"That thesis looked shaky in 2020. Voters declined to reelect Donald Trump; for the first time in more than 50 years, Gallup found that Americans who wanted immigration to increase outnumbered those who wanted it to decrease--a seeming rebuke of Trump's cruel family-separation policy and attacks on Mexicans and Muslims--and that 77 percent said immigration is a good thing for the United States."
"Then Joe Biden failed to control the southern border and presided over record surges in unlawful entries. By 2024, a majority wanted less immigration, Trump won the presidency while promising the biggest mass deportation in U.S. history, and an analysis of why voters rejected Kamala Harris found that "too many immigrants crossed the border" was nearly tied for the top reason."
"Today, Frum's warning seems prescient: The Trump administration has deployed a force of aggressive masked officers onto American streets while promising "retribution." They've detained, pepper-sprayed, assaulted, shot, and killed Americans. And high-ranking officials have repeatedly gotten caught lying about events captured by citizen video footage. A majority now disapproves of Trump's handling of immigration. Perhaps Democrats will prevail in their current efforts to force ICE officers to take off their masks and get warrants,"
Failure to control mass immigration created political openings for demagogues to capitalize on unaddressed public concerns. In 2020, voters rebuffed restrictionist policies and a Gallup poll showed more Americans favored increased than decreased immigration, with 77 percent calling immigration beneficial. Subsequent failures to secure the southern border produced record unlawful entries, shifting opinion by 2024 toward reduced immigration and contributing to Trump's electoral victory and deportation promises. The administration deployed masked enforcement officers who committed abuses and whose officials lied about documented incidents. Public disapproval of immigration handling rose, and Democratic efforts aim to restrict masked policing and require warrants, though long-term cycles persist.
Read at The Atlantic
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