The recent unrest in the United States has highlighted the existence of a significant segment of the US population that, for various reasons, opposes, even violently, the enforcement of immigration laws. It should be noted that a year ago, President Trump was elected by a clear majority, presenting voters with a political platform that emphasized the promise to stop illegal immigration and return illegal immigrants to their home countries, particularly those who had committed crimes. This electoral mandate remains clear and is supported by the majority (silent and otherwise) of voters.
The two phases
The first phase—stopping illegal immigrants at the borders—went fairly smoothly. Many said that stopping illegal crossings, especially at the Mexican border, was impossible. Instead, in just 100 days, the problem was solved. The data and details can be found here, and for those who do not trust Trump’s Homeland Security numbers, the BBC chart below should dispel any doubts about this enormous success.
The second phase – identifying, arresting, and remigrating illegal immigrants present in US territory – has instead created a minor revolution. The Trump administration has tried in many ways to present this phase as necessary, highlighting the often very serious crimes committed by those arrested: murder, child rape, assault, human trafficking, and arson.
Biden’s disasters
The situation inherited from Trump in January 2025 was very serious. There were 15-20 million illegal immigrants in the country, of whom 7 million had entered illegally during Biden’s four years in office. Official data showed the presence of more than 660,000 non-citizens with criminal records (convictions or pending charges), including 13,000 for murder, 62,000 for assault, 15,000 for sex crimes, and 56,000 for drug trafficking offenses. Despite these numbers, a coalition quickly formed to stop, even by force, the actions of the federal government. This coalition includes many moderates—who focus their attention on the compassionate cases of many illegal immigrants with no criminal record who end up being arrested—but also many violent extremists, led by communist and anarchist associations, who take advantage of the tensions to carry out well-organized and well-financed urban riots, even from abroad. In fact, one of the financiers of these agitators is Neville Roy Singham, a wealthy American citizen and supporter of the Chinese Communist Party, who has been investigated for decades by federal authorities and has now moved to China, where he is protected.
The role of the Democratic Party
The Democratic Party, and the US left in general, have transformed themselves from a compassionate party that is attentive to the legality of institutions (at least in words) to a party of open revolt against the federal government and its laws.
There is one particularly significant situation that illustrates the current absurdity: the government asks various states controlled by the Democratic Party (e.g., California) to inform federal authorities whenever an illegal immigrant is released after committing a crime and serving their prison sentence. Even this reasonable request is often denied. Illegals are secretly released from prisons to prevent them from being arrested and deported. Certain judges even help illegals avoid arrest, despite their having committed serious crimes.
California, in its effort to help illegal immigrants in every way possible, has allowed many of them (especially Indians) to obtain heavy vehicle driver’s licenses. We are talking about many people who do not even know English, cannot read road signs, and drive giant trucks across the United States. As expected, there have been spectacular road accidents resulting in the loss of many lives. Now California—under pressure from public opinion—has revoked 17,000 commercial licenses.
This was not the case in the past. The US left has a long history of protecting the weakest working classes, who are now the most damaged by economic competition from illegal immigration and the urban decay it generates.
With many illegal immigrants around, the wages of cleaners, gardeners, mechanics, and waiters are not rising or are even falling, not to mention the deterioration and overcrowding of public services: schools, emergency rooms, and social assistance.
One of the historical idols of the US left—labor union leader César Chávez (1927-1993)—was strongly opposed to illegal immigration because it undermined the bargaining power of agricultural workers (United Farm Workers, UFW) by providing a source of cheap labor. In the mid-1970s, Chávez launched a campaign against illegal immigration. This included organizing “wet lines”—patrols along the US-Mexico border, led by his cousin Manuel Chávez, to deter illegal immigration.
Just a few years ago, leading Democratic leaders spoke out clearly against illegal immigration. For example, President Bill Clinton, in his 1995 radio address and in various policy statements, emphasized a balanced approach to immigration, stating that while America is a “nation of immigrants,” it must also be a “nation of laws.” Clinton advocated strengthening border control, reducing illegal immigration, and enforcing workplace regulations to protect legal workers.
President Obama was also tough on illegal immigration. In a 2006 speech, he said that
“Those who enter our country illegally, and those who hire them, disrespect the rule of law. And because we live in an age where terrorists challenge our borders, we simply cannot allow people to enter the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked. Americans are right to demand stronger border security and better enforcement of immigration laws.“
In fact, Barack Obama was labeled the ”deporter in chief” by immigrant rights communities.
The sudden change
So what happened to justify such a sudden change in the US left and the Democratic Party? What happened was that in some states and many counties, illegal immigration did cause the left to lose votes, especially the votes of victims of crime and urban decay, but it gained more votes through the slow but steady process of granting citizenship to illegal immigrants through various “amnesties” (including the famous one by Ronald Reagan in 1986), not to mention the votes of the children of illegal immigrants who automatically became US citizens, taking advantage of a constitutional law of dubious legality on ius soli.
Democratic leaders have seen illegal immigration and “ethnic replacement” as a shortcut to winning many elections, for example in California, something that other leftists around the world have admitted many times, from Lord Peter Mandelson (now involved in the murky Epstein emails) to the “slip of the tongue” of Spanish Podemos MP Irene Montero. But this strategy is cynical, possibly counterproductive, and unsafe. For example, in the last election in November 2024, Donald Trump broke the record for the number of “Latino” votes for a Republican candidate in his presidential victory. With 42 percent of the vote from this bloc, Trump surpassed George W. Bush’s 2004 performance among this demographic, which now represents about 15 percent of the total U.S. voting population. This figure (42%) should give pause to those who think that ethnic minorities always go hand in hand with the left.
Legal and illegal immigration
There are those who do not believe that this problem—illegal immigration—is a cause for concern. Many look at the historical statistics, shown in the chart below, and conclude that the percentage of immigrants in the US population is now around 15%, a figure similar to that of the second half of the 19th century.
These people forget that the immigrants of that time (Germans, Scandinavians, Irish) integrated quickly, did not claim territories (unlike many Mexicans today) and did not have worrying geopolitical loyalties (unlike many Chinese or Somalis today). Furthermore, generations ago, immigrants to the US found a serious and educational education system and entertainment world, whereas today teachers, actors, and artists compete to denigrate the US and its history. In this climate, integration and assimilation have now been made – intentionally – difficult, resulting in the tribalization of society.
Many moderates would like to limit arrests and deportations to illegal immigrants who commit crimes. However, they forget that crossing the border without documents and entry visas is a crime. They forget that working illegally, without paying taxes, is a crime. And they forget that those who enter illegally jump the queue and harm those who respect the rules and laws.
There is a huge queue of millions of people who want to emigrate legally to the United States. About one million are accepted each year, as shown in the chart below. The United States attracts the largest number of immigrants in the world, who integrate into the fabric of American society through avenues such as citizenship, the possibility of becoming legal permanent residents (LPRs), or seeking humanitarian protection. This graph tracks the number of people who are granted legal permanent residence (also known as a green card) each year. Green card holders can live and work in the country indefinitely, enlist in the armed forces, and apply for U.S. citizenship after five years (three if married to a U.S. citizen).
The current situation: Birth Tourism and Invisible Coup
At present, the situation is complex and worrying. There is unrest and chaos, especially in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where entire areas are controlled by violent minorities who attack federal forces and prevent many arrests, even of known criminals. Local Democratic authorities are preventing the police from protecting federal forces. It is a situation that many believe is similar to the rebellion of the Confederate States in 1861.
There are other factors complicating the situation. There is birth tourism, which continues unabated. Birth tourism is the practice of traveling to a country such as the United States or Canada to give birth, mainly to obtain citizenship for the child based on ius soli, with motivations that include access to better opportunities and education.
And then there is the invisible coup. A book by Peter Schweizer has just been published that highlights the seriousness of the situation. Current debates on immigration revolve around what happens to immigrants once they arrive. According to Schweizer, we need to start talking about who sends them and why. For decades, the establishment elites have sold us the story of immigration as a compassionate renewal of the American dream within a harmonious melting pot.
But beneath this narrative lies a different reality: mass migration has become the most powerful political weapon ever wielded against the United States, orchestrated by domestic elites and supported by adversaries abroad. Now Peter Schweizer is exposing this whole web of intrigue.
Photo: By paul goyette – CC BY 4.0
