I would never put my political instincts up against yours, but we should all care about the rule of law and due process. I want to hear how those detainees were identified as Venezuelan gang members and what sort of ninth circle of hell we have consigned them to.
David, I'm not say we shouldn't be outraged and even voice our dissent. I just don't think we will get enough of a critical mass of Americans to care to make them stop doing what they are doing.
I agree. Right now they say "gang members" but they are not having to prove that. People trust them when they say it. But they should not be comforted by that. At no point in history has "just trust us they are bad people" been right.
And Trump's definition of "bad people" will continue to expand. Indeed it already has, to include people who criticize Trump.
I just listened to Heather Cox Richardson's podcast from last night. This helped with astute perspective regarding trump's deportation moves, the courts at the moment, and other current goings-on (i.e., our leaders). This PoliticsNC dispatch dovetails well with HCR's most recent take although she covers extensive, comprehensive historical ground. The most salient point for me from what she portends is that new leaders are being created while other leaders will be left behind at this historical juncture. Everyone stay well.
As I understand Project 2025 it seeks to transfer all control to the incumbent President to change the way administration of the country is done. Gone would be professional civil servants to be replaced by partisan political loyalists. The Heritage Foundation has drawn up the plan in detail and several of it's authors are now in the Whitehouse giving Trump their documents to sign as his own. In order to succeed it has to ignore the existing checks and balances of the existing judiciary. That is dictatorship.
However, the constitution is set up to prevent such abuse and the only way to stop it is through the courts and the nation waking up to the carnage it is causing contrary to their best interests.
As a UK citizen, I sincerely hope you can use the protections given to you by your founders. On any moral basis what is being done is a disaster for the whole world which only Americans can reverse.
Because you talked about illegal immigration I would have liked you to note that illegal crossings the last couple of months of Biden were less than half the illegal crossings during the same time period in 2019, the last year of the Trump administration prior to Covid.
How much money is it costing the taxpayer to keep sending military and national guard to the border for a fake invasion? Yes there were above average illegal crossings but it wasn’t an invasion by definition. There weren’t shots fired by either side. The US doesn’t need to imitate the Berlin Wall
The data on that cost is well hidden. Both active duty and reserve along with national guard have been involved. Remember too that Mexico deployed 14,000 along the border starting in 2022 along with providing $1.4 Billion to help secure the border. TRump did negotiate that down to 10,000 but at least the money was not returned to Mexico. The whole crisis was manufactured if you look at historic data. We really do not want the border to be very secure because we (large corporations) count on the cheap and plentiful source of labor that is afraid to complain. If we really want to address the problem, we need to start enforcing laws which make the owners of the corporations financially and criminally, aka jail time, pay the price.
What we're seeing is the implementation of Project 2025. Musk is the point man, undermining each agency until it can no longer function and cannot provide the expected services. This provides the pretext to sell off and privatize each agency resulting in higher prices for fewer services with Wall St or private equity cashing in. Unsurprisingly this is what happened to the government in Putin's Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The cost of food will only escalate as farm labor will either be depleted or nonexistent.
Educational programs for families with special needs children will be gone. Middle class folks can’t afford private schools and residential programs for such children.
Payments on those stupidly large trucks will soon be as large as the monthlies for the house.
Forget getting the parents’ medical bills paid by Medicare and Medicaid.
I do hope you are correct in your assertion that Trump is about to hit his limit's. If his attempts to overtop the firewall of the courts succeeds, then we will all fully enter the horror of an American no man's land.
Did a little research. There are several economic trends under the Trump administration's policies that do not look good. Unemployment Rate: There has been a slight increase to 4.1% as of February 2025. Consumer Spending: Trends are mixed, with a slight decrease of 0.2% in January 2025. Stock Market Values: The market has experienced volatility with significant fluctuations. Real Estate Prices: There has been a moderate increase, with a 3.1% rise in February 2025. Consumer Confidence: The index dropped sharply to 98.3 in February 2025. Bankruptcies and Foreclosures: Chapter 7 filings have increased by 10.77% year-over-year.
Certain segments of the population may feel more impact from these economic changes than others. Low-income workers: Individuals in low-wage jobs might face higher risks of layoffs and reduced hours. Young people: Youth unemployment rates tend to rise significantly during economic downturns. Minority groups: African American and Hispanic families often experience larger wealth losses and higher unemployment rates. Non-college-educated individuals: Those without a college degree are more vulnerable to job losses and financial instability. Small business owners: Small businesses often struggle with reduced consumer spending and may face higher rates of bankruptcy.
Do you see any MAGA folks among those likely to feel the pain?
Don't forget Doug, the unemployment figures do not count the thousands of Mexican former low paid farm labourers and casual building workers which many areas have come to rely upon. If you treat those now unfilled jobs as job vacancies, it will distort the real figures. It is most unlikely that many USA unemployed will want those jobs because they are too low paid.
That change does not create more employed Americans but does increase bankruptcy on farms and small businesses. If some American unemployed do fill vacancies, they will need higher pay and which is inflationary. Add in the import tax and lost sales and you see why the tariff wars will really hurt consumers in the USA more than other countries who can change focus to other markets.
Another factor that Trump and his merry band of privateers may be overlooking is the impact on crime. Evidence suggests that crime rates tend to rise when unemployment increases. Studies have shown a positive correlation between unemployment and both violent and property crimes.
When people lose their jobs, they experience financial stress and desperation, leading to an increase in economically motivated crimes such as theft and burglary.
Additionally, the psychological stress from job loss can contribute to a rise in violent crimes, including domestic violence and road rage during times of low employment. This will put more pressure on the justice system, resulting in higher spending for local authorities and increased insurance claims which drives up rates.
Those who view Trump as a savior will feel the pain from his amateurish attempts to overhaul the economy. Furthermore, they will be angered when they realize he did all this to facilitate more tax cuts for the wealthy.
Waite for the midterms, we win back the house and senate, Trump, Vance and that poorly dressed billionaire alternate president will be will be seen as part of a very bad time in the history of this country.
Illegals in the USA HAVE NO RIGHTS AS CITIZENS, Idiots fail to comprehend this. Trump is returning Killers, Rapists, Perverts, Dopers, Bad of The Badest. Most of us do not want this scum to be our neighbors, friends, associates because they will kill you when you piss the off. It’s bad enough Biden gave these illegals government checks for breaking our laws.
Wrong. While citizens have all the protections of thr Constitution, even noncitizens have rights granted under the 5th and 14th amendments which includes due process. ... "Examples of scotus Cases:
Plyler v. Doe (1982) established that undocumented immigrants are entitled to certain constitutional protections, including the right to education.
INS v. Chadha (1983) ruled that Congress could not pass laws that violated the separation of powers, which applies to all laws, not just those affecting citizens.
In summary, while the Constitution primarily protects the rights of citizens, it also extends certain fundamental rights to all persons within the United States, including non-citizens, such as due process and equal protection under the law."
I see through you, Vernon. You are a hateful bully who has willingly ignored how this administration is dismantling our Constitution just so you can indulge in your bigotry. Well, you are on the wrong side of history and this will not stand.
We don’t even know who these people are that trump’s sending to hellholes. You’re just assuming that anyone with brown or black skin deserves to be detained and deported without due process, and it’s disgusting. Some of these people are US citizens or here LEGALLY. I can’t wait until you suffer from your racist ideology that helped put trump in the WH. Hope it goes bigly doubly bad for you in particular. You are exactly who Mills is talking about in the article. No one will be left unscathed.
Oh dear Vernon, playing the uninformed blame game again. In my lifetime the world population has increased by a factor of about four and nearly a quarter of those are eventually going to have a problem with climate change making it necessary to move. You cannot lock them all up in El Salvador and pin labels on them which, in your mind, dismisses the problem. Fencing off a country is just burying your head in the sand. The minority are drug gang related and they are there merely because Americans are buying the drugs to feed their habits or hide from reality. You will know that the USA tried to deal with alcohol addiction by prohibition but that failed.
Trump was elected by you and your friends to kick everyone out who is not American but how can you define that? Native American would kick you out. Many of those arrested are treated like slaves put in chains without proof of offence and many others have fled the country in fear of arrest. In your mind that may have solved your problem but it has actually created a much more difficult problem for your economy to solve. Good luck with that!
They have the right to due process and according to Justice Scalia in a 2016 interview they also have the right to free speech. The data also points out that illegal immigrants commit the least amount of crimes in comparison to US citizens or those with visas or green cards. If you don’t think Republicans have turned a blind eye to the number of illegal immigrants working in their own states then you’re not paying attention
How do you KNOW they were criminals Vernon? Because this administration said they are? That is not proof! They weren't charged or convicted of a crime in a court of law. Citizens are being swept up in these ICE raids. Without due process, how would a citizen prove they are a citizen? What if they came for you or someone in your family and they just whisked you away to El Salvador without benefits of a trial? You wouldn't have the opportunity to prove your citizenship. Without due process we are ALL less safe.
It's not that complicated, Vernon. Undocumented individuals are being used as high-profile scapegoats, much like Jews were targeted by Hitler. Trump is not expelling them due to any specific criminal behavior; in fact, FBI Crime Reports and numerous studies show the opposite. Common sense suggests that people who are in the country illegally will strive to keep a low profile. The last thing they want is exposure to the system. However, it looks good to the public for Trump to appear tough on crime. There is a famous line from Casablanca where the chief of police orders his troops to round up the usual suspects. There is no attempt to determine if these folks committed a crime or are part of an organized street gang. They look like criminals, and it makes good press.
This is a really good analysis of what’s coming. When the global supply chains become totally disrupted due to the chaotic incompetence of this regime and shelves become empty, maybe the millions of apolitical Americans will react. Unfortunately, it may be too late to fix it at that point.
protests are not really about immigrants so much as dismantling government, threatening high costs, threatening Canada, this is a mostly white crowd 45 and up. and their kids are getting fired. universities interfered with, law firms... the due process issue is just a piece of it, when they go too far. like the war powers thing. because of their tattoos sent to el Salvador prison!!! the war powers thing when we are not at war. its more about invading Canada, than it is about due process, america looks at him, now middle class throughout the land, as NUTS. and threatening to do away with the support system which we like, really like, while keeping their tax cuts which we dont like. and that IS what its about. this is more anti oligarch, than the immigration issue in general.
I would never put my political instincts up against yours, but we should all care about the rule of law and due process. I want to hear how those detainees were identified as Venezuelan gang members and what sort of ninth circle of hell we have consigned them to.
David, I'm not say we shouldn't be outraged and even voice our dissent. I just don't think we will get enough of a critical mass of Americans to care to make them stop doing what they are doing.
"Critical mass will occur when the authorities come for us, everyday US citizens. By then, it may be too late.
It’s a sad reflection on society that people put their pocketbooks above their principles.
I agree. Right now they say "gang members" but they are not having to prove that. People trust them when they say it. But they should not be comforted by that. At no point in history has "just trust us they are bad people" been right.
And Trump's definition of "bad people" will continue to expand. Indeed it already has, to include people who criticize Trump.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/scientist-banned-from-entering-us-over-opinions-about-trump-minister/ar-AA1Bgpnp
They weren't
I just listened to Heather Cox Richardson's podcast from last night. This helped with astute perspective regarding trump's deportation moves, the courts at the moment, and other current goings-on (i.e., our leaders). This PoliticsNC dispatch dovetails well with HCR's most recent take although she covers extensive, comprehensive historical ground. The most salient point for me from what she portends is that new leaders are being created while other leaders will be left behind at this historical juncture. Everyone stay well.
Thank you for another good piece.
I think people get it.
But clearly we will have to wait a long time for our elected officials to care. Chuck Shumer and Chuck Edwards are ample proof of that.
Truth! Good analysis Thomas. I wonder if Maga will ever learn that Trvmp/Mvsk caused all their pain.
I do. I care about the constitution and civil rights. I care about kids and seniors getting enough to eat, and veterans getting good healthcare.
As I understand Project 2025 it seeks to transfer all control to the incumbent President to change the way administration of the country is done. Gone would be professional civil servants to be replaced by partisan political loyalists. The Heritage Foundation has drawn up the plan in detail and several of it's authors are now in the Whitehouse giving Trump their documents to sign as his own. In order to succeed it has to ignore the existing checks and balances of the existing judiciary. That is dictatorship.
However, the constitution is set up to prevent such abuse and the only way to stop it is through the courts and the nation waking up to the carnage it is causing contrary to their best interests.
As a UK citizen, I sincerely hope you can use the protections given to you by your founders. On any moral basis what is being done is a disaster for the whole world which only Americans can reverse.
Because you talked about illegal immigration I would have liked you to note that illegal crossings the last couple of months of Biden were less than half the illegal crossings during the same time period in 2019, the last year of the Trump administration prior to Covid.
How much money is it costing the taxpayer to keep sending military and national guard to the border for a fake invasion? Yes there were above average illegal crossings but it wasn’t an invasion by definition. There weren’t shots fired by either side. The US doesn’t need to imitate the Berlin Wall
The data on that cost is well hidden. Both active duty and reserve along with national guard have been involved. Remember too that Mexico deployed 14,000 along the border starting in 2022 along with providing $1.4 Billion to help secure the border. TRump did negotiate that down to 10,000 but at least the money was not returned to Mexico. The whole crisis was manufactured if you look at historic data. We really do not want the border to be very secure because we (large corporations) count on the cheap and plentiful source of labor that is afraid to complain. If we really want to address the problem, we need to start enforcing laws which make the owners of the corporations financially and criminally, aka jail time, pay the price.
What we're seeing is the implementation of Project 2025. Musk is the point man, undermining each agency until it can no longer function and cannot provide the expected services. This provides the pretext to sell off and privatize each agency resulting in higher prices for fewer services with Wall St or private equity cashing in. Unsurprisingly this is what happened to the government in Putin's Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The cost of food will only escalate as farm labor will either be depleted or nonexistent.
Educational programs for families with special needs children will be gone. Middle class folks can’t afford private schools and residential programs for such children.
Payments on those stupidly large trucks will soon be as large as the monthlies for the house.
Forget getting the parents’ medical bills paid by Medicare and Medicaid.
I do hope you are correct in your assertion that Trump is about to hit his limit's. If his attempts to overtop the firewall of the courts succeeds, then we will all fully enter the horror of an American no man's land.
Did a little research. There are several economic trends under the Trump administration's policies that do not look good. Unemployment Rate: There has been a slight increase to 4.1% as of February 2025. Consumer Spending: Trends are mixed, with a slight decrease of 0.2% in January 2025. Stock Market Values: The market has experienced volatility with significant fluctuations. Real Estate Prices: There has been a moderate increase, with a 3.1% rise in February 2025. Consumer Confidence: The index dropped sharply to 98.3 in February 2025. Bankruptcies and Foreclosures: Chapter 7 filings have increased by 10.77% year-over-year.
Certain segments of the population may feel more impact from these economic changes than others. Low-income workers: Individuals in low-wage jobs might face higher risks of layoffs and reduced hours. Young people: Youth unemployment rates tend to rise significantly during economic downturns. Minority groups: African American and Hispanic families often experience larger wealth losses and higher unemployment rates. Non-college-educated individuals: Those without a college degree are more vulnerable to job losses and financial instability. Small business owners: Small businesses often struggle with reduced consumer spending and may face higher rates of bankruptcy.
Do you see any MAGA folks among those likely to feel the pain?
Don't forget Doug, the unemployment figures do not count the thousands of Mexican former low paid farm labourers and casual building workers which many areas have come to rely upon. If you treat those now unfilled jobs as job vacancies, it will distort the real figures. It is most unlikely that many USA unemployed will want those jobs because they are too low paid.
That change does not create more employed Americans but does increase bankruptcy on farms and small businesses. If some American unemployed do fill vacancies, they will need higher pay and which is inflationary. Add in the import tax and lost sales and you see why the tariff wars will really hurt consumers in the USA more than other countries who can change focus to other markets.
Another factor that Trump and his merry band of privateers may be overlooking is the impact on crime. Evidence suggests that crime rates tend to rise when unemployment increases. Studies have shown a positive correlation between unemployment and both violent and property crimes.
When people lose their jobs, they experience financial stress and desperation, leading to an increase in economically motivated crimes such as theft and burglary.
Additionally, the psychological stress from job loss can contribute to a rise in violent crimes, including domestic violence and road rage during times of low employment. This will put more pressure on the justice system, resulting in higher spending for local authorities and increased insurance claims which drives up rates.
Those who view Trump as a savior will feel the pain from his amateurish attempts to overhaul the economy. Furthermore, they will be angered when they realize he did all this to facilitate more tax cuts for the wealthy.
I’m ready for the take down of t rump’s entire administration!!! Let’s roll people ✌🏻👍🏻💪🏻
Waite for the midterms, we win back the house and senate, Trump, Vance and that poorly dressed billionaire alternate president will be will be seen as part of a very bad time in the history of this country.
Illegals in the USA HAVE NO RIGHTS AS CITIZENS, Idiots fail to comprehend this. Trump is returning Killers, Rapists, Perverts, Dopers, Bad of The Badest. Most of us do not want this scum to be our neighbors, friends, associates because they will kill you when you piss the off. It’s bad enough Biden gave these illegals government checks for breaking our laws.
SEND ALL THEM BACK.
Wrong. While citizens have all the protections of thr Constitution, even noncitizens have rights granted under the 5th and 14th amendments which includes due process. ... "Examples of scotus Cases:
Plyler v. Doe (1982) established that undocumented immigrants are entitled to certain constitutional protections, including the right to education.
INS v. Chadha (1983) ruled that Congress could not pass laws that violated the separation of powers, which applies to all laws, not just those affecting citizens.
In summary, while the Constitution primarily protects the rights of citizens, it also extends certain fundamental rights to all persons within the United States, including non-citizens, such as due process and equal protection under the law."
I see through you, Vernon. You are a hateful bully who has willingly ignored how this administration is dismantling our Constitution just so you can indulge in your bigotry. Well, you are on the wrong side of history and this will not stand.
What a load of crap!
We don’t even know who these people are that trump’s sending to hellholes. You’re just assuming that anyone with brown or black skin deserves to be detained and deported without due process, and it’s disgusting. Some of these people are US citizens or here LEGALLY. I can’t wait until you suffer from your racist ideology that helped put trump in the WH. Hope it goes bigly doubly bad for you in particular. You are exactly who Mills is talking about in the article. No one will be left unscathed.
You are so right.
Oh dear Vernon, playing the uninformed blame game again. In my lifetime the world population has increased by a factor of about four and nearly a quarter of those are eventually going to have a problem with climate change making it necessary to move. You cannot lock them all up in El Salvador and pin labels on them which, in your mind, dismisses the problem. Fencing off a country is just burying your head in the sand. The minority are drug gang related and they are there merely because Americans are buying the drugs to feed their habits or hide from reality. You will know that the USA tried to deal with alcohol addiction by prohibition but that failed.
Trump was elected by you and your friends to kick everyone out who is not American but how can you define that? Native American would kick you out. Many of those arrested are treated like slaves put in chains without proof of offence and many others have fled the country in fear of arrest. In your mind that may have solved your problem but it has actually created a much more difficult problem for your economy to solve. Good luck with that!
They have the right to due process and according to Justice Scalia in a 2016 interview they also have the right to free speech. The data also points out that illegal immigrants commit the least amount of crimes in comparison to US citizens or those with visas or green cards. If you don’t think Republicans have turned a blind eye to the number of illegal immigrants working in their own states then you’re not paying attention
Fox News!
Don’t believe everything old honkies tell you on the radio.
What in hell has RACE GOT TO DO WITH CRIMINALS HERE IN USA ILLEGALLY??
You,on same level as Biden.
Biden was awesome. Wish we had him back with his roaring stock market, high jobs numbers and lowering inflation.
Because I didn't see any white criminals in the photos of "illegals" being sent to El Salvador hellholes. Did you?
How do you KNOW they were criminals Vernon? Because this administration said they are? That is not proof! They weren't charged or convicted of a crime in a court of law. Citizens are being swept up in these ICE raids. Without due process, how would a citizen prove they are a citizen? What if they came for you or someone in your family and they just whisked you away to El Salvador without benefits of a trial? You wouldn't have the opportunity to prove your citizenship. Without due process we are ALL less safe.
It's not that complicated, Vernon. Undocumented individuals are being used as high-profile scapegoats, much like Jews were targeted by Hitler. Trump is not expelling them due to any specific criminal behavior; in fact, FBI Crime Reports and numerous studies show the opposite. Common sense suggests that people who are in the country illegally will strive to keep a low profile. The last thing they want is exposure to the system. However, it looks good to the public for Trump to appear tough on crime. There is a famous line from Casablanca where the chief of police orders his troops to round up the usual suspects. There is no attempt to determine if these folks committed a crime or are part of an organized street gang. They look like criminals, and it makes good press.
I nearly forgot about Trump's department store dating habits.
And all the Epstien vacays
I have to disagree he has mostly operated on his turf. Congress as the power of the purse, not the President.
This is a really good analysis of what’s coming. When the global supply chains become totally disrupted due to the chaotic incompetence of this regime and shelves become empty, maybe the millions of apolitical Americans will react. Unfortunately, it may be too late to fix it at that point.
protests are not really about immigrants so much as dismantling government, threatening high costs, threatening Canada, this is a mostly white crowd 45 and up. and their kids are getting fired. universities interfered with, law firms... the due process issue is just a piece of it, when they go too far. like the war powers thing. because of their tattoos sent to el Salvador prison!!! the war powers thing when we are not at war. its more about invading Canada, than it is about due process, america looks at him, now middle class throughout the land, as NUTS. and threatening to do away with the support system which we like, really like, while keeping their tax cuts which we dont like. and that IS what its about. this is more anti oligarch, than the immigration issue in general.