Let's see if this is correct. President-elect Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland, take control of the Panama Canal, and perhaps even make Canada the 51st state – if he can pull it off.
The good news for Panama, Greenland and Canada is that he won't start doing any of that until at least his second day in office. His first day is fully booked.
First day, Trump I want to review Regarding the cases of people he calls “patriots” and “political prisoners” who were arrested during the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, he said, “And I will sign their pardons on the first day. I intend to do so,” he said.
On day one, he will “train, train, train” to end what he calls the Biden administration's “insane electric vehicle mandate” and we will end the new green scam once and for all. . Green new scam ends. ” On his first day in office, he said he would sign an executive order halting offshore wind projects.
President Trump said he would fire Special Counsel Jack Smith “within two seconds” of taking office. Smith said he plans to resign before President Trump takes office.
Tariff? These are also on President Trump's to-do list for his first day in office. “With the stroke of my pen, I will stop transgender insanity from day one,” Trump said. said.
But far higher on his first-day list of priorities is his promise to begin rounding up and deporting immigrants who sneak into the country. And immigrants who have committed serious crimes would be deported first. he said: “On day one, I will begin the largest criminal deportation program in American history.”
Not surprisingly, Democrats in sanctuary cities say they won't cooperate.
In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson said“Our city's police department is [double] As ICE agents, we don't mean that. ”
And it's not just progressive sanctuary cities that have signed on, entire states including California, Oregon, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and New Mexico have signed on. What's the message? If ICE wants to deport someone, it won't get help from local police or a Democratic governor.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy promised “When our values are unfairly attacked, when our community is unfairly attacked,” she said, “we will fight tooth and nail.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “I'm going to be rooting for those guys all day long.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she is “very reluctant” to engage state law enforcement officials in mass deportation efforts.
Sanctuary cities and states flew under the radar for a while, but then President Trump came along. The turmoil at the southern border helped get him elected, but now he's threatening to pull federal funds from cities and states that refuse to cooperate with ICE, and rightfully so, enough to earn him a lifetime of cable news coverage. obtained the number of programs.
For Democrats, protecting families, building trust with immigrant communities and keeping cities safe are all morals. If they end up sticking with Trump in the process, that's just the icing on the cake.
But Republicans and other critics don't buy the liberal argument. They say sanctuary cities undermine the rule of law and have become havens for criminals. We've all heard stories of people with rap sheets being released without being deported, only to find themselves in the headlines again for the wrong reasons.
Yes, most illegal immigrants are just trying to build a better life. But “almost” isn't everything. Once someone with a criminal record slips through the cracks, the same officials who championed these policies are nowhere to be found. No one wants to explain why this man wasn't deported when they had the chance.
Mayors and governors of sanctuary cities and states may make moral arguments to defend their policies, but when public safety is at stake, moral clarity becomes a little fuzzy. .
And, as Mark Twain's observation says, history may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. So why is it wrong for racists to defy federal law in the 1960s, but now it's noble for liberals to defy federal law? insisted. They both thought they were right.
Let's admit that there is one obvious difference. Racists denied civil rights and fought to keep people in their place. Sanctuary city and state officials say they are doing the opposite: protecting vulnerable communities from what they see as unjust federal policies.
That may sound nice, but selective enforcement of federal law is a slippery slope. If blue cities and states can ignore immigration laws, what's stopping red states from ignoring gun laws? Or environmental regulations? You can't have it both ways.
No, good intentions don't always lead to good results. Protection policies may protect families, but they also protect people who should not be protected.
When it comes to the media, it's no surprise that liberal journalists portray the roundup of illegal immigrants as an insensitive President Trump acting like a dictator. Journalists don't need an excuse to bash hateful people.
So please fasten your seatbelts. President Trump will take office on January 20, 2025, and it will be an eventful first day, not to mention the next four years.
bernard goldberg He is an Emmy Award-winning and Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award-winning author and journalist. He is the author of five books and publishes exclusive weekly columns, audio commentaries, and Q&As. substack page. follow him @Bernard Goldberg.
