Trump’s Border Success Sparks Debate Over Immigration Control
Trump’s efforts to curb illegal border crossings face resistance from businesses and institutions reliant on immigration.
2 min read
President Donald Trump has made significant strides in reducing illegal border crossings, with numbers dropping by over 90% since his administration began. Despite this, his approach to internal deportation has sparked controversy and backlash from Democrats and some independents. The administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics have drawn intense media scrutiny and public concern over how deportations are carried out.
Border Security and Legal Immigration
Illegal crossings at the southern border have declined sharply, while legal immigration has slowed considerably. Fewer visas are being issued, and processing immigration requests has slowed to a crawl. According to a report by UnHerd’s Alexcia Nieves, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services completed 74% fewer naturalizations in July 2026 than at the same point a year earlier.
Deportation Controversies and Public Opinion
While Trump’s border security efforts have gained support from a large percentage of Democrats and independents, his internal deportation policies have faced fierce opposition. Out of an estimated 14 million people living in the U.S. illegally, only a tiny fraction has been deported. In 2025, over 120,000 people were deported, up 150% from the 47,000 in 2024. The exact number of those deported who re-entered the U.S. illegally remains unknown.
Public Support for Lower Immigration
Despite the backlash, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that around 60% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of immigration. Yet, disapproval of his tactics does not translate into broader opposition to his efforts to curb immigration. A Gallup survey found that two-thirds of Americans favor maintaining or reducing current immigration levels. This suggests that while some may be uncomfortable with Trump’s hard-line tactics, they generally support the outcome.
Global Context and Institutional Resistance
Trump’s success in controlling the border is an anomaly in the Western world. Many European countries have struggled to reduce immigration, with more illegal immigrants flooding into cities and altering national demographics. The UK’s exit from the EU in 2016 was expected to curb immigration, but the number of immigrants to Britain surged to 1.3 million in 2023, up from 589,000 in 2016.
Powerful Interests and Political Challenges
Immigration has created powerful economic and political interests that resist changes. Businesses in sectors like hospitality, food, construction, and personal services have become dependent on migrant labor. Government agencies and nonprofits have also built programs around migrants, often serving poorer populations from the Global South. These dependencies create political pressure to maintain high immigration levels.
Conclusion: A Unique Achievement
Trump’s first two years have demonstrated that it is possible to end the age of mass migration, but it has required extraordinary political effort and faced multidirectional resistance. His most difficult battles have not always been with the liberal opposition, but with businesses, government programs, and other institutions that have adapted to high immigration and now have an interest in its continuation.
Source: PJ Media
