According to an August memorandum from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump‘s top priority is to secure the border.
“The President’s determination to restore our neglected position in the Western Hemisphere” consists of efforts to “seal our borders, repel invasion, counter narcotics and trafficking,” while aiding the Department of Homeland Security’s “mission to deport illegal aliens,” the memorandum obtained by Defense One states.
TRUMP’S DEPORTATION RECORD IS UNDERRATED
It’s clear why. Under the previous administration, border crossings hit record highs of up to 132,000 a month.
The amount of illicit drugs that cross the border has skyrocketed and reached too many American bloodstreams. In 2024, the United States mourned almost 50,000 fentanyl-related deaths.
To add to the tragedies already felt by American families, parents now have to worry that even if their children do not fall victim to drugs, they might not make it home because of the criminals the Biden administration released.
For example, the 2024 murder of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant caught and released by Democratic administrations several times in different states, highlighted just how much the country needed to focus on its border problem, ramp up deportations, and end catch-and-release policies.
This murder highlighted the desperate need to do something to address the crisis and prompted members of Congress to support Trump even more.
“What we need to be doing is deporting every illegal immigrant in America. No exceptions,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner.
Even Trump’s outspoken opponents, such as Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), who supported Trump’s impeachment in his first term, agreed that Trump was the man who could take decisive action on the border crisis.
In a December op-ed, Newhouse wrote about the importance of securing the border, adding that Trump would successfully enforce immigration law, which would heal the country after Biden’s disastrous border policies.
“Over the last four years, we have seen over 10 million illegal migrant encounters nationwide and numerous executive orders aimed at weakening our border security,” Newhouse wrote. “A nation without secure borders is a nation at risk. It is past time for strong leadership and decisive action.”
And that is exactly what Trump has brought to the table.
After becoming president, Trump immediately directed the Department of Homeland Security to maximize its immigration enforcement operations and ordered the Department of Defense to cooperate with overwhelmed law enforcement and the DHS.
Under his leadership, 60,000 migrants were apprehended in August. Trump has enhanced his operations since.
Last week, 475 illegal immigrants were detained at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. Weeks before, the Trump administration struck partnerships with multiple states to create additional holding facilities only for dangerous illegal immigrants set to be deported.
BORDER SECURE, NO NEW LEGISLATION REQUIRED
Trump’s heroic leadership has begun to rescue America from the threats pouring into our country and sent a clear message to unlawful trespassers and America’s enemies that the full extent of the law will be used against them if prompted.
Americans were almost out of time to fight off an invasion of drugs and crime that poured in through our southern border. Thankfully, the president’s dedication to enforcing his priorities shows us once again that, unlike many in Washington, he keeps the promises that he makes.