Episode summary
GOP Wavers on Trump Immigration Crackdown After Latest Killing
Bloomberg Surveillance
· · Guests: Patrick McHenry
Summary
Patrick McHenry argues that Donald Trump’s immigration stance, once a major political asset, has become a liability after the Minneapolis killings and the backlash to ICE tactics. He says the specific concern in Congress is not only the loss of life, but also the training of ICE officers and the use of aggressive enforcement against ordinary people. In his view, enforcement remains politically popular when it is aimed broadly at criminals and gangs, but becomes far more controversial when it involves “rough ups with protesters” or random citizens.
He says Washington keeps failing to reform immigration because both parties think they have the political advantage and therefore avoid compromise. McHenry says the real answer is for Congress to step in and change the laws, rather than leaving the issue to executive action and escalating raids.
On the gun issue, McHenry says the Minneapolis case shows how polarized the country has become, with each side flipping positions depending on the politics of the moment. He also argues corporate leaders should stay out of the fight, saying Minneapolis CEOs were right to call for de-escalation and calm, not policy combat.
Key takeaways
- Patrick McHenry says Trump’s immigration agenda has shifted from a political strength to a weakness after the Minneapolis violence.
- He argues Congress should fix immigration law itself, because both parties have blocked compromise for political reasons.
- McHenry says enforcement is popular when focused on the “criminal element,” but loses support when it targets ordinary protesters or bystanders.
- He says the Minneapolis CEOs were right to call for calm, but corporate America should stay out of the substance of the immigration fight.
Notable quotes
“Trump's stance on immigration was his greatest political strength. And given what has happened in Minneapolis in the last two weeks, it's become a weakness”
“Congress needs to step in and actually change the immigration laws. I think that's what the with the Trump administration is trying to draw out”
“Enforcement is very popular with the people, if broadly done, and focus on the criminal element, the most egregious criminal element in our society”
“Over the last ten years when they've done this, it's been a huge mistake for them. They need to stay out of politics”
How the episode opens
Look, this is Trump's stance on immigration was his greatest political strength. And given what has happened in Minneapolis in the last two weeks, it's become a weakness. And so there's great concern about the specifics, the loss of life in Minneapolis, the care and training that those ICE officers have for the population and the overall tactic here.
But let's step back. The concern in Congress is the implementation of this is the laws. Congress needs to step in and actually change the immigration laws.
I think that's what the with the Trump administration is trying to draw out. And that's what we've seen in this shifting debate over the last two weeks. In fact, I had the clearest memory of a real effort to change our immigration laws were Senator Kennedy and others.
What other Republicans went down in flames, I'm going to say, along 15, 20 years ago. Now, does the Senate block a rational immigration strategy? Because so many people, including in the Carolinas, say we've got the power in the Senate.
We're not changing. In fact, Yes, because both sides think that they have a political advantage on immigration and therefore you haven't seen a compromise. It's a serious problem that the Congress over 20 years has attempted immigration reform three times and in a major way.
The last time was during the first Trump administration and we had a bill, two bills, in fact, that almost made it out of the House by very, very narrow margins lost on on the House floor. But that was the last go of it. In fact, we have a mess of an immigration policy, and the substance of our immigration policy is unpopular with the people.
Enforcement is very popular with the people, if broadly done, and focus on the criminal element, the most egregious criminal element in our society.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- immigration crackdown
- ice shooting
- republican wavering
- government shutdown
- midterm elections
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Fox News
Watch the episode
Watch “GOP Wavers on Trump Immigration Crackdown After Latest Killing” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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