Trump Administration Finally Gets ICE Right
Despite the MSM’s constant churn about midterm elections as if they were tomorrow, there is time for Trump to refocus on the economy.
“Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” —George Washington
This week began with echo-chamber proclamations by Leftmedia talkingheads and scribes that the results of a special election for a Texas State Senate seat marked the end of Donald Trump’s presidency. Of course, that was hyperbolic nonsense, but the election got the attention of Republican strategists, as it should have.
There were two special elections, and one was predictable: Demo Rep. Christian Menefee won Texas’s 18th Congressional District, replacing the late Demo Rep. Sylvester Turner. He was sworn in Tuesday by House Speaker Mike Johnson, narrowing the Republican House majority to 218-214.
But the State Senate seat win by Demo Taylor Rehmet over Trump-endorsed candidate Leigh Wambsganss for a seat vacated by Republican Kelly Hancock warranted some concern, especially given it was a 14-point victory. DNC Chair Ken Martin gloated, “Republicans just lost a district Trump won by 17 points — in Texas. That’s not an anomaly, it’s a pattern.”
Actually, not so much a pattern, though Democrats have won in some special and off-year elections since Trump took office. But as Nate Jackson declared in his analysis after Democrat wins in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York last November, blue states vote Democrat.
But in the Texas State Senate race, while voter turnout was only 15% in a district that is 35% Hispanic, a 14% margin of victory for a Democrat in a district Trump carried by 17% in 2024 should cause some heartburn. Without Trump on the ballot, retaining the House this November will depend on the Trump coalition.
The Texas election was in the tornado of terrible ICE operation optics in Minneapolis. Over the last three weeks, confrontations during those operations resulted in the shooting deaths of two aggressive protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and the latter has triggered nationwide protests against ICE operations. Furthermore, the Department of Justice has opened a civil rights probe into Pretti’s death.
(For the record, despite all the leftist protests over Pretti, not a single Democrat has said a word about the police officers killed across the country this past week, each of whom is noted on our End of Watch memorial tribute page.)
The political optics of the administration’s ICE operations since last September have been a public relations disaster because those arrests have not been limited to the “worst of the worst,” as Trump has repeatedly promised. Consequently, the Left has successfully weaponized those operations as Pretti’s death has galvanized the ICE resistance nationwide.
Fortunately, the Trump administration is finally refocusing its deportation efforts on illegal immigrants who are violent felony offenders. As Border Czar Tom Homan insisted last year, the focus all along should have been arresting and deporting the “worst of the worst.” And as I noted last week, the reputable Pew Research Center reports that nearly all Americans (97%) “support deporting those who have committed violent crimes.”
This refocus needs to be loud and clear moving forward in order to stem the decline in Hispanic support. That decline was a factor in the Texas State Senate race, and if it continues, that will have dire consequences for Republican retention of the House in the midterms this year.
Another indication that Trump and company finally understand the political implications is the president’s response to the Demos’ partial government shutdown to defund DHS. Because of the Demos’ anti-ICE momentum, this shutdown was going to be more politically successful than their last shutdown over healthcare.
Despite the fact that defunding DHS would only cut funding for TSA and FEMA — ICE is already funded through 2029 — Trump realized that the Demo/Leftmedia propaganda machine would win the public opinion battle over ICE.
Consequently, he convinced House leaders not to add the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (requiring, among other things, voter IDs), since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was already prepared to block it in the Senate. Fortunately, Schumer is now facing a backlash after repeating the now-worn-out canard that requiring voter ID is “nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0.”
As Douglas Andrews suggested Tuesday, Trump and the GOP should force Schumer and his fellow Democrats to filibuster the SAVE Act the old-fashioned way, railing for hours on end against requiring voter IDs. As he wrote, “According to Gallup, a requirement to present photo ID before voting is favored by 84% of Americans.” He also noted “requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time is favored by 83% of Americans.”
In fact, 82% of Latinos, 76% of Blacks, and even 71% of Democrats support requiring a photo ID to vote.
But for now, Trump determined that getting the rest of the government funded was more important than letting it be held hostage by the Demos’ Defund DHS charade. However, that charade is not over — Trump’s signature on the funding bill just postponed further debate on ICE until 13 February. We will see if that buys Republicans enough time to turn public opinion on this issue.
However, Senate Republican Leader John Thune may resurrect the SAVE Act in the Senate and force Schumer’s hand, while rejecting Trump’s call to “nationalize elections.”
Beyond the ICE optics, let me say again that the Trump administration can boast an extraordinary record of domestic and foreign policy success over the past year. And the economy, the top concern for voters, is headed in the right direction.
It remains to be seen if Trump’s efforts to refocus on “affordability” will move the voter approval needle in time for the midterms. However, despite the MSM’s constant churn about midterm elections as if they were tomorrow, there is time for Trump to refocus on the economy and taxes.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776
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