Just a few days into Donald Trump’s second term, the situation at the southern border is already shifting—and not in the way critics might have predicted. Reports indicate a noticeable “outflow of persons,” as illegal immigrants begin voluntarily deporting themselves. Conservative commentator Glenn Beck didn’t waste any time pointing out the obvious: the Biden-era “welcome mat” has been rolled up and shoved into storage. For many Americans, this development comes as a much-needed course correction after years of unchecked border chaos. Polls consistently show that a significant majority of Americans are on board with tighter enforcement and even mass deportations.
Co-host Stu Burguiere backed up Beck’s observations by citing a range of polls from outlets like Axios and the New York Times, all of which reflect the public’s appetite for stricter immigration policies. According to Burguiere, 66% of Americans support deportations, a statistic that probably has open-border advocates squirming. Predictably, left-leaning media outlets have jumped into the fray, accusing the Trump administration of plotting to raid schools and round up illegal immigrant children. Burguiere dismissed such claims as overblown fearmongering, reiterating that Trump’s focus, as stated by both the president and border czar Tom Homan, remains on deporting criminals who have committed additional offenses—not innocent families.
Interestingly, much of the movement at the border doesn’t even require ICE agents banging on doors. Burguiere noted that a significant number of deportations will be self-imposed as illegal immigrants face the stark reality that the open-door policies of the Biden administration are no longer in play. Without promises of leniency or incentives to stay, many are choosing to pack up and leave voluntarily. This speaks to the core of Trump’s immigration policy: by dismantling the incentives that encouraged illegal crossings in the first place, enforcement becomes less about manpower and more about common sense.
Sanctuary cities, long promoted as safe havens for illegal immigrants, are now facing an uncomfortable reality. Beck noted that these supposed sanctuaries are inadvertently making it easier for ICE to conduct mass arrests. Once released, criminals in sanctuary cities often gravitate toward family or friends who are also in the country illegally. This, Beck argued, creates a domino effect, making it easier for federal authorities to sweep up multiple individuals in a single operation. Cities that refuse to cooperate with ICE, he added, are ultimately speeding up deportations rather than slowing them down.
The dramatic change in tone and policy at the border has already sparked predictable backlash from the left, but for conservatives, it’s validation that the border chaos of the previous administration was a policy choice, not an inevitability. Trump’s approach—enforce existing laws and eliminate incentives for illegal immigration—might seem radical to his critics, but for his supporters, it’s nothing short of common sense. Sanctuary cities and sympathetic media outlets are already scrambling to control the narrative, but the message from the White House is clear: the era of open borders is over, and the ripple effects are being felt all the way down to the border itself.
