Media Falsely Argue GOP Will Lose Because Of Deportations
This article critiques the narrative promoted by media and some Republican figures suggesting that stopping deportations would restore voter support for the GOP. It argues that recent polling and election results contradict this claim, showing that Americans have rejected uncontrolled immigration policies, as evidenced by the election outcomes and public opinion shifted away from open borders. Despite this, media outlets and certain politicians continue to push the idea that anti-ICE enforcement is unpopular and that appeasing pro-illegal immigration sentiments is politically advantageous, leading to a perceived weakness within the Republican Party. The piece emphasizes that voters initially opposed illegal immigration but later reacted negatively when policies shifted, highlighting a disconnect between media narratives, political messaging, and actual voter preferences. The author asserts that Republican reluctance to stand firm on immigration issues may cause further electoral losses, and criticizes the tendency to blame the electorate rather than address the internal political shortcomings.
New messaging operation: We just have to stop deporting people, and then Americans will love the Republican Party again.
If you believe the legacy media, which you should never do, Americans are very angry that their warm and wonderful “undocumented” neighbors are being cruelly thrown out of the country. Republicans are about to lose their majorities in the House and Senate because everyone hates ICE for being so mean and aggressive.
One of the implied messages that necessarily underlie this framing is that Americans just adore the heroism of the stunning and brave anti-ICE riots. Predictably, a bunch of weak Republicans have embraced the claim, pivoting to an anti-ICE, pro-illegals message.
To see how the argument is being made, take a look at a Sept. 27 story in Politico: “ICE operations are making it hard for vulnerable Republicans fighting for their political survival.” The story frames deportation as a deeply unpopular measure. The political environment has calmed since the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but “ICE’s recent record-high arrest rate is still landing hard in some communities.”
And then, big finish, Politico drops a quote from professional cuckold John Cornyn, who warns against going too far: “There’s already been some blowback associated with what people feel is a little bit of a heavy hand when it comes to immigration enforcement.”
Capitulate, and then you can win again. This is RINO 101, and it’s everything that’s wrong with the Republican Party.
The place where the claims about 2026 fall apart is 2024. After four years with a wide-open border, voters rejected uncontrolled mass migration and human trafficking, handing over the keys to Republicans. On Nov. 6, 2024, The New York Times explained the outcome this way:
Image CreditScreenshot
Every establishment newsletter made the same argument. The Atlantic, a paste-eating gaggle of slogan-chanters who mindlessly recite conventional wisdom in exchange for a paycheck, warned that Democrats had gotten immigration disastrously wrong. Just two years ago, the supposedly mainstream argument was that voters were incandescent with rage over the flood of illegal immigrants pouring into the country.
So American voters hated seeing mass illegal immigration, voted against it, then reacted with horror when a new administration began working to reverse the thing that everybody hated and voted against. Everyone wanted cheeseburgers, so they got cheeseburgers, which made them furious because they hate cheeseburgers. Popular things are deeply unpopular. The logic doesn’t work.
In a sign that the media still does these information operations because they’re still effective, polls suggest that a good number of Americans are either buying it or parroting it. A July poll from Gallup found “majority-level opposition to deportation,” and a widespread view that cheap foreign labor is good for the economy. (Please, sir, may I have more MS-13?)
This kind of manipulated outcome is the result of media hysteria and Republican weakness, as an electorate that turned hard against illegal immigration suddenly discovers two years later that they hate what they just voted for. Republicans have to make an argument to get people to buy the argument. Instead we get John Cornyn and María Elvira Salazar.
If Republicans face serious losses in November, we’re going to play the “blame my pet cause” game in the aftermath. This will be the fake takeaway: See, the voters want unlimited illegal immigration without deportation. Giving up the fight and choosing weakness will validate an argument that the country hated in 2024, turning a winning issue into a losing issue because Republicans flinch before the punch lands. Defeat is a choice.
Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at “Tell Me How This Ends,” here.
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