Indiana GOP Senator-Elect Jim Banks is all-in with Trump’s plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, economic consequences be damned. Banks made an appearance this Friday on CNN’s Inside Politics, and was asked by host Dana Bash how Trump’s policy would actually be executed, and whether he believes all undocumented immigrants should be “kicked out of the country.”
“It’s my hope that we deport every single one of them that we can,” Banks replied. “And it starts with deporting violent criminals who are in the United States, who came here illegally, who have committed violent crimes.”
Banks also insisted that Republicans were going to “increase the penalties on businesses who hire illegals,” and that many undocumented migrants would then “leave on their own.”
Republicans have never gone after the businesses that rely on this labor, just the workers, so I’ll believe that when I see it. After Banks told Bash they would have the votes to fund Trump’s deportation plans, Bash asked him about how their plans would affect those with no criminal record, or children and those in mixed status families.
BASH: So, just to be clear. I know you say that it would be the people who are criminals first. But then ultimately, every undocumented immigrant in this country, even those who perhaps are deemed by their neighbors as contributing to society, or perhaps those who are married to American citizens or legal immigrants, that’s it, children, adults, older people, they all should be gone.
Banks responded by blowing off those concerns, claiming they have a “mandate,” (they don’t) and pretending this would be easy to carry out.
BANKS: The American people spoke loud and clear on Tuesday. They gave this president and Republicans a mandate to do everything that we can. The goal should be to deport every illegal in this country that we can find.
And as I said a moment ago. If you take away the incentive for them to come here in the first place by turning up the pressure on those who employ illegals, then you’ve taken away the incentive they’re going to go back to where they came from.
So, you start with the violent criminals that America — Americans are counting on President Trump and Republicans to send them back to reduce violent crime in this country. But I think the goal has to be in the American people expect it to be to deport those who came here illegally.
BASH: And how does that work? I mean that’s a huge undertaking. How does that even actually work realistic?
BANKS: No doubt about it. President Trump said yesterday that it could be costly, but we — but the American people deserve it to do, to do everything we can do to return sanity by to this country —
BASH: Forgive me, but aside from the money — the money is one thing. But I’m talking about like, how do — how does it work? If you just pick Indiana, for example, how do you want the federal government to go about finding people and physically getting them out of the country.
BANKS: I don’t think this is that complicated. I spoke with a local sheriff in Indiana earlier today, who’s ready. Local law enforcement is ready to go to do what it takes to help with the mass deportation effort.
But if you take away those incentives from business and put pressure on businesses who hire illegals in this country, then many of these, maybe most of those who are here illegally are going to go back on their own.
And that’s what Donald Trump and Republicans in the House and the Senate are focused on. I think it begins with deporting violent criminals. It’s not that hard to find them. And if you take away the incentive, many of them will go back to where they came from.
Bash asked Banks about the concerns from businesses that rely on undocumented labor, and Banks blew them off as well.
BANKS: A mandate is a mandate. And the president winning the popular vote on Tuesday is a strong signal that this is what the American people, the public, expects us to do. And only Republicans who completely misread the moment, who don’t understand what the mandate means. And I don’t think there are very many of them left in Congress. It’s a lot — it’s a bigger, it’s a much different Congress makeup today than what it was in 2016 when President Trump was first elected.
You don’t have Republicans in the House and the Senate who will fight back against President Trump to do what the American people want him to do, to deport illegals and to secure the border. The American people are counting on us to do it and that will be our focus.
Most of the American public doesn’t actually understand the economic impact of what they just voted for. Banks and the rest of them are going to find that out as soon as they drive inflation through the roof if they allow Trump to follow through on this. If they think groceries or the price of housing is high now, wait until the farmers and meat packing plants and construction industry and others don’t have enough workers.
I’m waiting to see how Trump voters react once they realize they allowed the leopard to eat their face as well.
