Friends, my latest article focuses on the Trump Administration's about-face on the issue of whether hotels, restaurants, and farms employing illegal aliens will be subject to ICE raids. In the end, Trump and Co. decided that there will be NO SAFE HAVENS, and I support that decision.
U.S. Sovereignty Should Trump
Corporate Profits Every Time
Recently,
Republicans, conservatives, and Trumpers were horrified to learn –
in the wake of the pro-illegal immigration L.A.
riots,
no less – that the Trump Administration had decided to suspend
ICE enforcement and deportation raids
at hotels, restaurants, and farms. This tactical retreat from what
has been, up to now, a no holds barred, zero tolerance approach to
curbing illegal immigration, was apparently the brainchild of Brooke
Rollins,
Trump's Secretary of Agriculture and a notoriously pro-business
Republican. That some in the administration wish to soft-pedal the
deportation of valuable (and cheap) workers, in the interest of
maximizing corporate profits, can't come as a surprise. About
5% of U.S. workers are illegal aliens,
and some businesses are totally reliant on the work they do. What did
shock many, however, was that Trump posted about the move on Truth
Social, seeming
to brag
(!) about his newfound flexibility and inclination to mercy when it
comes to certain forms of illegal immigration. Not without good
reason, many Republicans, conservatives, and Trumpers found this
change of direction as galling as it was inexplicable.
For
decades, the Achilles' heel of all efforts to limit or end illegal
immigration has been the unwillingness of either Democrats or
Republicans to deprive American businesses of the vast supply of
cheap, illegal labor that constantly renews itself, thanks to our
hitherto insecure southern border. Even President Trump, in his first
term, did not distinguish himself as a draconian enforcer of our
numerous laws criminalizing the hiring of illegal aliens as workers.
Few businesses were charged with related crimes, and only a
couple of thousand
illegal workers were swept up in workplace raids. Perhaps Trump's
attitude in those days was that “the Wall” would, by itself,
solve the illegal immigration problem, and thus inconveniencing the
GOP's corporate allies, who so often hire illegals, was unnecessary.
If so, this was a naive approach, because cutting off government
benefits and job opportunities for illegals is the only lasting,
definitive way to solve the problem. Simply put, the Almighty Dollar
is the chief
incentive
for illegal aliens to come to the U.S. in the first place, and no
administration since that of Dwight
Eisenhower in the 1950s
has had particular success in taking away this incentive – and nor
has any president since Eisenhower tried very hard to do so.
Nonetheless,
despite Trump's lassitude in 2017-21 in arresting illegal alien
workers, and more importantly their shameless, greedy employers,
Republicans, conservatives, and Trump supporters had a right to
expect that the Trump Administration's focus, energy, and
ruthlessness with respect to worksite enforcement would
be redoubled
this time around. The announcement that hotels, restaurants, and
farms would get a pass, therefore, was a terrible disappointment.
Luckily,
the firestorm
of outrage
that this move generated had the desired effect: almost immediately,
the Department of Homeland Security announced that raids
on all types of businesses would continue,
and no industry would be immune from the illegal immigration
crackdown. While Trump himself did not lay particular emphasis on
this policy climbdown, one assumes that the president is keenly aware
of the need to maintain his credibility, including his reputation as
the toughest enforcer of our nation's immigration laws in living
memory – a
major source of Trump's popularity,
and a central element of his agenda. After all, his most notable
success in immigration policy to date, the virtual
cessation
of illegal crossings at the southern border, is a consequence not of
robust enforcement by the Border Patrol, but is more accurately the
result of a psychological sea change among the migrants and potential
migrants themselves. They no longer are coming across our border
because they no longer believe that the U.S. government will turn a
blind eye and let them stay. In other words, they fear Trump, because
of his infamous toughness and hard-heartedness.
Sadly, that image
was dealt a setback by the confusing policy zigzags on the question
of workplace immigration raids. Giving some categories of businesses
a blanket assurance that they could violate our nation's laws with
impunity, because to do anything else would be expensive and
inconvenient, was clearly a mistake. Reversing that decision,
although embarrassing, was the right thing to do. With that reversal,
the Trump crackdown on illegal immigration is back on track, and the
American people can hold out hope that our long open borders
nightmare may soon come to a conclusive end.
Dr.
Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred
and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com.
He appears on the Newsmakers show on WLEA/WYSL.
And here it is in the Olean Times Herald:
https://www.oleantimesherald.com/2025/06/26/u-s-sovereignty-corporate-profits-every-time/
***
In other news, airstrikes and missile strikes continue to light up the night sky in Israel and Iran. Trump is debating (with himself) whether to join Israel in the attacks on Iran's nuclear program. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson recently interviewed Ted Cruz, and the main topic was U.S. support for Israel and the possibility of U.S. involvement in the current conflict. Obviously, there are major divisions on the right about foreign policy and our proper role (if any) in containing aggression from Russia, Iran, and other bad actors. On Iran, I must admit I feel conflicted. I don't want any more "forever wars", and I generally think the U.S. should mind its own business, but it's hard to see any downside to the (semi-)permanent destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities, and maybe the humiliation of its tottering regime, when it doesn't appear that Iran has the capacity to lash out in any serious way. Trump has a hard decision to make here! I pray he acts rightly.
https://nypost.com/2025/06/18/world-news/israel-issues-evacuation-warning-to-people-living-near-iran-arak-heavy-water-reactor-for-airstrikes/
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/06/18/watch-tucker-carlson-confronts-ted-cruz-over-u-s-role-in-israel-iran-conflict/
