Dr Baljeet critically discusses Trump’s victory in America due to anti-immigration policies and the MAGA initiative, exclusively for Different Truths, along with mass deportations, tariffs, and sanctions.
Donald Trump’s decisive victory as President of the United States of America in recently held elections is primarily based on two counts: one is his anti-immigration policy and the other to ‘Make America Great Again (MAGA)’.
His anti-immigration laws are linked to MAGA. Both are interconnected. Throughout his strenuous electoral campaigns, he consistently stressed the issue of illegal migration. It is, he said, one of the potent causes of all ills of the American people.
He passed the buck for the misfortune of the Americans to the wrong policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden. His gesticulating and emotional speeches in the electoral campaigns turned the tide in his favour. Consequently, most of the electorate overwhelmingly elected him to the most powerful post.
Trump’s Electoral Promise
Within days of assuming the mega office on January 20, 2025, in the White House, Donald Trump issued a slew of executive orders to fulfill his promise to the electorate to do away with illegal or undocumented migrants from American land. He exhibited extreme dislike rather than hate for them and called them criminals, burglars, thieves, larcenies, undesirable aliens, and animals.
Justifying his claim Trump said that they are a potential threat to national security and public safety. They have created housing problems, overcrowded hospitals, messed up educational institutions, and posed serious health problems. In one of his election campaigns in Michigan on April 2, 2024, Trump stated, “The Democrats say, ‘Please don’t call them animals. They are humans.’ I said, ‘No, they are not humans, they are not humans, they are animals…” Such vitriolic comments smack of the President’s hatred for illegal migrants. Those who expressed sympathy for these unfortunate ones were equally reprimanded.
Bishop Budde’s Sermon
The sermon of Mariann Edgar Budde, the Bishop of the National Cathedral, Washington, which she delivered in front of Trump during the prayer service deserves a special mention in this context. Expressing deep concern over the unity of the people, she said, “Because the culture of contempt that has become normalized in our country threatens to destroy us. Further, she adds, “But is a dangerous way to lead a country.” “Let me make one final plea, Mr President. Millions have put their trust in you…. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. They are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families who fear for their lives.” On other migrants, she said, “They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.”
This emotional and logical speech of the Bishop hardly moved the hardliner President. He criticised Budde as a ‘radical left hardliner Trump hater’ and described her tone as ‘nasty’.
A Spree of Mass Deportations
With full determination and wholehearted commitment, President Trump embarked on a spree of mass deportations. On January 29, 2025, he signed ‘The Laken Riley Act’ authorising the US Department of Security to detain illegal migrants. He also ordered the preparation of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre to house hundreds of thousands of migrants.
The first deportation flight carrying 200 deportees landed in Venezuela. Thereafter, began a beeline. Hand-cuffed and leg-chained deportees were huddled together in US military planes and sent to different countries, including Guatemala, Peru, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and India. Colombian President Gustavo Pedro reacted sharply against the highhandedness of the Trump administration for denigrating the dignity of its citizens. Consequently, he sent back the two US military aircrafts, carrying Colombian deportees in an undignified manner. He said he would send Colombian planes to bring back his citizens if they were not required in the United States.
The President threatened with 25% tariffs on its goods, followed by 50% the next week. Under pressure, the Mexican President is said to have backed down.
Indian Deportees in Shackles
Recently, Indian citizens in shackles were deported from the US to India. The Indian government flagged the issue with the US government, but in vain. This undermining process of human dignity by the most powerful State is continuing unabashedly. The President has declared a national emergency at the southern border. He has increased the number of troops at the border and ordered the sealing of the Mexican border from where maximum migration takes place.
To enforce these strict anti-immigration acts and to ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA), Trump has imposed tariffs on imported goods in the United States from other countries. A tariff is a tax imposed on imported goods in a receiving country. Its purpose is to promote and protect domestic industry. On all Chinese goods, a 10% tariff has been imposed. The same percentage of the tariff has also been imposed on steel and aluminium goods from all other countries. Canada and Mexico have been threatened with a 25% tariff on their goods if they fail to stop human trafficking and smuggling of narcotics such as fentanyl into the United States. Besides tariffs, the President has used another equally forceful ploy, that is Sanctions, to get his adversaries to kneel before him.
Sanctions Explained
Sanctions, a sort of penalty, are designed to prevent goods and services from entering the sanctioned country. Its purpose is to cause maximum economic damage to the country to bend it or change its behaviour. For instance, the United States has imposed many sanctions against Iran for its human rights abuses, providing weaponry to Russia for use against Ukraine, Iran’s support for Hamas, etc.
Recently, it has imposed economic sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli President Netanyahu for his war crimes in Gaza and investigations of human rights violations by America in Afghanistan. This process of Tariffs and Sanctions by the present President continues unabated.
The purpose of the anti-immigration laws, Tariffs and Sanctions is, as already enumerated, to MAGA. The President is justified in his way that by getting rid of the undocumented migrants, America would reach the pinnacle of power. But then is it justified to transport them in shackles? Certainly not. They are human beings and thus deserve to be treated with dignity.
Worldwide Condemnation
This humiliating and insulting treatment of them by the US authorities has been condemned worldwide. Furthermore, according to the Pew Research Report of 2022, there are 11 million illegal migrants in America. The majority of them work as labourers in construction, agriculture, and hospitality sectors such as restaurants, etc. If they are all deported, as the President intends, it would cost billions of dollars. Would it not be a great strain on the exchequer?
Besides, with the exit of this large workforce, who would fill the vacuum in the sectors wherein they laboured? No doubt they contributed a lot to the economy of the country. It would be a double whammy of huge expenditure on transportation to their countries of origin and lack of workforce in the said sectors.
Lastly, the cycle of Tariffs and Sanctions set in motion by the President to bring around his adversaries is bound to create reactions and will lead to trade wars. The era of trade wars will not augur well for the economies of all nations.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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