During a campaign rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, suggested that his plan to deport millions of immigrants in the United States would utilize violence on a massive scale.
Trump falsely insinuated that immigrants living in the U.S. were mostly violent criminals, a claim that has been debunked many times over the past several years. He also peddled the false claim that violent immigrants had “taken over sections” of the state of Colorado — a blatant attempt at fear mongering for political gain.
Trump has made immigration a focal point of his presidential campaign. He has vowed to become a dictator in order to achieve his far right immigration goals, and has promised to use the military to establish huge camps to detain people in what would be “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” conjuring imagery reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps. He has repeatedly spewed fascist, racist rhetoric against immigrants, alleging that they are “poisoning the blood of the country.”
During his rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, Trump noted that his proposal to round up immigrants would require violence.
“Getting them out will be a bloody story,” Trump said. “[Undocumented immigrants] should have never been allowed to come into our country. Nobody checked them.”
Trump did not elaborate on what a “bloody story” would mean, specifically, but the statement indicates that his plan would require a brutal military campaign against immigrants in the U.S.
Trump frequently tries to justify his attacks on undocumented immigrants by claiming that they are increasing crime rates in the country. However, several studies have debunked those claims over the years, and more recent investigations have shown that the opposite is true: Where more immigrants reside, crime rates tend to lessen, not increase.
One such study showed that U.S.-born residents were more than two times more likely to commit violent crimes, in general, than immigrants were, with U.S.-born residents 2.52 times more likely to commit homicide than undocumented immigrants.
Another study examined Republican governors’ cruel PR stunt to bus immigrants to Democratic-run cities in the U.S., falsely promising that jobs and shelter were awaiting them there. According to that research, those cities actually saw their crime levels drop after the buses of immigrants arrived.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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