The news has been packed lately with discussion over Donald Trump’s immigration policies and whether he has “flip-flopped” on the subject. As lame a criticism as this is of Trumps policy, I will address it as a means of segue into later discussions on immigration in the U.S.
It could be argued that Trump’s strong stance on immigration has been the primary force propelling him to success as a presidential candidate. Illegal immigration in particular is an issue that has gone largely ignored by leading politicians for years. Trump’s policy is epitomized by the building of a border wall and all other details of his policy have generally fallen along the lines of a zero-tolerance for illegal immigration.
Whereas Trump originally suggested the possible deportation of all Illegals in the U.S. could take place, this policy is currently undergoing a transition. There are likely several reasons for this. The reasons are all more logical than political so let us examine them.
Reason 1) Trump is trying to better gauge the wishes and values of his supporters.
This can clearly be seen by his reaction and rudimentary poll taken on his Hannity appearance this week. More than many politicians I have seen, Trump seems genuinely concerned with what his supporters want. Trump sees himself filling the role a politician in a representative type of government is supposed to fill; a representative of his supporters’ values and wishes. This is not only logical, but also an important part of Trump’s appeal to his supporters in general.
Reason 2) Trump may realize the impracticality of deporting 12 million Illegals in the U.S.
Fewer people have a more zero-tolerance stance toward immigration than yours truly. As harsh as it would be to deport Illegal families or break them apart, it could be an unfortunate necessity. Having said that, it would not be very practical to engage in such a program. In the end it would end up costing more to do so, for all involved. Thusly, Trump is moving toward more middle ground and the decision to do so is logical and practical.
Reason 3) Trump needs the support of the Republican base to win the election and subsequently implement his hard line immigration policies.
Make no mistake; a hard-line approach to immigration reform is what is needed. Trump is definitely the man for that. Not the traditional politician, Trump is beginning to realize that taking a stand on things is not popular, particularly in today’s culture of coddling issues, ignoring problems, and pandering to voting groups. Trump may need to soften his approach slightly in order to rally the Republican base and put them in line with his traditional support base. Though this is a political decision, it also boils down to logic in the end. By altering his policies by 10%, Trump can get elected and pass 90% of his policies (or 100% because who thinks Trump will care after he is elected). With 0% alteration, Trump may not get elected and can implement 0% of his policies. It’s math. It’s logic.
Bottom line, Trump has not altered his policy much at all. He still wants to build a border wall, enforce current immigration laws, cut off Federal funding to sanctuary cities, and deport Illegals with major criminal convictions. Even if he does not deport other Illegals, he still stands for forcing them to make reparations for years of free-loading off the American taxpayer and he is right to do so.
The last time I checked, no other politician has advocated for all of these things, much less implemented anything. The wall is the symbol of Trump’s logical, hard line stances. Should he get elected, Trump’s walls will be built and for the first time a politician will actually achieve some tangible immigration reform. So can we make this “Trump flip-flops on Immigration” garbage go away already? Perhaps the Democrats and the news networks that kiss up to them are so desperate to discredit Trump, they’ll throw anything at the wall to see what sticks.
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Well said!
Thank you!