it matters: The registration data, obtained by Axios through public information requests, indicates loyalty to the brand in its home base, including Texas' large urban and suburban counties. The depth of conservatives' enthusiasm for Musk's automobiles now faces a major test amid the absolute meltdown last week between the Tesla CEO and the president. By the numbers: Texans registered 12,918 new Teslas in the first three months of 2025, a period when Musk, who contributed more than $250 million to a pro-Trump super PAC during the 2024 election campaign, was enmeshed in the Trump administration as the overseer of DOGE, the president's cost-cutting initiative. Over the same period in 2024, Texans registered 10,679 Teslas. That's a 21% increase year over year. The intrigue: The spike in Texas registrations came as Tesla was flailing elsewhere. Tesla's vehicle deliveries plunged 13% globally in the first quarter of 2025 (336,681 electric vehicles) compared with Q1 2024 (386,810). Tesla vehicles were torched at showrooms and the brand's reputation cratered. Zoom in: Tesla saw year-over-year improvements in its sales in some of the most populous Texas counties. In Travis County, new Tesla registrations grew from 1,369 in the first quarter of 2024 to 1,424 during the first quarter of 2025. In Harris County, they grew from 1,526 to 1,837 during the same period. Tesla registration grew from 1,316 to 1,546 in Collin County and from 990 to 1,146 in Dallas County. In Bexar County, registrations grew from 631 to 664. What they're saying:"It's homegrown pride," is how Matt Holm, president and founder of the Tesla Owners Club of Austin, explains the car company's resilience to Axios. "And regardless of all the drama going on these days, people can differentiate between the product and everything else going on, and it's just a great product." "Elon has absolutely and irreversibly blown up bridges to some potential customers," says Alexander Edwards, president of California-based research firm Strategic Vision, which has long surveyed the motivations of car buyers. "People who bought Teslas for environmental friendliness, that's pretty much gone," Edwards tells Axios. Yes, but: The company had been enjoying an increasingly positive reputation among more conservative consumers. Musk was viewed favorably by 80% of Texas Republicans polled by the Texas Politics Project in April — and unfavorably by 83% of Democrats. In what now feels like a political lifetime ago, Trump himself even promoted Teslas by promising to buy one in support of Musk earlier this year. "In some pockets, like Austin, you have that tech group that loves what Tesla has to offer, can do some mental gymnastics about Musk, and looks at Rivian and says that's not what I want or might be priced out," Edwards says. Between the lines:"Being in the state of Texas, you're naturally conditioned to think you're better than everyone else in the U.S. And when you buy a Tesla" — a status symbol — "that's what you're saying. It doesn't surprise me that there's an increase in sales" in Texas, Edwards says. Plus: Tesla's resilience in Texas could have practical reasons as well, Edwards says. Texas homes — as opposed to, say, apartments in cities on the East Coast — are more likely to have a garage to charge a car in, he adds. What's next: Musk said late last month that Tesla was experiencing a "major rebound in demand" — without providing specifics. But that was before things went absolutely haywire with Trump and Tesla stock took a bath last week.

House Republicans plan scrutiny of Clean Air Act rules
House Republicans plan scrutiny of Clean Air Act rules

E&E News

time33 minutes ago

  • E&E News

House Republicans plan scrutiny of Clean Air Act rules

House Republicans are again taking aim at the Clean Air Act, citing the need to bolster the United States' global competitiveness. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing this week titled 'Short-Circuiting Progress: How the Clean Air Act Impacts Building Necessary Infrastructure and Onshoring American Innovation.' 'American innovation should not be stifled by unreasonable government red tape and regulatory overreach,' said committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) in a statement. Advertisement The hearing will be the latest in recent years to focus on various aspects of the landmark environmental law, which was last amended in 1990.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store