Some Democrats Quietly Back Trump’s Immigration Plan

President-elect Donald Trump and state-level Democrats fought throughout his first term over immigration. His administration sued California over their sanctuary policies — meaning local officials would not hand illegal migrants over to ICE — and a coalition of state attorneys general sued Trump over his attempt to build a border wall.

Multiple state-level officials have confirmed, both openly and anonymously, that they will engage in similar maneuvering to slow down Trump’s progress in his next term. However, there is reason to believe some Democrats may be more willing to cut a deal this time around.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently stated she would “call ICE” if her state arrested an illegal migrant who committed a crime. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) similarly called for changes to the city’s sanctuary laws, saying, “people who are violent” should not “have the privilege of being in our city.”

The reasons for these changes are two-fold: recognition of a genuine problem and political self-preservation.

ICE’s data shows that in NYC alone, there are nearly 60,000 illegal migrants with a criminal background; over 1,000 are likely gang members. This data is also incomplete, as New York does not share data with the federal government. The surge of illegal migration under President Biden, coupled with the serious crimes committed by some migrants, has made immigration one of this year’s top issues for Americans.

This is why Adams recently agreed to meet with Trump’s deportation chief, Tom Homan. "I want to hear the actual plan, how we are going to actually operationalize this," Adams said. The New York mayor now has no other option than to work with the Republicans promising to address the illegal migration crisis, as the Biden-Harris administration offered him no support.

New York State, New York City, and New Jersey saw historic shifts to the right in the recent presidential election. Democratic leaders in these areas can read the writing on the wall and understand their jobs are in jeopardy if they continue down the same path.

So, to keep their states from drifting further right, these mayors and governors may be more willing to let Trump do the “dirty work” and rid the illegal migrants from their states who, if they are not committing crimes, are hemorrhaging money from the state with their housing, social service, and medical needs.