Trump Cites Eisenhower Deportation as Remedy For Illegals

Let me just tell you about Dwight Eisenhower—a good president, great president, Trump said after a back-and-forth with Ohio Gov. John Kasich where Kasich argued for mass amnesty for all the illegal aliens in America.

People liked him. I liked Ike. [That’s the] expression. ‘I Like Ike.’ He moved a million and a half illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border: They came back. Moved them again, beyond the border: They came back. Then moved them way south. They never came back.

Source: Breitbart.com

Trump then went on to cite a 2006 article in the Christian Science Monitor that outlined what Eisenhower did on June 1954 during Operation Wetback:

Fifty-three years ago, when newly elected Dwight Eisenhower moved into the White House, America’s southern frontier was as porous as a spaghetti sieve. As many as 3 million illegal migrants had walked and waded northward over a period of several years for jobs in California, Arizona, Texas, and points beyond,” the Christian Science Monitor wrote in 2006. “President Eisenhower cut off this illegal traffic. He did it quickly and decisively with only 1,075 United States Border Patrol agents – less than one-tenth of today’s force. The operation is still highly praised among veterans of the Border Patrol.

Because political resistance was lower in California and Arizona, the roundup of aliens began there.

Some 750 agents swept northward through agricultural areas with a goal of 1,000 apprehensions a day. By the end of July, over 50,000 aliens were caught in the two states. Another 488,000, fearing arrest, had fled the country. By mid-July, the crackdown extended northward into Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, and eastward to Texas. By September, 80,000 had been taken into custody in Texas, and an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 illegals had left the Lone Star State voluntarily.

Source: ChristianScienceMonitor.com

Trump began his exchange with Kasich when he was asked for a reaction to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld a ruling by a federal judge in Texas who declared that President Obama’s executive order to suspend prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants was unconstitutional. Trump noted:

I was so happy yesterday when I saw that decision come down.

That was an unbelievable decision and we don’t have enough of those decisions coming down. He did the executive order because nobody wants to listen to him even the Democrats so he just goes around signing executive orders. That was a great day. And frankly, we have to stop illegal immigration. It’s hurting us economically. It’s hurting us from every standpoint. It’s causing tremendous difficulty with respect to drugs and what that does to many inner cities in particular. It really was such an unbelievable moment because the courts have not been ruling in our favor. It was a 2-1 decision and it was a terrific thing that happened. I’ll tell you, we are a country of laws. We need borders. We will have a wall. A wall will be built. The wall will be successful and if you think walls don’t work all you have to do is ask Israel. The wall works, believe me.

Source: Breitbart.com

There is no question that Trump’s position on illegal immigration and illegal’s already living in this country is resonating with the American public, and it appears that much of his support begins with his strong position regarding illegal immigration and on protecting the American worker and the American economy. That stands in stark contrast to Kasich’s open acceptance of illegals receiving amnesty and citizenship, or Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio’s more nuanced approach of providing a “pathway” to citizenship, which sounds like amnesty light to many conservative citizens.

So it is Trump who leads the polls and who is clear about his preferred resolution to the problem. And in his telling of the solution, he can point to a clear example of how it could be achieved, and that it is actually possible with sufficient political will.

The bigger question is if any of the other Republican candidates will embrace the popularity of this position, and then, after one of the candidates, possibly even Mr. Trump ascends to the presidency, if any will be willing to make good on the promise.

That remains to be seen.