As Heather Cox Richardson notes in her newsletter 'Letter from an American' (which I recommend subscribing to), that I received overnight:
Trump appointees insist they have a “mandate” to drive undocumented immigrants out of the U.S. and prevent new immigrants from coming in, and are launching a massive increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and detention facilities to do so. But a poll released Friday shows that only 35% of American adults approve of Trump's handling of immigration, while 62% disapprove.
The poll shows a record 79% of adults saying immigration is good for the country, with only 17% seeing it as bad. Only 30% of American adults say immigration should be reduced.
The poll shows that 85% of American adults want laws to allow “immigrants, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time.” Seventy-eight percent of American adults want the law to allow “immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time.” Only 38% want the government to deport “all immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home country.”
I hope Heather Cox Richardson will forgive me for quoting at length, but this is really important.
Trump has turned ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) into what is, in effect, an internal army in the USA.
The budget for expelling people from the USA is now one of the biggest in Federal spending.
Concentration Internment camps are being built to handle those being rounded up for expulsion.
And, vitally, this policy is not supported by a majority of people in the USA.
The risk is obvious. That country has divided in the past, most dangerously and with a consequent massive loss of life, over issues around race, citizenship, and identity. Now, its government is promoting a policy that is not supported by the majority of people in the USA that is intended to divide that country once more on the basis of such issues. To pretend that there isn't massive potential political risk inherent in this process, with enormous potential consequences, would be absurd.
Trump is taking the USA into exceptionally dangerous territory.
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One of the most dangerous aspects of the ICE roundup is it is based on race, black and Hispanic people are being rounded up, racial profiling is being used, this has been stated explicitly, although some have tried to row back on this. Some of those picked up US citizens, some are native Americans ( think about that)
Generally European appearance illegal migrants have not been picked up, many of these are from the former soviet union area.
Not to worry, Trump just announced that the UK will go to war on his behalf.
Always nice to know whose wagon we’re hitched to.
I do hope Labour MPs are paying attention to the King over the water. Because it’s King Donald who exercises the Royal Prerogative, not King Charles or his Prime Minister.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/15/trump-dismisses-parliamentary-recall-idea-and-praises-starmers-brexit-efforts
Starmer is leaning on a splintered reed. It will soon pierce his hand.
(2 Kings 18:21, for Egypt read USA, for Pharoah, read King Donald)