As we approach the six-month mark of Donald Trump’s second term in office, it’s hard to think of another administration in modern history that’s faced more resistance from within — that is to say, resistance from within its own party — when it tries to follow through on its single most important and prominent campaign pledge. Normally, when presidents take office after making an explicit campaign promise, their party tries to turn that agenda into reality. If nothing else, from a political perspective, it’s obviously the smart thing to do. That’s certainly what happened when Joe Biden took office. Every Democrat in the country lined up behind Biden to push every single talking point his administration produced, whether it was about COVID or January 6. There was zero dissent anywhere in the party. But that’s not happening in the second Trump administration.
Instead, many Republicans have set out to undermine the immigration platform that Donald Trump ran on. You probably remember Tom Homan at the Republican National Convention, telling illegal aliens — all of them — that they should start “packing their bags” because they’re going to be deported. As recently as last week, Homan emphasized the importance of that objective, saying there will be no special protections for any illegal aliens, including farmworkers. Top White House official Stephen Miller, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the president himself have all made that same point in the past few days. But Republicans in Congress, and in various states, have taken the opposite approach. They’ve been waging a battle against immigration enforcement. And it’s a more expansive fight than you might realize.
.png)
.png)
