Answer the Question About Mass Deportation!

Despite all his nativist lies Trump dodged the direct question to explain his plan to deport Dreamers and rip apart American families with his mass deportation agenda.

Last night, at the Presidential Debate, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Trump what is probably the most important immigration question in this campaign:

President Trump, staying on the topic of immigration, you've said that you're going to carry out, quote, "the largest domestic deportation operation in American history," unquote. Does that mean that you will deport every undocumented immigrant in America, including those who have jobs, including those whose spouses are citizens, and including those who have lived here for decades? And if so, how will you do it?

Despite the constant rhetoric from Trump and his campaign about this signature issue, he dodged the question. He wouldn’t tell the American people his plans to deport Dreamers, rip apart American families, turn troops and police into a show-me-your-papers force to go into neighborhoods across the country and upend so many industries, including agriculture. There is a lot to be said about last night’s debate, but despite the very specific question about Trump’s signature campaign promise, he refused to answer. 

It's not like Trump refined from dehumanizing attack aginst immigrants. Throughout the whole of the debate, Trump kept returning to his nativist lies and attacks despite the questions asked. He even invoked the white nationalist replacement theory in a question about childcare. Repeating a version of the racist lie claiming that Biden was using non-white immigration to steal the upcoming election. This lie underpins the conspiracy that Trump and the GOP are wielding to carry out an anti-democratic assault on American democracy. And the same conspiratorial lie that has inspired multiple deadly terrorist attacks in Pittsburgh, El Paso, and Buffalo. Rep. Veronica Escobar pointed that out:

Donald Trump still proudly uses the language that inspired a shooter to drive 10 hours to my community to murder migrants. It’s vile. 

It’s unacceptable. It’s deadly.

Exactly.  

Trump returned to nativist lies after dehumanizing lies, pivoting to his attacks on immigrants with most of the questions he was asked whether it was Social Security or child care. Of note, Social Security can benefit from immigrants, and let’s not pretend that the childcare industry doesn’t rely on the labor of immigrants, many undocumented. 

None of Trump’s nativist disinformation was new. However, the one question Trump did not answer was the most critical one about his signature plan of mass deportation. He dodged, and there was no follow-up at the debate. Any response to immigration should lift up the Republicans’ mass family separation plan that would use the military and police as a show-me-your-papers force to target Dreamers and rip apart American families in detention camps.

That is not hyperbole. it's their stated plan. Jake Tapper asked the question, Trump dodged. And, while Trump wouldn’t answer the question at the debate, he should be asked until he does. Obviously, he won’t get that question that way on FOX News. But, every Republican running for office should be asked if they support Trump’s mass deportation agenda - and, if they’re going to allow him to commit mass family separation in their states and districts.  He and Republicans need to answer the question.  

Trump’s unsparing mass-deportation plan is the single most consequential immigration topic of this election, and his refusal to engage on the subject and its potential consequences for every single American is a telling admission of its unpopularity.

While many in the media focused on a recent CBS/YouGov poll that asked adults if they favored a “national deportation program,” where 62% were in favor, while 38% were opposed. In a May 2024 poll of registered voters, Marquette University asked about mass deportation. Half of the respondents were asked, “Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries?” 64% favored while 36% were opposed.

The other half of respondents were asked, “Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs and no criminal record?” (The emphasis is our own.)  With that additional information, support shifted dramatically with 52% opposed to deportations and 48% in favor. That is a 16-point shift with just the basics of the plan included.  

This indicates that explaining the actual mass deportation agenda on offer changes the dynamics. Reporters should be asking Republicans about it, and Democrats should be talking about it. 

There is the conversation Republicans want to have on immigration in the public square, one ridden with strategic racism, lies, and conspiracy theories. Then there is the one about their horrifically extreme agenda that would destroy communities and separate American families all to fulfill some sort of white nationalist fantasy. The latter fights on our terms not theirs.

We wrote more about how mass deportation is a kitchen-table issue here.

Nor is this just a Trump campaign plan. It is an issue squarely in the public square and opposition to such a devastating plan need not be partisan. For example, last weekend, MSNBC did a deep dive on Project 2025 during an interview with one of the architects of that document, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts. He went through a litany of the issues he and his colleagues are pushing, including an explicit call for mass deportation. When asked specifically about deportations from the interior of the country, not the border, Roberts said, 

“First of all, we need to close the border. And secondly, we need to have the biggest mass deportation system ever in the history of America because it is unjust, and illegal, and evil that more than 10 million illegal aliens have come to this country.” He also made it clear that part of their intention is to scare people out of the U.S.” 

The plan is clear. The commitment is there. The details are horrific.  What remains is a public accounting of the details, the urgency of the threat, and where political leaders stand on the details. The mass deportation plan, as outlined in their plan, would require a wartime-like nationwide mobilization and extract equal disruptions. Such a massive electoral promise urgently deserves a full and total public hearing.     

WEEKLY STATS OF NATIVIST NARRATIVE 

• 168 Republican ads running with immigration-related attacks on TV and CTV 

  • Total spending on nativist ads for the week of $7,837,985 (AdImpact)

  • 47 new Republican-aligned immigration-related Facebook ads

• Year to date 

  • Total nativist TV and CTV ads: 994

  • Total spend on nativist TV and CTV ads --- $208,901,467 (AdImpact)

  • 594 Total Republican-aligned immigration-related Facebook ads

  • 1,384 political ads emails mentioning “border”

Nativist Ad of the Week

• Defend US PAC has a new TV ad which aired nationally before the Thursday’s Presidential debate claiming that “Joe Biden opened our border” and featured three women victims of crimes that were done by immigrants like “Laken Riley”, “Rachel Morin” and “Jocelyn Nungary” and having the perpetrator's mug shot with their photos. This isn't a new tactic, but an old racist dog whistle tactic infamously done in “Willie Horton” ad.

• Of the 525 GOP Twitter accounts we track, this week, they sent: 

  • 735 original tweets peddling anti-immigrant attacks mentioning “border”

  • 204 original tweets about “open borders,” with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweet having the most reach with 411.7K Views, 5K Retweets, and 18K Likes.

  • 80 original tweets that used “Biden Border Crisis” with Gov. Ron DeSantis tweet having the most reach with 309K Views, 942 Retweets, and 6.3 Likes.

  • 26 original tweets that mentioned both “fentanyl” and “border” with Gov. Greg Abbott tweet having the most reach with 31.9K views, 344 Retweets and 1.2 Likes.

• Top Articles on Social of the Week (Right-wing media still dominating the conversation online)

  • WSOCTV: “Biden's asylum halt is falling hardest on Mexicans and other nationalities Mexico will take” - Facebook: 18.4k Interactions

  • WFTV: “Biden's 2 steps on immigration could reframe how US voters see a major political problem for him” - Facebook: 18k Interactions

  • WFTV: “Trump proposes green cards for foreign grads of US colleges, departing from anti-immigrant rhetoric” - Facebook: 17.9k Interactions