Trump drops all pretense of ‘going after criminals’ with latest deportation scheme
ALSO INSIDE: Court uses Abrego Garcia’s case as precedent to return fourth illegally deported person
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
And if you’re looking for a little more from COURIER, Akilah Hughes’ new series, “How is This Better?” explores how Trump’s anti-DEI crusade is erasing Jackie Robinson, and our docuseries “REPRESENT” follows Deja Foxx’s as she gets real about the highs and lows of running for Congress.
Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
The Trump administration is planning to mainstream a deportation technique that it’s been beta testing, which betrays one of Trump’s key campaign promises: that he’d only go after violent criminals.
The method, crafted by the administration’s latest shadow president, Stephen Miller, involves dismissing any legal proceedings involving an immigrant in order to take them out of the judicial system. With no pending case, ICE can execute an expedited deportation without the threat of having to return them so they can have their day in court, as was the case with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
As first reported by CNN, Trump plans to dismiss hundreds of thousands of asylum claims, opening every person whose claim is dismissed to deportation. But what CNN and most other outlets are focusing on is the number of people who could be deported — which supporters of Trump’s immigration policy will see as a win — instead of the reality of what this approach would mean for this country.
Polling has consistently shown that, while most Americans support the deportation of violent criminals, a majority are opposed to removing non-violent criminals, and even fewer people support deporting immigrants with no criminal record. When it’s revealed that someone has been deported illegally or a well-known community member has been abducted, the public has been outraged, because that’s not what people want.
And it bears noting again: The “violent criminals” Trump promised to deport aren’t eligible for asylum. By targeting asylum seekers, Trump is giving up all pretense of going after criminals. And by normalizing this plan as part of Trump’s original campaign promise, major media outlets become complicit in creating the perception that anyone he deports must be a violent criminal, when that’s proven not to be the case.
Attempts to Sanewash
Far-Right Spin
DHS chief Kristi Noem watches U.S.-bound illegal aliens get deported from Panama
MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace Rants About How ‘Gutted’ She Felt After Trump Deported Alleged Gang Members
Trump adviser Stephen Miller promises ‘fireworks’ in deportation fight
Court orders the return of another wrongly deported man
Nearly two months after being illegally deported, a federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to bring Jordin Alexander Melgar-Salmeron back to the United States. In the order, the judges use the return of Abrego Garcia as legal precedent for their decision.
“The Government is hereby ORDERED to facilitate the return of Petitioner to the United States as soon as possible,” the order states. “To ‘ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,’ Noem v. Abrego Garcia.”
DHS has taken the predictable stance: instead of taking responsibility, they threw out a stream of unverified accusations against Melgar-Salmeron, rejecting the very notion that someone accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty. DHS has been ordered to provide an update by next Tuesday, but the agency has not-so-subtely signaled they will try to delay Melgar-Salmeron’s return as much as possible.
As I mentioned above, the Trump administration’s move to dismiss immigration cases is to prevent this exact thing from happening. Without a case to be handled, Abrego Garcia, Melgar-Salmeron, and the two other individuals the administration has been ordered to bring back would not be able to claim a constitutional right to have their day in court, as there would be no charges against them.
That’s not to say judges won’t find another way to offer justice to those wrongly targeted by the Trump administration, as the judicial system at almost every level seems intent on retaining their power to put a check on the presidency.
US Rep. Dale Strong, Alabama’s 5th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2023, Rep. Strong has:
Seen his net worth decrease slightly — most of his money’s in real estate — from $25 million to $21 million
Sponsored 25 bills
Authored one bill that has been signed into law, which redrew federal courthouse boundaries in northern Alabama
Fun Facts
Rep. Dale “Scumbag” Strong has come out swinging under the Trump administration, clearly looking for his “Red, White, and Greenland” moment. He’s introduced legislation—that hasn’t gone anywhere—with catchy titles like the “No More Funding for NPR Act,” the “Deport Illegal Voters Act,” and the “Promoting American Patriotism In Our Schools Act.”
A few proposals seem a little desperate to catch Trump’s attention, however, like one to strip Dr. Anthony Fauci of secruity detail, and another commemorating the fourth anniversary of someone in the Trump administration recommending Strong’s district as the location for Space Command Headquarters (It’s still in Colorado—sorry, Dale).
While running for Congress, Strong earned the “scumbag” moniker with a false claim during a debate about his opponent using their position as a school superintendent to get “personal sexual gratificaiton.” He’s since become much more careful about his public interactions by avoiding public scrutiny altogether. Strong has gone as far as to stage photos that look like a town hall to give the appearance of meeting with constituents, while people in the photo said he showed up, “bragged the entire time about how he and Trump are buddies,” and left without taking any questions.
Iowa reporter breaks down the FEMA-Waffle House connection
The notion that the level of service provided by Waffle House could determine the severity of a natural disaster, known as the Waffle House Index, was first concocted in 2006. Since then, the urban legend has spread throughout the internet, stoked by subtle nods from FEMA employees.
But is it real?
In the latest episode of “Cornhole Champions,” a podcast produced by COURIER’s Iowa Starting Line, political reporter Zachary Oren Smith, not only confirms the existence of the Waffle House Index, but breaks down what the level of service can tell you about the severity of the disaster at hand.
Make sure to watch or listen to the whole episode for a full rundown on the Wafle House Index and some major shakeups in Iowa’s 2026 congressional races.
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