Axios Discovers Mass Deportations Are Unpopular, Eight Years Too Late
The sudden realization that mass deportations might be 'trouble' for Trump politically is a masterclass in detached analysis. Axios notes ICE's plummeting approval, conveniently years after images of children in cages, family separations, and widespread human rights abuses became the norm under both Republican and Democratic administrations. (Remember when Biden reopened a Trump-era child migrant
facility, only to face minimal mainstream outrage?) The shift in 'public opinion' isn't about moral awakening, but a cynical calculation that the 'border chaos' has now migrated from headlines demonizing migrants to headlines reflecting poorly on the enforcers. One might wonder where this sudden concern for 'inhumane' deportations was when the same ICE agents were terrorizing communities for
years. The Heritage Foundation, a key architect of Trump's 'Project 2025' on immigration, has explicitly pushed for these policies. The 'millions' spent on pro-deportation media by the administration, fronted by Kristi Noem, was met with relative silence while it was 'deciding the last election.' Now that the backlash includes 'abolish ICE' calls and potential congressional oversight (with
Democrats suddenly remembering they have subpoena power), it's a 'problem.' How very convenient of the media to find their conscience when it aligns with electability.