Dem
47
GOP
53
Yesterday a group of Trump's allies, joined as the "Mass Deportation Coalition," released a mass deportation plan. It is different from the current one because it focuses on raiding workplaces and capturing undocumented workers while on the job. It is modeled on President Eisenhower's odiously named Operation Wetback, which hit peak deportation in 1954 by removing 1.1 million people to Mexico. Here is a photo of one of the deportation trucks:
The big problem is which industry to tackle. If Trump, for example, goes after the banking industry, he probably won't find many undocumented immigrants working at banks. But if he goes after farming and construction, he will find a lot. Suppose ICE goes to a farm and ICEmen ask all the workers "papers, please?" or worse, just inspect each worker to see if he has brown skin, and if so, they toss him in the deportation truck with no warning and no due process. When the truck leaves, the farmer will discover he has no workers left. Who will plant or harvest the crops, muck the stalls, and do other farm work? All of a sudden the farmer, who probably voted for Trump, will be facing ruin. He might not like that so much. Same holds for contractors at construction sites. In other words, some of the industries likely to be targeted are small businesses whose owners voted for Trump and are suddenly facing the end of their business. Hiring Americans may or may not be even possible, and best case is that they are available but will demand much higher wages.
Another target is meatpacking plants. The work there is difficult, dangerous, unsanitary, poorly paid and emotionally draining. However, it differs from farming and construction in that meatpacking companies are huge conglomerates like Cargill, Tyson, and Smithfield, and have plenty of money to buy off members of Congress and make their wishes known. If Trump goes after meatpacking plants, he will definitely get some negative feedback on that from folks with a lot of clout.
Assuming Trump persists and does what the Coalition wants, the effect will be higher prices for vegetables, houses and meat. Voters are likely to notice that. Trump has to decide whether deporting a million people a year is worth the blowback he will get from the voters in November. Of course, after the midterms, he doesn't care what the voters want because that will be J.D. Vance's problem or Marco Rubio's problem in 2028, not his problem in 2027. Certainly, you know very well what Stephen Miller is whispering in Trump's ear right now. (V)