Immigration resides at the intersection of domestic and foreign policy. Political battlelines are forming along this intersection. Skirmishes are underway. Observing the mele will be interesting.

Donald Trump has successfully linked illegal immigration with criminal behavior. More than 13,000 murderers are in the country illegally. The brutal murder of Laken Riley personifies insecurities caused by the Democrats open border. Venezuelan Jose Ibarra entered the United States illegally near El Paso, Texas on September 8, 2022. The government paid his bus fare to New York City (NYC) where he was arrested for child endangerment in September of 2023. That same month he took a taxpayer-funded flight from NYC to Atlanta. He then wandered to Athens, Georgia where he became interested in a house full of attractive co-eds and convicted as a peeping tom. On February 22, 2024, he decided to rape Laken Riley, a resident in the house. He followed her to a running trail, attacked her and dragged her to a place off the trail where the attack continued. She fought back so he bashed in her skull, killing her.

Illegal immigration also places a huge financial burden on taxpayers. The estimated 21,000,000 illegal aliens in the U.S. cost Americans more than $250 billion annually. Crime and the costs associated with illegal immigration are the primary reasons to close the border and enforce immigration law.

Democrats advertise their open border policy as a bridge for the tired, poor, huddled mass of humanity that yearns to be American. They don’t mention the policy is an avenue to import future Democrat voters or their indifference to the security of the American people. When mass deportations begin, the media will be led around by Democrat politicians who will feign disbelief at the inhumanity of fascist Republicans. Deportation of illegal aliens is not a fascist reaction. It is adherence to the rule of law.

The Constitution gives Congress the power "to establish a uniform rule of naturalization.” Congress fulfilled this obligation with U.S. Title 8. It is the responsibility of the executive branch to ensure compliance with this and all federal laws. Biden and "border czar" Harris chose to ignore this law. They behaved like petulant children, insisted they didn’t like the law, demanded a shiny new one, and refused to enforce the laws of the United States as they stamped their feet in a bitter conniption.

Democrats will fight the efforts of the Trump Administration to enforce immigration law. They are attempting to Trump-proof their states and cities. Democrat governors across the country have vowed to fight Trump. Governor J.B. Pritzker in Illinois said, “If you come for my people, you come through me.” Governor Phil Murphy is willing “to fight to the death” if there is an “assault on New Jersey values.”

Many blue states and cities claim to be sanctuaries for illegal migrants which are “loosely defined as jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities regarding the location and removal of unauthorized immigrants.” They engage in a type of passive aggressive civil disobedience by not contacting federal authorities when they encounter illegal aliens violating the law. These violations might be anything from running a red light to assaulting a police officer. What sane public servant would shield a criminal so that he can stay on the street and commit more crimes against the public they are sworn to protect? The laws of the United States aren’t subordinate to the values, whim, or folly of Democrat politicians.

If authorities had turned Jose Ibara over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when he was arrested in NYC, he could have been deported and Laken Riley would be alive today. This is how the law is supposed to work. But the policies of the Biden Administration have often tied the hands of ICE. A large group of illegal immigrants violently rushed Texas National Guard troops in El Paso on March 21, 2024. On December 19, 2024, ICE released 124 of them. Democrat politicians at city, state, and federal levels have ignored federal immigration laws jeopardizing the security of their constituents.

Mayor Eric Adams of NYC met with incoming ICE director Tom Homan to discuss removing illegal aliens from the city. Adams has served as a police officer and understands the legalities and challenges of police work. As mayor he is responsible for the budget of the city. He estimates NYC has spent $4 billion a year since Biden opened the border. The city is a sanctuary according to the policies of the City Council, but Mayor Adams is concerned about the criminal behavior of illegal aliens and the cost associated with caring for them. Many blue sanctuaries will resist the Trump Administrations efforts to remove illegal aliens, some may soften their positions.

Homan also understands the challenges he faces. “The priorities will focus on public safety threats, national security threats and fugitives,” Homan said. Those who “got due process at great taxpayer expense and the federal judge ordered them removed, but they didn’t leave, and they became a fugitive.” ICE has broad authorities under the law to find and capture and deport illegal aliens. Blue state politicians may play passive aggressive games, but they have no authority to interfere with enforcement of federal law.

Illegal aliens may ask for political asylum if they have a “credible fear of persecution” and go before an immigration judge to present their case. Since so many people are in the country illegally, hundreds of immigration judges will be required to “conduct proceedings for deciding the inadmissibility or deportability of an alien.” If the judge decides the alien should be deported, he or she will be moved to a holding facility until arrangements are made for repatriation to their native country. Homan believes he will need 100,000 beds housed in holding facilities to accommodate these people.

Immigration and naturalization should be an organized process to support the country’s demands for labor, not a chaotic free-for-all. The Biden Administration has proven that open borders deliver danger, insecurity, and exorbitant costs to the American people. When President Trump takes the oath of office he will swear to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.” When the president enforces immigration and naturalization laws, he will not be succumbing to a cruel fascist impulse. He will be upholding his oath of office by complying with the laws that Congress was empowered by the Constitution to put in place.

Image: Clarke County Sheriff's Office