CROUERE: Americans Voted to Deport Illegal Aliens

# Summary

Jeff Crouere argues that voters endorsed President Trump's 2024 pledge for "Mass Deportation Now." The article links the campaign promise, polling data, reported enforcement activity since the second inauguration, political pushback, and claims about public-safety outcomes.

What the article reports happened

• The 2024 campaign emphasized a large-scale deportation effort. Crouere cites President Trump's acceptance speech promise to "launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country" and later campaign remarks reiterating that pledge.

• A June 2024 CBS News poll is cited showing 62% of Americans supported "a New National Program to Deport All Undocumented Immigrants." The article uses that poll to argue the electorate backed the policy.

• After the 2024 election, in which the piece notes Trump won 312 electoral votes across 30 states and the popular vote, the administration pursued enforcement. From January 20, 2025 through May 2026 the article reports the government removed over three million illegal aliens: more than two million self-deported, 900,000 deported by the administration, and an additional 900,000 arrested.

Political response and agency statements

• Some Republican figures criticized the scale and methods of enforcement. Karl Rove is quoted as saying the policies "created a new problem," and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar accused enforcement of going too far, claiming that a sizable share of detainees had no criminal record.

• The article disputes Salazar's framing by stating that illegal entry is itself a crime. It also says 17 Republican House members co-sponsored a bill Salazar supported, which the author frames as contrary to the 2024 electoral mandate.

• A weekend report suggested DHS had ordered ICE to limit arrests to violent migrants. DHS quickly refuted that rumor, posting that "No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest…all illegal aliens that come into our path" and describing a nationwide public-safety surge in sanctuary cities targeting criminal illegal aliens.

Enforcement consequences and framing

• The article credits the administration with stopping a perceived flow of illegal migration, contrasting it with what it describes as permissive policies under the prior administration that allowed about six million illegal entrants.

• Crouere links enforcement to falling crime in some areas and cites a Census Bureau figure reported elsewhere that foreign-born population counts dropped by 2.9 million year-over-year as an indicator of enforcement effectiveness.

• The piece asserts ICE officers face increased hostility, reporting 647 assaults on ICE agents since the second term began—described as a 1,700% increase versus the prior administration's comparable period—and attributes the rise to political rhetoric and protests.

Author's argument and call to action

The author urges Republicans to back the president's deportation policies in midterm campaigns, arguing enforcement is popular, lawful, and beneficial to public safety. The piece frames opponents—media, Democrats, moderate Republicans, and business interests—as out of step with voters.