Start With the Criminals, End With Everyone
The Hidden Logic of Mass Deportation
Let’s stop pretending this is about safety.
When political campaigns say, “We’ll deport the criminals first,” it sounds reasonable—almost compassionate. As if there’s a clear moral line between the dangerous and the decent. As if this is a surgical operation, not a blunt instrument.
But that framing is a lie of omission. The criminals are just the warm-up. The appetizer. The test balloon.
You start with the criminals because you have to. You end with the guy who built your deck.
Because if you really listen to Trump’s base—not the pundits, not the press, but the people packing fairgrounds and school gyms in swing states—you’ll hear something much clearer:
“Why are they still here?”
Not just the murderers or the gang members.
All of them.
That’s the mandate.
That’s the clock.
That’s the mission.
The MAGA Math (Now With More Men)
There are no clean numbers anymore.
For years, the official estimate hovered around 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.—a number passed around by both sides like a shared lie. But that was before the system got overrun. Before Title 42 expired. Before tens of thousands started crossing per day.
Now? Even conservative estimates suggest 20 to 30 million border crossings during the Biden administration alone.
Not total. Just since 2021.
And here’s the kicker: it’s not families anymore. Not women with babies, not asylum seekers with court dates and trauma claims.
It’s men.
Men of military age—from Cuba, Venezuela, China, the Middle East, North Africa. Young. Unaccompanied. Unvetted. Pouring in through every hole in the system.
And here’s where the narrative splits—two roads, both disturbing:
Are they an invading army?
The silent advance force of hostile states? A Trojan horse of 21st-century irregular warfare?Or are they economic aphids?
Remittance machines. Cogs in a black-market labor economy. Pickers, roofers, dishwashers, and delivery ghosts. America’s invisible class—milked like aphids by the industrial ant farms of California and beyond.
Pick your poison.
Either way, they’re here.
And either way, they’re not going anywhere unless someone starts the buses.
Why Criminals Come First
Here’s the legal truth: being undocumented isn’t a crime.
It’s a civil violation—a status issue, not a felony. That’s why ICE doesn’t haul people into court. They issue removal orders. They put you on a plane.
But there’s no spectacle in that. No enemy. No catharsis. No nightly headline.
So the narrative needs a villain.
You lead with the clickbait:
“Undocumented sex offender deported.”
“MS-13 member removed from school district.”
“Illegal alien arrested with fentanyl.”
Each one may be true. But each one is also weaponized—designed to suggest that everyone else looks just like them.
It’s not about justice. It’s about priming the audience.
It’s political hygiene.
It’s the moral alibi.
It’s the first step in normalizing what comes next.
And what comes next?
Everyone else.
Mass Deportation Is the Strategy, Not the Side Effect
Every president says they’ll prioritize “criminals and threats.” That part is old hat.
What’s new is the scale, the urgency, the fantasy—openly stated—of removing millions not for what they’ve done, but for what they are.
Because in this updated vision of America, illegality isn’t a legal category—it’s a spiritual contagion. And the cure is removal.
This isn’t about law and order. It’s about identity and purification.
So while the lawyers on TV explain that overstaying a visa isn’t a crime, millions of voters are shouting:
“So what?”
They don’t want policy nuance.
They want buses.
They want traction.
They want the problem to disappear.
In their minds, “illegal = criminal.”
And criminal = gone.
The System Is Already Moving
If you think this is just campaign rhetoric—don’t.
Legal infrastructure is being fortified.
ICE budgets are growing.
Border states are deputizing.
Courts are being reshaped.
New executive orders are being drafted.
Expedited removal is being tested.
And the moral groundwork? That’s already done.
The public is being taught not to see undocumented immigrants as people. But as presence.
And presence alone is now framed as the problem.
Today the Felon, Tomorrow the Farmhand
This is how moral creep works:
First, deport those with records.
Then, expand the definition of “criminal.”
Then, stop asking why at all.
You don’t need new laws when you can just reinterpret the old ones.
You don’t need new arrests when presence becomes the crime.
You just need a public willing to look away. Or cheer.
Closing
Mass deportation doesn’t begin with cruelty.
It begins with convenience.
With a buzzword like “public safety.”
With a few terrifying headlines about fentanyl and gang tattoos.
With a promise to “restore order.”
But it ends like this:
With families on buses.
With toddlers in cages.
With your Airbnb cleaner gone, and no one to ask why.
And by the time anyone notices the line has moved?
It already has.
📚 Glossary of Terms
Undocumented Immigrant
A person residing in the United States without legal authorization. This includes those who entered unlawfully and those who overstayed a visa.
Civil Violation (Immigration Context)
Violating immigration law (like overstaying a visa or unlawful entry) is generally a civil—not criminal—offense. This means it doesn’t result in jail time but can result in removal (deportation).
ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
A federal agency responsible for identifying, arresting, detaining, and removing undocumented immigrants.
Removal (Deportation)
The legal process of expelling a non-citizen from the U.S. This can follow an administrative hearing, expedited procedures, or orders by immigration judges.
Criminal Alien
A term used by ICE to describe non-citizens who have been convicted of crimes. Often used politically to emphasize threats, regardless of the severity of the crime.
MAGA (Make America Great Again)
A political slogan popularized by Donald Trump, now shorthand for a right-wing populist movement. It encompasses a range of nationalist, anti-globalist, and anti-immigration sentiments.
E-Verify
An online system that allows employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S. through DHS and SSA records. Rarely mandatory.
Catch and Release
A political phrase used to criticize the practice of releasing undocumented immigrants into the U.S. while they await immigration court dates.
Removal Proceedings
A legal process initiated by the government to determine whether a non-citizen should be deported from the U.S.
Sanctuary City
A jurisdiction that limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement to protect low-priority undocumented immigrants from deportation.
❓ FAQ – What People Keep Getting Wrong About Mass Deportation
Q: Is being undocumented in the U.S. a crime?
A: Not by itself. Entering without inspection is a misdemeanor on first offense under 8 U.S. Code § 1325. But overstaying a visa—the way most undocumented immigrants arrive—is not a crime, just a civil violation. It does not carry criminal penalties.
Q: Why start with “criminals” then?
A: Because it sells. It’s politically palatable. The average American voter is more likely to support removal if the person is labeled “dangerous.” It’s a Trojan horse: lead with felons, follow with families.
Q: Are there really 20–30 million undocumented immigrants?
A: Official estimates from Pew and DHS place the number closer to 10.5 to 11.5 million. The 20–30 million figure is a MAGA talking point based on disputed extrapolations and models. But the political perception—and thus the mandate—is built around that higher number.
Q: Is mass deportation even logistically possible?
A: Not without extreme and likely unconstitutional measures. To remove 20+ million people, you'd need:
Tens of thousands of new ICE agents
Mass detention centers
Suspension of due process
National guard or military involvement
It would cost hundreds of billions of dollars and likely collapse the agriculture, construction, and service industries overnight.
Q: Has Trump (or any GOP leader) explicitly said they’ll deport all undocumented immigrants?
A: In 2015–2016, Trump repeatedly said he would deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants. In 2024 and 2025, he has signaled this goal more tactically—promising “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” Allies like Stephen Miller and Tom Homan are openly planning mass removal via executive order, military resources, and revoked TPS/DACA protections.
Q: Don’t Democrats also deport immigrants?
A: Yes. Obama was labeled “Deporter-in-Chief” by immigrant rights groups—he deported more than 3 million people, prioritizing criminals and recent arrivals. Biden has continued many of Trump’s enforcement mechanisms, especially under political pressure. But the scale and rhetoric of Trump 2.0 is categorically different: not reform, but removal.
Q: Isn’t deportation based on individual cases?
A: In theory. But under a policy of “expedited removal,” ICE can deport individuals without hearings if they’ve been in the U.S. less than two years and can’t prove otherwise. There’s legal precedent for expanding this power.
Q: What about people who’ve lived here for decades?
A: They’re still deportable if undocumented. Even if they’ve paid taxes, raised families, or committed no crimes. Unless Congress passes a pathway to legalization, their fate hinges on executive discretion. That discretion is rapidly disappearing.
🔍 Fact Check Notes
✅ Civil vs. Criminal: Spot on. Being undocumented ≠ criminal. The distinction is often deliberately blurred.
⚠️ 20–30 Million Estimate: Politically useful, but not statistically supported. Use with rhetorical intent, but footnote the source of the perception.
✅ Start With Criminals = Optics: Historically true. Every mass deportation effort begins with “bad guys” as the moral rationale.
✅ Mass Deportation Infrastructure Exists: ICE, CBP, and DHS have been steadily expanding tools—Palantir software, license plate tracking, biometric databases—making logistical enforcement increasingly scalable.
✅ Trump's 2024–2025 Promises: Well-documented. In campaign speeches, he called for a “largest ever deportation operation,” with references to Eisenhower’s “Operation Wetback” and new legal interpretations of the Alien Enemies Act.
✅ Executive Orders: Trump allies are drafting orders bypassing Congress by declaring national emergencies under immigration law and national security authority.