Mass Deportation of Illegal Immigrants Will Never Happen

A CBS poll found that 62 percent of Americans support deporting every illegal immigrant from the United States to their home countries, while 38 percent oppose. Deportations often remove bad people from this country. Most want fewer rapists, fentanyl dealers, and killers in their communities. Liberal states and sanctuary cities releasing violent criminals to avoid possible deportations are vile, as is the Biden administration's failure to secure the Southern border.

The failure to secure the border warrants a strong response. More deportations are one tool out of many, but the federal government will never deport every man, woman, and child illegal immigrant. Here's why. The business sector will vehemently oppose such a proposal.

Many industries in this country, unfortunately, thrive on the exploitation of illegal immigrant labor. About one-half of farmworkers are illegal immigrants, according to FWD.us; that's in addition to the legal first-generation immigrants and the payroll tax-exempt H-2A visa workers. Farming’s an industry that politicians on both sides love coddling with welfare (over $30 billion in subsidies annually) and special carveouts. The agricultural minimum wage in my state is about half of the regular minimum wage ($8 an hour versus $15 an hour).

That's why when people express opposition to illegal immigration, one might quip back about something about who’ll pick the fruit for $5 an hour—because a strong case in favor of illegal immigration is: who will businesses treat like shit if not for the illegal immigrants?

Almost every country can grow food, and sugar outside of the United States is far cheaper—but instead, our government subsidizes high-fructose corn syrup into our diets. However, the agricultural lobby and others that employ illegal immigrants are often from the types of special interest groups that lobby in favor of illegal immigration—hence why the agricultural and construction sectors also oppose E-Verify.

What president might deport every illegal immigrant? The Democrats oppose mass deportation, and so do the Republicans. Donald Trump even opposed something as basic as mandatory E-Verify during his time in the White House. Now, Trump wants to staple a green card to every college diploma, including community college degrees; he made this declaration even though illegal immigrants attend community college for free in cities like Boston and at in-state rates elsewhere. If you want another magnet for illegal immigration, then you'll love Trump's idea. Trump was president for four years, and despite his tough talk on immigration during his 2016 campaign—including his promise to deport every illegal immigrant—this never happened during his presidency. What makes anyone think Trump would act much differently if afforded a second term?

The other issue with this proposal is that while it sounds like a common-sense solution, it would likely lose popularity if enacted. That's because illegal immigrants are people like everyone else. Media and politics often distort our perception of illegal immigrants. We may think about the types of people Trump said come to the United States: drug traffickers, criminals, and rapists. These people do find ways into the United States due to the country's porous borders, though they're not a reflection of the typical illegal immigrant in the country. About half of illegal immigrants are visa overstays, meaning the United States allowed them into the country legally for a specific timeframe, but they overstayed their allotted welcome. And not every illegal border crosser is a terrible person, either. That's not to defend illegal immigration, but many people know illegal immigrants and don't realize it. Some illegal immigrants are our friends and neighbors with otherwise clean records. If the government starts deporting those people, I can’t imagine a mass deportation program sustaining overwhelming support.

Here's a more plausible approach: secure the border (build more fencing, hire more border patrol agents and immigration judges, send the military to combat the cartel), deport people with criminal records (either in this country or their home country), and ensure that illegal immigrant families receive as little public assistance as possible. The threat of deportation for those who misbehave must exist, and state and local incentives for illegal immigrants must subside—through the force of the federal government, if necessary. The government must also enforce strong wage theft laws and enact E-Verify to disincentivize illegal hiring and the exploitation of illegal immigrant workers.

Our immigration system should prioritize those who aren’t a public charge, will not undercut American workers, and want to assimilate into American life—not merely anyone who crosses an imaginary line.