Biden/Harris lost the election in 2024 basically because of two issues: immigration and inflation. While Trump didn’t really offer much in the way of an anti-excessive-inflation platform, he certainly distinguished himself on immigration. As he tries (not quite there yet) to out do Obama on what are commonly called “deportations” (technically removals and returns and other expulsions), we get an interesting glimpse into what anti-immigration program really entails.
Cato’s David J. Bier supplies the surprising (to some) details in two posts I’ll select from. First up is who is being released.
ICE is actually releasing more immigrants with criminal convictions and pending criminal charges than during President Biden’s term. Since January 2025, ICE has released 25,712 people with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, and over 2,000 had violent criminal records. The data complicate the narrative that President Biden was less committed to preventing criminal releases than Trump.
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The releases highlight this concerning lack of prioritization. The official data show that although he has reduced the number of releases of non-criminals, he is actually releasing more people with criminal convictions and criminal charges. On a daily basis, releases of convicts have increased from 22 in December 2024 to 28 in early July 2026—a 23 percent increase. For convicts or those with pending charges, releases have increased from nearly 50 per day to 76—a 53 percent increase.
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Hmmm . . . that doesn’t match up with what my MAGA friends told me was the issue we desperately needed to address. Could there be an ulterior motive?
Second up is the bigger picture.
Illegal entries had already fallen before President Trump took office, and while they have fallen further, declines in legal immigration far surpass those in illegal entries. Legal entries in major categories were down about 145,000 compared to a drop in illegal entries of about 53,000. Illegal entries are overstated because we are counting all Border Patrol arrests, including those of individuals expelled immediately. The chart below tracks immigration through February 2026, the most recent month for which the State Department has published data.
Click through and read both to learn the extent to which legal immigration has been restricted under Trump 2.0 while truly dangerous and illegitimate immigrants are being allowed refuge.
As those in these circles, myself included, like to say: It was never about illegal immigration. It was always about ALL immigration. For those supporting these policies deliberately in full or ignorantly in part and given our fiscal outlook and native fertility future I say, "Have a nice day."