Sending back 530,000 immigrants in the US with green cards who are here working and contributing shows clearly where this administration stands. These aren’t people who have broken the law. I don’t understand how business owners can support him.
MAGA makes no, or very little, distinction among green card holders, asylum seekers and those in Temporary Protective Status--including Afghans and Ukrainians. They are all criminals sent here to invade America. It's a lie as big as "The Steal," and crueler.
100% agree. We have family by marriage who have to leave after only a year of their TPS. They now have 3 weeks to get rid of all their belongings, break a lease, sell their vehicle and leave jobs where they are valued employees. It isn’t right. They’ve done everything by the book and now that isn’t enough. 🤬
Well, yeah, Adrian's work here is now on my short list. None of this shit happens in a vacuum, and his insights on what's going on in the minds of our immigrants is required to understanding the totality. A well-administered program for people to enter and stay in the country so they can contribute to our economy is vital, and that can has been kicked down the road by both parties since forever. It's something that would take a metric shit-ton of money and infrastructure to do right. But there are lots of interests who do not want to see that, from cheap-labor mavens to no-borders zealots. Most American citizens (who have not had their limbic systems hijacked by screaming moral panics about marauding brown people)? They really really like the benefits of available labor, if nothing else. Here in Atlanta, we have roving gangs of Guatemalans viciously building, replacing, and repairing roofs. It's what they do, damn them. Or did. I'm sure their absence will cause no hardship at all as America becomes Great again.
I think it was Guatemalans who were killed while working overnight on the Baltimore bridge struck by a freighter. If not them, then it was definitely another Latin American minority work crew.
Agreed. Most of these jobs were done by Black people in the past. When Black people began demanding fair wages, education for their kids and access to the middle class, the US turned to poor people south of the border. Problem was, there were too many, some were smart and their kids became educated citizens, and then they asked for more money and a place on society. We can't have that.
It IS. That was a key point of Project 2025. Eliminate child labour laws, and ALL labour laws, especially those related to unions. This allows the return of the “gilded age” when people like the railroad barons freely hired gangs of mercenaries as “guards” to kill striking workers. The Pullman strike is an example. Many of the policies they embrace are from the late 1800s “gilded age” a time when people commonly worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. You were lucky as a labourer if you got a half day off Sunday. Kids commonly grew up with rickets, from overwork and malnutrition in childhood. People disabled in lumber mills or cotton mills were thrown out the same day, fired after losing their hand or legs in a machine. But it got Nelson Rockefeller and his buddies to be in charge of the nation, living like kings, while the poor lived below the standard of medieval serfs.
I was going to observe that this is class warfare, and it won't be the elites sending their kids to work overnight in factories and other hazardous environments. It will be MAGA parents' kids. Either they don't realize it or they don't have a problem with it.
If you think that's illogical, consider the man whose undocumented, non-criminal wife was deported. He understands and doesn't blame Trump. Or the parents whose unvaccinated daughter just died of measles. She's in a better place now, they say. And vaccines are evil.
Rlritt - this is the crux: bringing 19th century hand to mouth opportunities to working class white folks… and the ingrates aint gonna leap at that great deal!
Regarding Salazar- The reason Solomon didn't cut the baby in half is because if you do, you end up with a dead baby. Duh. Not a good thing. At this point, Salazar needs more than going to the Lord for discernment; she needs to get down on her knees and ask the great Oz for a brain and a heart.
I was coming here to say that she obviously misunderstood the story. And I can't even begin to figure out how the lesson in this story would even be applicable in this situation. Should the anti-immigration side give up their appalling policies and prove they're the real parent? Do the corporations give up their need for immigrant workers and somehow they get rewarded? Someone needs to read her Bible better.
"Before we get into today’s Huddled Masses, I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for reading and thank you for engaging. I’ve covered immigration a long time and never before have I seen such thoughtful engagement from readers in online comments. I’m sure you can imagine what it’s usually like. I appreciate you guys. Please keep reading and sharing and I’ll keep covering these often difficult but important stories."
Thank you, Adrian! You have been a very important addition to the Bulwark community. I read things you write that I would never otherwise run across elsewhere!
There is no policy other than destroying the USA in the shortest possible time. So as long as business leaders are cool with that the trump admin will deliver in spades.
Yes. Trump has taken lessons from Putin, and Musk is his own version of crazy. The Trump/Musk administration has declared war on the American people and the American way of life. They are destroying all aspects of the First Amendment. They are destroying our relationships with EVERY country in the world. So far, this is still OK with many business people who have lost the skill to see how out economy will tank within a month. We also have seen that NO elected Republican has the nerve to save the country, even though they are seeing that the votes coming in will through them out of office even if they survive a primary. Thankfully, more Dems, independents, and veterans are fighting back.
There’s no way Trump is going to stop demonizing immigrants. He needs to keep it dialed up to eleven so his supporters won’t even flinch as he rips apart the structure of government and the courts.
Everybody seems to treat "demonization" as if it's a magic silver bullet that cannot be fought against or defeated. We weaken ourselves when we give it more respect than it deserves and imply we are more helpless than we really are. When your mind lights up with "bullshit" when you see such demonization, might that reaction be repeated in other minds? A good indicator for this is the ancient trope of "geez, I'm not racist, I've got friends who are xxxxx". Defensive comments like this indicate to me that the person has at least some cognitive slippage, otherwise they'd sound like Enrique Tarrio.
Adrian, thank you for your commitment to bringing reporting and analysis to this vital issue. I live in a blue state in a purple town that’s virulently divided over immigration and the Trump Administration’s actions; your newsletter helps fortify and shape how I engage on this within my broader family and community.
The gratitude goes to you ~ I can’t quantify how many times a day my brows furrow in wondering have I fallen through the looking glass, and Bulwark folks like you assure me I haven’t imagined the horrors I see!
As Mr. Swartz said ‘I’ll have what she’s smoking’. But when has the good Lord ever come through for the unloved, downtrodden and marginalized communities?
“I’ll have what she’s smoking”. Exactly, what are these people thinking? Who are the 2 major returning Trump advisors, Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro. What immigration and trade/economic policies are being executed, those pushed by Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro. None of this is rocket science. So these crafty business geniuses just need to go and sit on the hot stove. At least the frogs get an ever warming bath.
Yes, I think they believe that. Problem is the US birthrate is down incredibly. They will probably outlaw birth control like they have done with abortion. Hoping they will have a surplus of people. I bet they will have work programs for poor Russians.
Birthrates are trending downward worldwide and soon countries will be competing for people (not sure how many decades away but not that long in the future)
If this were fiction we would hail it as delicious satire. The idea that children are going to go out and pick berries or melons is absurd on the face of it. One reason we as a country have winked at illegal immigration for years is our tacit understanding that these workers are doing jobs, by and large, that no legal citizen will do and certainly not for the wages offered. I’m not even talking about the way legal immigrants are being disappeared, which ought to terrify everyone. It’s a good thing evil is so often stupid. Maybe we’ll muddle our way out of this mess with years to appreciate fully its ramifications.
Immigration reform under this administration is wishful thinking. If Trump and his backers had any desire to include our immigrants in his "New America" he would not be removing from our history the contributions made by those who are not white, male and "Christian". If you are an immigrant here in the U.S. under any status, legal or undocumented, you must do what is best for you and your family. Do not put your liberty at risk listening to false promises made by politicians from either party.
I think we need to look on the bright side of the modest proposal to deport immigrants running meatpacking plants and picking vegetables and have local kids take the jobs. Yes, currently, there are not likely to be many children of privileged white folks willing to "get their hands dirty," so to speak, but they just need the proper incentives. First, NIL deals - "Biff Farquar III signs six figure NIL deal with Del Monte." "Madison Carrington, after harvesting a record number of watermelons last season, weighs NIL offers from Green Giant and Sysco." "Farquar said that he was thrilled with the opportunity, and was grateful that Del Monte cut him some slack for the time he had to take off last summer after he was bitten by a snake." "Madison is on the list to be one of Elon Musk's baby-mamas, but said "Sure, birthing Elon's spawn would be a dream come true, but I can still give back by breaking my back while I'm waiting for the phone to ring."
The kids will jump at it, just as HS and college athletes do now. Will it raise the price of food? Yes, significantly, but they're working on plans to sell tickets to some of the larger harvests to generate income - most of which will go back to the corporate behemoths paying them, some will show up in lower prices, and some of which will be used for perks, like sunhats (some with fun stickers!), and a double ration of water on days when the heat index in the fields is over 95F. (Provided the harvest is running ahead of schedule.) In lieu of Christmas bonuses, which would only raise the price of food, the best performers would be rewarded with Christmas afternoon off. (Provided the harvest is running ahead of schedule.)
The other alternative is even better! Work with the Harvards, Yales, Stanfords and other prestigious colleges to encourage them to give preference to candidates with at least two summers tilling fields or slaughtering livestock. (By "work with" I mean "threaten with extinction.") No more phoney-baloney "service" projects, like reading to old people or serving slop to homeless freeloaders on Thanksgiving. Let the kids do something productive for a change! As to recruitment, move over Goldman Sachs, the kids will be lined up to work for Swift. (Motto: "Our employees work the same hours as Goldman's, but we have much more blood, gore, and excrement!")
Many Congressional Republicans have young kids. Kids of high-achieving parents like JD and Usha Vance will jump at the chance to work in the real world, and be happy to provide an example of how work makes one free. A brave new world is in our grasp, if only we have the courage to take it.
I find it interesting that after days in office there have been no real mass roundups and deportations. The focus of attention has been on random border crossers, pro-Palestinian protesters exercising free speech, and supposed gang members.
Meanwhile, for example, the 53,000 meat packers and agribusiness workers in Nebraska have been untouched. The 1.2 million immigrant workers (mostly without papers) continue to build and roof houses, clean motels, and work in Florida's 12 month a year agricultural work. I suspect the same is true across the country.
What we do see is highly produced propaganda promoting the idea that serious deportations are happening.
Another sign is the haphazard way states are handling reports of companies employing undocumented workers. In Florida, supposedly among the harshest enforcers, few investigations of illegal hiring lead to any sanctions.
And, to me, this is the big tell. The entire "problem" of undocumented labor would be solved if the government would actually crack down on businesses employing those workers. Jobs is the principal magnet drawing workers here but instead of working to shut down the magnate and find ways of regularizing immigrant labor the government is demonizing, punishing and and humiliating the workers.
And why does it have to be that way? Because immigrant labor, both formal or informal, is essential to the American economy and we can't do without them.
Sending back 530,000 immigrants in the US with green cards who are here working and contributing shows clearly where this administration stands. These aren’t people who have broken the law. I don’t understand how business owners can support him.
MAGA makes no, or very little, distinction among green card holders, asylum seekers and those in Temporary Protective Status--including Afghans and Ukrainians. They are all criminals sent here to invade America. It's a lie as big as "The Steal," and crueler.
100% agree. We have family by marriage who have to leave after only a year of their TPS. They now have 3 weeks to get rid of all their belongings, break a lease, sell their vehicle and leave jobs where they are valued employees. It isn’t right. They’ve done everything by the book and now that isn’t enough. 🤬
Easy. They are idiots like the others.
They are being bribed with tax cuts.
Well, yeah, Adrian's work here is now on my short list. None of this shit happens in a vacuum, and his insights on what's going on in the minds of our immigrants is required to understanding the totality. A well-administered program for people to enter and stay in the country so they can contribute to our economy is vital, and that can has been kicked down the road by both parties since forever. It's something that would take a metric shit-ton of money and infrastructure to do right. But there are lots of interests who do not want to see that, from cheap-labor mavens to no-borders zealots. Most American citizens (who have not had their limbic systems hijacked by screaming moral panics about marauding brown people)? They really really like the benefits of available labor, if nothing else. Here in Atlanta, we have roving gangs of Guatemalans viciously building, replacing, and repairing roofs. It's what they do, damn them. Or did. I'm sure their absence will cause no hardship at all as America becomes Great again.
What an incredible end to your comment. Might need to work in a line like this into a future newsletter
I think it was Guatemalans who were killed while working overnight on the Baltimore bridge struck by a freighter. If not them, then it was definitely another Latin American minority work crew.
Agreed. Most of these jobs were done by Black people in the past. When Black people began demanding fair wages, education for their kids and access to the middle class, the US turned to poor people south of the border. Problem was, there were too many, some were smart and their kids became educated citizens, and then they asked for more money and a place on society. We can't have that.
Kudos! That was brilliantly put.
In steps Florida relaxing child work laws. This is “winning”………ugh
It IS. That was a key point of Project 2025. Eliminate child labour laws, and ALL labour laws, especially those related to unions. This allows the return of the “gilded age” when people like the railroad barons freely hired gangs of mercenaries as “guards” to kill striking workers. The Pullman strike is an example. Many of the policies they embrace are from the late 1800s “gilded age” a time when people commonly worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. You were lucky as a labourer if you got a half day off Sunday. Kids commonly grew up with rickets, from overwork and malnutrition in childhood. People disabled in lumber mills or cotton mills were thrown out the same day, fired after losing their hand or legs in a machine. But it got Nelson Rockefeller and his buddies to be in charge of the nation, living like kings, while the poor lived below the standard of medieval serfs.
I was going to observe that this is class warfare, and it won't be the elites sending their kids to work overnight in factories and other hazardous environments. It will be MAGA parents' kids. Either they don't realize it or they don't have a problem with it.
If you think that's illogical, consider the man whose undocumented, non-criminal wife was deported. He understands and doesn't blame Trump. Or the parents whose unvaccinated daughter just died of measles. She's in a better place now, they say. And vaccines are evil.
Saves money on public education. Trouble is White people won't let their kids work, so we'll still need Brown people.
Rlritt - this is the crux: bringing 19th century hand to mouth opportunities to working class white folks… and the ingrates aint gonna leap at that great deal!
You're righy.
Regarding Salazar- The reason Solomon didn't cut the baby in half is because if you do, you end up with a dead baby. Duh. Not a good thing. At this point, Salazar needs more than going to the Lord for discernment; she needs to get down on her knees and ask the great Oz for a brain and a heart.
I was coming here to say that she obviously misunderstood the story. And I can't even begin to figure out how the lesson in this story would even be applicable in this situation. Should the anti-immigration side give up their appalling policies and prove they're the real parent? Do the corporations give up their need for immigrant workers and somehow they get rewarded? Someone needs to read her Bible better.
Salazar, what a waste of human skin.
Brain & heart? Nah that prayer oughta start with forgiveness
But I didn’t say pray to the great Oz. I said ask, beg from her knees. God is not Oz. She doesn’t serve God. She serves a different agenda.
"Before we get into today’s Huddled Masses, I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for reading and thank you for engaging. I’ve covered immigration a long time and never before have I seen such thoughtful engagement from readers in online comments. I’m sure you can imagine what it’s usually like. I appreciate you guys. Please keep reading and sharing and I’ll keep covering these often difficult but important stories."
Thank you, Adrian! You have been a very important addition to the Bulwark community. I read things you write that I would never otherwise run across elsewhere!
I really appreciate that! It’s my pleasure
There is no policy other than destroying the USA in the shortest possible time. So as long as business leaders are cool with that the trump admin will deliver in spades.
Yes. Trump has taken lessons from Putin, and Musk is his own version of crazy. The Trump/Musk administration has declared war on the American people and the American way of life. They are destroying all aspects of the First Amendment. They are destroying our relationships with EVERY country in the world. So far, this is still OK with many business people who have lost the skill to see how out economy will tank within a month. We also have seen that NO elected Republican has the nerve to save the country, even though they are seeing that the votes coming in will through them out of office even if they survive a primary. Thankfully, more Dems, independents, and veterans are fighting back.
I know it is just staggering the way grown adults with grandparents who fought in WWII are just like NBD, whatevs
There’s no way Trump is going to stop demonizing immigrants. He needs to keep it dialed up to eleven so his supporters won’t even flinch as he rips apart the structure of government and the courts.
Everybody seems to treat "demonization" as if it's a magic silver bullet that cannot be fought against or defeated. We weaken ourselves when we give it more respect than it deserves and imply we are more helpless than we really are. When your mind lights up with "bullshit" when you see such demonization, might that reaction be repeated in other minds? A good indicator for this is the ancient trope of "geez, I'm not racist, I've got friends who are xxxxx". Defensive comments like this indicate to me that the person has at least some cognitive slippage, otherwise they'd sound like Enrique Tarrio.
Adrian, thank you for your commitment to bringing reporting and analysis to this vital issue. I live in a blue state in a purple town that’s virulently divided over immigration and the Trump Administration’s actions; your newsletter helps fortify and shape how I engage on this within my broader family and community.
That is excellent thank you for your comment!
The gratitude goes to you ~ I can’t quantify how many times a day my brows furrow in wondering have I fallen through the looking glass, and Bulwark folks like you assure me I haven’t imagined the horrors I see!
As Mr. Swartz said ‘I’ll have what she’s smoking’. But when has the good Lord ever come through for the unloved, downtrodden and marginalized communities?
As The Clash sang in Guns of Brixton,
“ The money feels good
And your life you like it well
But surely your time will come
As in Heaven as in Hell”
“I’ll have what she’s smoking”. Exactly, what are these people thinking? Who are the 2 major returning Trump advisors, Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro. What immigration and trade/economic policies are being executed, those pushed by Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro. None of this is rocket science. So these crafty business geniuses just need to go and sit on the hot stove. At least the frogs get an ever warming bath.
And we're supposed to believe that we are moving forward with children working in the jobs that immigrants used to do?
Believe what you want. We are now post-truth, don't get hung up on the details. Just focus on the Greatness of America.
…with a nod toward Dickens
Yes, I think they believe that. Problem is the US birthrate is down incredibly. They will probably outlaw birth control like they have done with abortion. Hoping they will have a surplus of people. I bet they will have work programs for poor Russians.
Birthrates are trending downward worldwide and soon countries will be competing for people (not sure how many decades away but not that long in the future)
If this were fiction we would hail it as delicious satire. The idea that children are going to go out and pick berries or melons is absurd on the face of it. One reason we as a country have winked at illegal immigration for years is our tacit understanding that these workers are doing jobs, by and large, that no legal citizen will do and certainly not for the wages offered. I’m not even talking about the way legal immigrants are being disappeared, which ought to terrify everyone. It’s a good thing evil is so often stupid. Maybe we’ll muddle our way out of this mess with years to appreciate fully its ramifications.
Immigration reform under this administration is wishful thinking. If Trump and his backers had any desire to include our immigrants in his "New America" he would not be removing from our history the contributions made by those who are not white, male and "Christian". If you are an immigrant here in the U.S. under any status, legal or undocumented, you must do what is best for you and your family. Do not put your liberty at risk listening to false promises made by politicians from either party.
I think we need to look on the bright side of the modest proposal to deport immigrants running meatpacking plants and picking vegetables and have local kids take the jobs. Yes, currently, there are not likely to be many children of privileged white folks willing to "get their hands dirty," so to speak, but they just need the proper incentives. First, NIL deals - "Biff Farquar III signs six figure NIL deal with Del Monte." "Madison Carrington, after harvesting a record number of watermelons last season, weighs NIL offers from Green Giant and Sysco." "Farquar said that he was thrilled with the opportunity, and was grateful that Del Monte cut him some slack for the time he had to take off last summer after he was bitten by a snake." "Madison is on the list to be one of Elon Musk's baby-mamas, but said "Sure, birthing Elon's spawn would be a dream come true, but I can still give back by breaking my back while I'm waiting for the phone to ring."
The kids will jump at it, just as HS and college athletes do now. Will it raise the price of food? Yes, significantly, but they're working on plans to sell tickets to some of the larger harvests to generate income - most of which will go back to the corporate behemoths paying them, some will show up in lower prices, and some of which will be used for perks, like sunhats (some with fun stickers!), and a double ration of water on days when the heat index in the fields is over 95F. (Provided the harvest is running ahead of schedule.) In lieu of Christmas bonuses, which would only raise the price of food, the best performers would be rewarded with Christmas afternoon off. (Provided the harvest is running ahead of schedule.)
The other alternative is even better! Work with the Harvards, Yales, Stanfords and other prestigious colleges to encourage them to give preference to candidates with at least two summers tilling fields or slaughtering livestock. (By "work with" I mean "threaten with extinction.") No more phoney-baloney "service" projects, like reading to old people or serving slop to homeless freeloaders on Thanksgiving. Let the kids do something productive for a change! As to recruitment, move over Goldman Sachs, the kids will be lined up to work for Swift. (Motto: "Our employees work the same hours as Goldman's, but we have much more blood, gore, and excrement!")
Many Congressional Republicans have young kids. Kids of high-achieving parents like JD and Usha Vance will jump at the chance to work in the real world, and be happy to provide an example of how work makes one free. A brave new world is in our grasp, if only we have the courage to take it.
Very funny.
For now.
Certainly much truth in your comment which was made with humor.
I find it interesting that after days in office there have been no real mass roundups and deportations. The focus of attention has been on random border crossers, pro-Palestinian protesters exercising free speech, and supposed gang members.
Meanwhile, for example, the 53,000 meat packers and agribusiness workers in Nebraska have been untouched. The 1.2 million immigrant workers (mostly without papers) continue to build and roof houses, clean motels, and work in Florida's 12 month a year agricultural work. I suspect the same is true across the country.
What we do see is highly produced propaganda promoting the idea that serious deportations are happening.
Another sign is the haphazard way states are handling reports of companies employing undocumented workers. In Florida, supposedly among the harshest enforcers, few investigations of illegal hiring lead to any sanctions.
And, to me, this is the big tell. The entire "problem" of undocumented labor would be solved if the government would actually crack down on businesses employing those workers. Jobs is the principal magnet drawing workers here but instead of working to shut down the magnate and find ways of regularizing immigrant labor the government is demonizing, punishing and and humiliating the workers.
And why does it have to be that way? Because immigrant labor, both formal or informal, is essential to the American economy and we can't do without them.
What part of the MAGA shoot them in the river, fly them out at night didn't the genius businessmen understand?