Republican View: Trump makes good on campaign promises 

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of author Zachary Winn and are not representative of the thoughts or opinions of Tompkins Weekly. 

As the first days of the new administration unfold, a political anomaly has occurred: President Trump appears to be making good on his campaign promises. A flurry of pardons for those railroaded by our corrupt legal system, including individuals involved in January 6th, pro-life demonstrators, and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, have materialized. The CBP One app has been shut down, and appointments for migrants to be ushered into the country were canceled immediately after the inauguration. Additionally, 10,000 troops have been deployed to the border. Depending on the source, estimates suggest that between 11 million and 20 million illegal immigrants have entered the country since the beginning of the Biden administration. This represents one of the largest mass migrations in human history. To fulfill his promises, the removals of illegal immigrants under President Trump will need to be similarly unprecedented.

Immigration authorities have already arrested hundreds of criminal illegal aliens, many of whom also have final orders of removal. However, this trickle of arrests must turn into a torrent. More than one million people presently residing in the country are subject to final orders of removal. The ease with which these arrests have occurred is telling. It proves that allowing these individuals to remain in the country has been a choice—a deliberate policy—all along. As a result, countless people have been victimized and killed. Some were murdered by gang members from MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. Others were struck by unlicensed illegal alien drunk drivers. Hundreds of thousands have overdosed on drugs sold by international criminal cartels operating with impunity. Every death caused by an illegal immigrant was preventable. Removing these individuals is precisely what people elected President Trump to do. Arresting 500 illegal immigrants per day isn’t nearly enough; the number needs to be at least 5,000 to make a significant dent. Allowing even one illegal immigrant to remain is an invitation for others to come.

Executive orders signed by the president have ranged from reaffirming the fact that there are only two genders to declassifying information regarding the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. Other orders have instructed the Secretary of State to prioritize American interests in foreign policy decisions, eliminated DEI programs within federal agencies, and ended birthright citizenship. This last executive order has already faced a legal challenge, possibly by design, and appears destined for the Supreme Court. Birthright citizenship has fueled “birth tourism,” where pregnant women from all over the world travel to the United States to secure citizenship benefits for their children. It is an insane policy rooted in a misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment. The fact that President Trump is even attempting to dismantle it is a positive sign.

Legal immigration is as much of a problem as illegal immigration. President Trump’s position on H1-B visas and his desire to “staple green cards” to diplomas from American colleges are major causes for concern. The H1-B visa system is rife with abuse. Ostensibly, it exists to fill jobs requiring specialized knowledge and expertise that Americans cannot fill. However, an inspection of the online portal for the program reveals countless low-wage positions for cooks, landscapers, and dishwashers—jobs Americans would perform if wages were adequate. The true purpose of the program, like illegal immigrant labor, is to undercut domestic workers and drive down labor costs. This same phenomenon is occurring in the technology sector, where American workers have been forced to train their H1-B replacements. Recent graduates find themselves unable to secure employment at all. H1-B visa holders will work for less and, like indentured servants, cannot quit or change jobs. Much of their earnings are sent back to their home countries, exiting the American economy. Furthermore, the children of H1-B visa holders gain citizenship upon birth, and at 21, they can sponsor their parents’ green card applications, granting permanent residency. This cycle has repeated endlessly for decades and must stop.

Student visas are another major avenue for abuse. Colleges cash the checks and turn a blind eye as wholesale academic fraud proliferates. Students who cannot speak English submit papers written by others, and plagiarism has become the norm. Granting green cards to every international student who graduates from an American college would be like pouring gasoline on a fire. If this policy is enacted, the annual estimated 250,000 graduates will rapidly increase. Canada serves as an example of how such a policy can spiral out of control. These individuals don’t just compete for a limited pool of jobs but also for housing and healthcare. Ceasing this influx of people is essential for the survival of the country. President Trump needs to get the message; the correct amount of immigration, legal or illegal, is zero.