Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“While clearly Trump has no issue with gratuitous cruelty and ignoring laws, the deportation drive actually stems from a basic problem created by his campaign. Trump repeatedly complained that Biden had allowed millions (sometimes it was tens of millions) of dangerous criminals into the country. A large share of his supporters actually believes this. … Trump has to be seen taking big steps to bring the problem under control. This is where Trump’s lie runs into problems with reality. There are relatively few serious criminals among the people who have come into the country in recent years — and insofar as any are identified, they were likely already in the deportation process under Biden. This leaves Trump desperate to drive up numbers and then trying to make the case after the fact that they have actually deported dangerous criminals.” (05/01/25)