Althouse: "The fact that they're holding Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick to try to coerce him to plead guilty to a crime..."

August 25, 2025

"The fact that they're holding Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick to try to coerce him to plead guilty to a crime..."

"... is such clear evidence that they're weaponizing the immigration system in a matter that is completely unconstitutional, and specifically weaponizing the decision of which country they send him to."

Said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of the lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, quoted in "Kilmar Abrego Garcia taken into ICE custody at immigration appointment/Abrego, who was just released from federal custody on Friday, now faces deportation to Uganda" (NBC News).

103 comments:

hombre said...: So what?; 8/25/25, 10:21 AM
hombre said...: With what’s happening in the country/world it’s disheartening to realize that the leftmediaswine have nothing better to obsess about.; 8/25/25, 10:23 AM
Original Mike said...: There isn't any disagreement that he's here illegally, right?; 8/25/25, 10:26 AM
Peachy said...: Correct me if I am wrong - but NBC doesn't not include the charges against Kilmar.; 8/25/25, 10:26 AM
Gospace said...: I do recall a quote from one his lawyers that made it into the news that he doesn't even speak the language there. It's cruel! How will he get along?

Uganda has two official languages- English and Swahili. If he cannot speak English- isn't it cruel keeping him here?; 8/25/25, 10:27 AM
rehajm said...: Isn’t this the way our justice system works for everyone? A deal is proposed plead for a deal of face the results of trial? What am I missing except the special status Democrats try ro coerce me to support anyone connected to the left’s agenda?; 8/25/25, 10:27 AM
Lazarus said...: Newly rediscovered national treasure Gloria Gaynor has a few famous lines that express my feelings about Kilmar.; 8/25/25, 10:27 AM
Enigma said...: A free trip to Uganda would avoid expensive airfare to Africa, and likely, he'll not need to pay out of pocket for tropical disease innoculations. With time in prison he may learn Swahili, and upon release, take a safari or become a guide. Also, in Uganda one can learn about the post-Idi Amin culture and visit many historic sites.

No brainer decision...why the controversy?; 8/25/25, 10:29 AM
Jerry said...: It's really a great look for the Dems to be supporting wife-beaters, gang members and human traffickers. When they can get all three in the same body, it's a wonderful trifecta for them to show their virtue on.; 8/25/25, 10:29 AM
M Jordan said...: Personally, I’d take the carrot.; 8/25/25, 10:30 AM
D.D. Driver said...: "There isn't any disagreement that he's here illegally, right?"

Yes. There is much disagreement about this. He came over with his family as a teen and is married with at least one child. The basis to kick him out of the country are completely phony gang affiliation allegations. Remember when he supposedly had "M-13" tattooed on his hands? That was a lie.

Now, the Feds have nothing on this guy and all they can do is threaten to send him to Uganda if he doesn't "confess." The case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia is somehow even more phony than Trump "34 fake felonies." There is no more "rule of law." It's now *only* lawfare.; 8/25/25, 10:31 AM
Mary E. Glynn said...: He and his wife together have 3 disabled American citizen children drawing off Social Security for themselves and their paid parental caregiver.

Immigrants used to come with sponsors, do their military service, pass the test and take their oaths disavowing loyalty to their former homelands, save up, marry, buy a house, and then have healthy competitive children...

He's gotta go. The immigration system is a scam. I hope he doesn't leave his American citizen children behind...; 8/25/25, 10:32 AM
Mary E. Glynn said...: D.D. Driver said...
"There isn't any disagreement that he's here illegally, right?"

Yes. There is much disagreement about this. He came over with his family as a teen and is married with at least one child.
---------
No, he's here illegally. Allegedly hiding from El Salvadoran gangs. Getting married (to a non citizen) and having children doesn't make you a citizen... Duh.

Who is supporting his wife and children? Why didn't he pursue legal citizenship (like his brother, who was sent to the US years before him) before marrying and having a child here? Priorities.; 8/25/25, 10:34 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Because no defendent is EVER induced to accept a plea bargain by trading this for that? Are you stupid leftists really going to try and say that to us, after gloating about DOJ "conviction rate" of near 100%? Really? DOJ has always had the SOP of charging the moon and then accepting a lesser plea.

How many cases even go to trial under that duress?; 8/25/25, 10:37 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: isn't it cruel keeping him here?

Yes cruel to the other slaves he would have trafficked and cruel to the spouse he regularly beats.; 8/25/25, 10:38 AM
doctrev said...: Sandoval-Moshenberg? Yeesh. At least Garcia is getting a much better deal than your average Palestinian.; 8/25/25, 10:39 AM
Jupiter said...: When Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg says "completely unconstitutional", he means "bad".; 8/25/25, 10:40 AM
mccullough said...: He can beat up women in other countries.; 8/25/25, 10:40 AM
Birches said...: Who's paying for his lawyer?

And DD Driver has obviously not seen the Tennessee cop stop video. The guy is obviously a human trafficker who was intentionally left alone by the Biden administration.; 8/25/25, 10:41 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: DDD it was "MS13" and just because you couldn't "read" the signs doesn't mean they "weren't there." Doofus. How much gang graffiti can you decode normally? Since I taught gang members in a very rough district for ten years I learned to decode a LOT of it. You should consult someone with more experience to help with your gang translation skills.

Also you are stupid to want to free human traffickers. Their is no dispute that he was caught in the act and as an illegal alien (don't care when he got here) he is, was and always will be subject to deportation.

No one is above the law, Driver.; 8/25/25, 10:42 AM
Dave Begley said...: Costa Rica is a hot American tourist destination and retirement spot. If KAG didn't pick Costa Rica, super dumb.

I'd like a free trip to Costa Rica.; 8/25/25, 10:42 AM
Dave Begley said...: Go ahead Dems and keep pimping for KAG. So much sympathy for this wife beater and drug dealer.; 8/25/25, 10:45 AM
D.D. Driver said...: "Because no defendent is EVER induced to accept a plea bargain by trading this for that..."

You are 100% correct. Lot's of decent men and women were forced to plead guilty to bullshit "insurrection" charges. Lives ruined. Steamrolled by this same system. What is your point though?; 8/25/25, 10:45 AM
Jupiter said...: "He came over with his family as a teen and is married with at least one child. The basis to kick him out of the country are completely phony gang affiliation allegations."
And he is not a US citizen. Which means, he's here illegally, as a judge has already ruled. And he should be deported, as a judge has also already ruled. The only legal issue is where he gets deported to, no matter what irrelevancies D. D. Driver brings up.; 8/25/25, 10:46 AM
Original Mike said...: "Yes. There is much disagreement about this. He came over with his family as a teen …"

"Came over"? Legally?; 8/25/25, 10:46 AM
Peachy said...: "The indictment unsealed last week alleges that between 2016 and 2025, Abrego Garcia conspired with others to bring migrants from Latin American countries into the U.S., passing through Mexico before crossing the border into Texas.

Prosecutors said that he and an unnamed co-conspirator would pick up the migrants in Houston and transport them to other places in the U.S. They claimed that Abrego Garcia and the co-conspirator devised "cover stories" to provide law enforcement if stopped, like that they were transporting people for construction work.

Abrego Garcia and his co-conspirators "knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands" of migrants who are not legally in the U.S., the indictment alleges. "; 8/25/25, 10:54 AM
Levi Starks said...: I was in Uganda this last January, the weather is amazing, all year round, 80 in the day, 60 at night.
I curious as to what arrangements the US government makes with Uganda? Vaccinations must be up to date, visa must be prearranged, including arrival and departure dates, and state the reason for the visit. It is possible to permanently move to Uganda, (to retire for instance) but you must provide proof that you have funds and will not become indigent.
Every Ugandan I met dreams of coming to America (visas to America are difficult and painstaking to obtain.)
I’m skeptical as to how it actually happens. The nuts and bolts So to speak. I guess they could kick him out of a plane with a parachute strapped to his back.; 8/25/25, 10:54 AM
Enlighten-NewJersey said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/25/25, 10:54 AM
Enlighten-NewJersey said...: In 2019, a U.S. immigration judge ordered Kilmar Ábrego García deported because he was in the U.S. illegally. Nothing has changed regarding his status.; 8/25/25, 10:58 AM
Peachy said...: Kilmar has hand tats that are code for MS-13.
When Chris Van Hollen(D) flew down to have cocktails with Kilmar - Kilmar kept his hands under the table. LOLz.; 8/25/25, 11:04 AM
Dude1394 said...: Oh hush... He should already be in el salvador.; 8/25/25, 11:07 AM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: What happens to the criminal charges if he is deported to Uganda? I assume he can’t be tried in absentia. Do the charges just go away?; 8/25/25, 11:09 AM
Balfegor said...: I somewhat doubt this is unconstitutional. For better or for worse (probably worse), government lawyers regularly threaten to make things worse by bringing additional charges, harassing additional witnesses (e.g. family members), or just recommending harsher sentencing (the "trial penalty") in an effort to pressure people into just giving up and pleading guilty.; 8/25/25, 11:12 AM
Aggie said...: Every day brings a new opportunity for Democrats to rush in to defend the convicted illegal alien MS-13 gang member and human trafficker that has been 'enriching' our country for so many years. And every day, they jump into the trap, with enthusiasm.; 8/25/25, 11:20 AM
Original Mike said...: "There is no more "rule of law." It's now *only* lawfare."

Seems to me, the 'rule of law' calls for deporting someone who is here illegally. What am I missing?; 8/25/25, 11:21 AM
Lazarus said...: Maybe they are holding Costa Rica as a banana, and Uganda as ... another banana?; 8/25/25, 11:37 AM
n.n said...: The evidence of his crimes have convicted him in a court of law. As an illegal alien, he has committed crimes in excess of the native population. Send him home to El Salvador, where he can reminisce with his old gang in prison.; 8/25/25, 11:37 AM
Aaron said...: Can DD Driver explain what is wrong about Uganda? Its a fine country, and a gifted person like this guy will find work easily there. Is DD suggesting that Uganda is a "shithole" country that isn't attractive to migrants. Sounds racist to me.

Or is DD claiming he will feel "more at home" in Costa Rica? Why? Oh, you think culture and language matter? But it doesn't matter for migrants to America...so why should it matter to him whether its Uganda, Japan, or Afghanistan. None of those countries have El Salvador gangs he's afraid of. They are safe places for him.; 8/25/25, 11:43 AM
Aaron said...: I bet Uganda has ZERO pupusa stands. He can get his mom's recipe and enrich Uganda.; 8/25/25, 11:44 AM
rehajm said...: "There isn't any disagreement that he's here illegally, right?"

Yes. There is much disagreement about this. He came over with his family as a teen and is married with at least one child

So, the answer to the question is No. No there isn’t- only the spin placed on the answer differs…; 8/25/25, 11:48 AM
hombre said...: Nearly two years ago my daughter-in-law gave birth by caesarean in an obstetrics specialty hospital in Washington State. Recent she did the same in a hospital in Kampala, Uganda. The delivery in Uganda was easier, safer, cleaner and cheaper - much cheaper. I’m not sure Costa Rica could do better. Of course the cops in Costa Rica are reputed to be on the take. Non native criminals have a harder time in Uganda.; 8/25/25, 11:53 AM
Peachy said...: If you are here illegally - you need to go. Esp if you came here when Crook Soros Puppet Joe was fake-prez.; 8/25/25, 12:00 PM
Aaron said...: This guy's brothers have green cards. Why doesn't he?

HINT: he has criminal records and is probably not very conscientious.

So I do feel for the guy in that way - but America doesn't need random low level criminals barely scraping by. We have tons of those domestically.; 8/25/25, 12:06 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: What is your point though?

Not surprised you missed it since I spelled it out: "DOJ has always had the SOP of charging the moon and then accepting a lesser plea." You cried about the DOJ coercing a plea, but I simply pointed out it is SOP for them. That is the point. KAG is being treated just like every other Federal defendant in that respect.

Why you continue to say the Feds have "nothing" on him is beyond me. If you were correct though, he'd be on his way back to Maryland not out of the country. Weird how judge after judge orders him deported for "no reason" isn't it?; 8/25/25, 12:15 PM
Yancey Ward said...: DD Driver has hit rock bottom intellectually.

No, there is no doubt he is in the country illegally. Sure, one can suppose there is some one in a million chance he is being mistaken for some other person ordered deported but you really do have to be a moron to believe what you do.; 8/25/25, 12:26 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: So I do feel for the guy in that way - but America doesn't need random low level criminals barely scraping by. We have tons of those domestically.

Human Smuggling is one of those "jobs" that native born Americans just refuse to do! Democrats had to import monsters like Abrego to do it for them.; 8/25/25, 12:26 PM
Ampersand said...: Here is the situation. A political party that believes it will benefit from unrestricted immigration by reducing the power of the existing citizenry who dislike that political party, but that is unable to convince the public to pass laws allowing that policy, simply chooses to demonize those who enforce existing immigration law. And the traditional media is uncritically accepting and even promoting this strategy.

Am I mistaken in saying any of this?; 8/25/25, 12:27 PM
Saint Croix said...: People got really mad at Trump when he said some countries were shitholes. And now the same people who complained about that, are bitching about Uganda vs. Costa Rica.

Wait, some countries are better than others? Make up your mind, libs!

Nixon had an enemies list, and apparently the Trump DOJ has a Shithole Countries list.

Costa Rica sounds nice. But you know you're not going to be on a beach, right?; 8/25/25, 12:33 PM
Saint Croix said...: I think I would want to serve my sentence in a woman's prison in Sweden.; 8/25/25, 12:35 PM
Original Mike said...: "DD Driver has hit rock bottom intellectually."

Yeah, that was a pretty dishonest answer.; 8/25/25, 12:38 PM
Original Mike said...: "Am I mistaken in saying any of this?"

I don't think so. I think that's exactly what's going on.; 8/25/25, 12:40 PM
Beaver7216 said...: D.D.Driver. Not a citizen, not on a visa. Illegally entered the US. Scheduled to be deported but apparently granted a humanitarian delay by the Trump administration in 2019 due to conditions in El Salvador. No good deed goes unpunished apparently. Did he enjoy the extra 6 years in the US?; 8/25/25, 12:43 PM
Achilles said...: I am glad that we have reached the end of this discussion.

At this point the only people left who support abrega should be deported with him.; 8/25/25, 12:48 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: "The fact that they're holding Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick to try to coerce him to plead guilty to a crime..."

Somebody is complaining that an ilegal alien is being treated *almost like an American?

AI overview: "...federal data shows that the vast majority of cases brought by federal prosecutors conclude with a guilty plea, not a trial.
Based on various reports, approximately 95% to 98% of all federal criminal convictions result from a guilty plea."

*It might be difficult for love ones to visit Abrego in Uganda.; 8/25/25, 12:56 PM
n.n said...: Uganda is the "stick"?; 8/25/25, 12:57 PM
Ronald J. Ward said...: Yes Ampersand, that is mistakenly stated.

For starters, no political party has formally endorsed “unrestricted immigration.” Looking at legislative records, both Democrats and Republicans have backed enforcement measures. Biden even expanded some of the Trump #45 era restrictions. Where the divide tends to show is how enforcement is carried out and what to do about the millions already here.

Second, it isn’t just a matter of one side “failing to convince” the public. Polls usually show Americans want both strong border control and a fair process for people who have been here long-term. Congress has been unable to square those two things for decades, regardless of which party has the majority. Biden got close and Republicans were ready to sign on but Trump told them not to, admitting a continued flow of who he himself depicted as murderers, rapist, and gang members in our streets would help him politically.

Third, criticism of enforcement agencies isn’t automatically demonization. It’s possible to believe border laws should be enforced yet oppose much of the inhumane treatment we’re seeing. That’s been a big part of the debate.

Finally, framing this as a deliberate effort to “reduce the power of the existing citizenry” leans more toward the political narrative of the replacement conspiracy theory than documented fact.

And to other questions, yes, Kilmar is considered here illegally and the Murray Osorio PLLC law firm is defending him through a crowdfunding campaign.; 8/25/25, 1:07 PM
Rocco said...: Lazarus said...
“Maybe they are holding Costa Rica as a banana, and Uganda as ... another banana?”

Maybe coffee or tobacco.; 8/25/25, 1:13 PM
gilbar said...: such clear evidence that they're weaponizing the immigration system in a matter that is completely unconstitutional

i assume that he was talking about the Biden admin?
if not, what; exactly? has Trump done that is any way unconstitutional?; 8/25/25, 1:16 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: no political party has formally endorsed “unrestricted immigration.”

But the party that let in unlimited immigration should be denied power for at least another ten years until they DO admit they did it.; 8/25/25, 1:27 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Shorter version of Ronald's comment:

"Pay attention only to what Democrats say, not what they do."; 8/25/25, 1:35 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: "No party has formally endorsed authoritarianism" either.; 8/25/25, 1:46 PM
Jim at said...: This punk has had a deportation order since 2019 and we're still talking about him?

Boot his ass. Now.; 8/25/25, 1:54 PM
GRW3 said...: It's not like "carrot and stick" prosecuting is a new thing.; 8/25/25, 2:00 PM
Fred Drinkwater said...: I don't care what people / parties say. I care what they do.; 8/25/25, 2:05 PM
Jersey Fled said...: For those of you who nothing about Uganda.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Uganda; 8/25/25, 2:15 PM
Clyde said...: Illegal immigrants who are smart enough to self-deport won't have to face a choice like that. Mr. Abrego Garcia could have returned home to El Salvador at any time, any spurious claims of fear of gang violence to the contrary. Since muddle-headed judges won't allow him to be returned to his home country, he is being given a very generous offer of being sent to another Hispanic country if he pleads guilty. Or he can go to Africa. That's his problem, not mine.; 8/25/25, 2:34 PM
Bill Crawford said...: I live in Costa Rica. Uganda is much nicer (hint, hint); 8/25/25, 2:40 PM
Mark said...: The Justice Department's unwillingness to go to trial here makes it clear even they don't think they have a case.

All they have is talking points that their unthinking dittoheads are happy to keep spouting.

Innocent until alleged guilty is now the GOP way!; 8/25/25, 2:49 PM
Jim at said...: Innocent until alleged guilty is now the GOP way!

He's already had his hearings. Twice. And the deportation order has been in effect since 2019.

Try not to be so stupid when the facts are already known.; 8/25/25, 3:04 PM
Ronald J. Ward said...: Mike (MJB Wolf) said...
“no political party has formally endorsed “unrestricted immigration.”

But the party that let in unlimited immigration should be denied power for at least another ten years until they DO admit they did it.”

That would ultimately be the Republican Party. Aside from Republicans openly refusing to allow Biden the tools to effectively close the boarder, the Trump 45 administration never stopped illegal immigration but it did a great deal to stop and inflict pain on legal immigration. He cut off legal pathways to citizenship as well as funding to Central American countries. He tightened sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua which led hundreds of thousands to flee and arrive at the southern border. To complicate the problem more, he cut off assistance programs that were in place for such situations.

Trump also implemented Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), forcing asylum seekers (not illegals but people legally knocking on our door and asking to enter) to wait in Mexico for their US immigration hearings, leaving around 70k people stuck for months only to be kidnapped, raped, and abused by gangs.

This was simply another spectacular policy failure to be inherited by the Biden administration.; 8/25/25, 3:16 PM
bagoh20 said...: Split the difference. Drop him in the Atlantic. Of course, give him a kayak and a Happy Meal. I'm not a complete asshole.; 8/25/25, 3:49 PM
n.n said...: His lawyer is a DEIst (e.g. racist) . He is a convicted criminal in diverse violations of law and personhood.; 8/25/25, 3:52 PM
Ronald J. Ward said...: I think Jim @ 3:04PM has a few things mixed up.

In 2019, an immigration judge actually granted him relief from removal. That meant he was not under a standing deportation order.

Despite that ruling, ICE wrongfully deported him to El Salvador in March 2025, something the government itself later admitted was an “administrative error.”

Multiple federal courts—including the Supreme Court—ordered him returned to the U.S. this summer, affirming that the earlier deportation should not have happened.

After being brought back, he now faces new charges of human smuggling, which appear to be manufactured but are still separate from the old immigration proceedings.; 8/25/25, 4:01 PM
Rocco said...: A blood sucking parasite was recently identified in Maryland when someone returned from El Salvador.

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-confirms-nations-first-travel-associated-human-screwworm-case-connected-2025-08-25/; 8/25/25, 4:34 PM
james said...: Ronald and DD are spreading it on thick. Kilmar was found to have been in the country illegally twice by immigration courts and was legally deportable to any country except El Salvador.
Not only does he have MS13 gang tattoos, LEOs witnessed him interacting with other MS13 gang members.; 8/25/25, 4:39 PM
james said...: Ronald, the claim that democrats were not blatantly ignoring and not enforcing the law, or the bill they proposed and insisted they needed was anything other than an attempt to legalize millions of illegals rather than stop the illegal immigration is an absurd lie. As Trump proved in the first few weeks of his presidency.; 8/25/25, 4:42 PM
Ronald J. Ward said...: James, you lost all credibility of worthy debate or to be taken seriously on any level at 4:39 PM.; 8/25/25, 4:49 PM
Leland said...: Been a busy day, so I'm late to this party. Just curious if anyone mentioned General Flynn? Alas, I don't think what happened to General Flynn is anything like what is happening to this Latin American gang banger that entered our country illegally.

The gang banger had a deportation order before Trump became President again. The order was prevented from being enforced, because a liberal judge accepted the argument that the gang banger couldn't be sent back to his country of origin, because his gang banging went against rival gangs that would attack him. In short, he was seeking political asylum from his home country. He was seeking protection from other gangs.

I could have empathy for him, if the argument spent more time on him becoming a gang banger becomes of the situation in his home country that forced him into that lifestyle to make a living for his family. But that is neither the argument being made or really supported by the narrative. Although it is the story in the court documents, but if you bring that up, you find that the court didn't stop the deportation in general, just where to deport. And that's brings us to today, where the Trump Administration found a way to deport him, safely avoiding the threats of his home country. Other countries have agreed to welcome the gang banger to their land and provide sanctuary in their prison.; 8/25/25, 4:56 PM
Zavier Onasses said...: If the TV crime shows are to be believed, it is done all the time. "We can get you moved to a prison nearer your wife and son if you tell us the name of your supplier."

And on the up side, there was Honest Joe's Bargain Basement Pardon Sale.; 8/25/25, 5:02 PM
Clyde said...: Just read another article where some Obama-appointed judge has blocked ICE from deporting him, at least until she can hold an evidentiary hearing on Friday. The article notes that Abrego Garcia came to the country in 2011 at the age of 17, and that he had to make his statement through an interpreter. If someone has been here for 14 years and can't be bothered to learn English, that alone is reason enough to send him on his way, if being here illegally wasn't enough.; 8/25/25, 5:07 PM
Butkus51 said...: Not one politician made a big deal about Ashli Babbit.; 8/25/25, 5:37 PM
Mason G said...: "Kilmar was found to have been in the country illegally twice by immigration courts and was legally deportable to any country except El Salvador."

The left doesn't consider court rulings they don't like to be valid.; 8/25/25, 5:40 PM
IamDevo said...: The general sentiment in the comments is running pretty much 99% for immediate deportation of the miscreant. That is heartenting. But I am mystified by the amount of energy being expended by two of the commenters who seem opposed to that idea. The fact that they are doing so based, not on fact but upon a narrative constructed out of whole cloth by the leftist media makes me question their bona fides.; 8/25/25, 5:47 PM
Leland said...: Correction: “ he wasn’t seeking political asylum…; 8/25/25, 5:53 PM
Original Mike said...: "Aside from Republicans openly refusing to allow Biden the tools to effectively close the boarder,"

Trump demonstrated there was no need for additional "tools". It was just another excuse for the democrats desired outcome; an open border.; 8/25/25, 6:53 PM
Mason G said...: Re: Border crossings...

2017: 310,531 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2018: 404,142 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2019: 859,501 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2020: 405,036 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2021: 1,734,686 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2022: 2,378,944 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2023: 2,475,669 apprehensions at the southwest border.
2024: 1,530,523 apprehensions at the southwest border.

Something happened in 2020, can't quite put my finger on it right now. But anyway...; 8/25/25, 7:35 PM
Jamie said...: I recall that the Biden-sponsored immigration bill allowed - what was it, 5,000 new immigrants* across the border a month before any enforcement efforts kicked in? No wonder Trump opposed it and urged Congresspeople to vote against it.

* I'm eliding some terms here by saying "immigration." Everyone on my side of the aisle would use the term "illegal immigration" because, by every international and prior definition, that was what Biden's administration facilitated. Everyone on the other side of the aisle would just say "immigration" or "migration" because that's how the Biden administration changed immigration policy to allow so many people through the border in such a short time: by claiming that they were part of a "global migration pattern" constituting a "humanitarian crisis," such that they - the administration - had to redefine "asylum" more broadly than ever before in history. Amazingly, the "global migration pattern" exploded beginning with the first days of the Biden administration and ended with the first days of the second Trump administration. Go figure!; 8/25/25, 7:43 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: The USA is a sovereign nation; we can send anyone anywhere we want; 8/25/25, 8:01 PM
n.n said...: Trump is addressing the first-order forcings of catastrophic anthropogenic immigration reform. Observing that climate change isn't. That sanctuary states are accessories before the fact to excess murder, rape, molestation, etc. That progressive prices and affordability are in part caused by irregular economics of illegal aliens, excessive immigration, redistributive change schemes. Green technology is neither green nor reliable nor affordable without subsidies and handmade tales. Immigration reform is demanded to replace victims of planned parenthood, dysfunctional orientations, Democratic gerrymandering, etc.; 8/25/25, 8:24 PM
Jersey Fled said...: From ChatGPT:

“ Overall, while it’s not impossible for someone to not speak English after 14 years, especially if they have not had the right exposure or motivation, it’s relatively uncommon. People in this situation often learn at least some basic English, even if they’re not fluent.”; 8/25/25, 8:59 PM
Joe Bar said...: "You don't have to go home
But you can't stay here."; 8/25/25, 9:05 PM
Steve Austin Showed Up For Work. said...: I'm curious what would keep him from buying a plane ticket in Kampala and flying somewhere else. Would he be in Ugandan custody? How does that work? What crimes has he committed in Uganda? Do they care?; 8/25/25, 9:12 PM
Oso Negro said...: @ Iamdevo - believing narratives constructed from whole cloth by the media would seem to me to clearly establish one’s bona fides as a leftist; 8/25/25, 11:25 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: Maryland deserves him. Deport him to Baltimore.; 8/25/25, 11:37 PM
Yancey Ward said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/25/25, 11:45 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Ronald, you are just a fucking liar- full stop. Biden had all the same tools to control the border that Trump is employing right now. The only difference is that the Democrats wanted the border open despite whatever it is you believe they state publicly.; 8/25/25, 11:49 PM
Saint Croix said...: If someone has been here for 14 years and can't be bothered to learn English, that alone is reason enough to send him on his way

You can't deport citizens. That's a 9-0 smackdown by the Supremes. Are you kidding?

A lot of adults are bad at learning foreign languages. Children pick up new languages quite quickly.

You know how many people in the USA are not fluent in English? It's an estimated 25 to 30 million people. Many of those people are citizens.

I've studied Spanish for years, in high school and college. I'm studying it again with Duolingo. And I don't care what the app says, my Spanish still sucks. I know hundreds of Spanish words. But I'm far from fluent. When I was in Mexico, 99% of my conversations were in English. Anything else was hopeless.

1st generation immigrants know some English, a few hundred words. Their kids are fluent. That's the way it's always been. Children pick up foreign languages quickly. For many adults, including me, it's a slog.; 8/26/25, 3:21 AM
Saint Croix said...: English is the most widely spoken language in the world, by the way. 1.5 billion speak it. Most of those people speak it as a second language. It's the language of the internet. And it marks you as upper class around the world.

If you're making $34,000 a year or more, you're in the top 1% of earners around the globe. English-speaking Americans pass that bar pretty quickly. There are huge numbers of Chinese speakers, Hindi speakers, and Spanish speakers who do not.

Top 10 languages

English 1.4 billion people
Mandarin Chinese 1.1 billion people
Hindi 600 million people
Spanish 560 million people
French 300 million people
Arabic 270 million people
Bengali 270 million people
Russian 260 million people
Portuguese 255 million people

English is a gateway to wealth and opportunity. And it's nice when you're traveling to other countries. So many people speak it around the world. So I would urge anybody to learn English. But that doesn't mean we ought to deport people who don't speak it.; 8/26/25, 3:58 AM
Josephbleau said...: Mandami is a native of Uganda, he is proud of it, it must be a nice place.; 8/26/25, 6:03 AM
Jersey Fled said...: I think he should be held in the brig of a Navy vessel. That’s considered U.S. territory, isn’t it?; 8/26/25, 7:15 AM
Ronald J. Ward said...: Yancey, that’s not accurate. Biden didn’t have the same tools — Trump’s approach relied on executive overreach that courts often struck down. That’s why Biden worked on a bipartisan bill to give the president stronger authority. It was Republicans, at Trump’s direction, who killed it. If Democrats wanted open borders, they wouldn’t have supported the strictest border bill in decades.

It’s pretty well documented that Republicans were on board with the bill and abandoned at the behest of Trump who saw it was a political ‘gift’ for Biden’s re-election chances. His own words; “A Border Deal now would be another Gift to the Radical Left Democrats. They need it politically”.

Here’s another kicker- at the same time, he was telling us that those crossing were murderers, rapists, gang members, and hardened criminals released from prisons. So if we take him at his word and assume he was serious, he was also saying; “we need these rapist and murders on our streets so we can blame it on Democrats”.

I suppose you see no problem with that mindset?; 8/26/25, 7:57 AM
Rusty said...: IamDevo @ 5:47
We get a lot of that here. They come here with the attitude of "I'm smarter than you." And the claim " You're not Fair!" when they are caught out. Or as RJW likes to claim. "You people are just stupid."; 8/26/25, 8:30 AM
Rusty said...: Joe Bar said...
"You don't have to go home
But you can't stay here."

"How can we miss you if you don't leave?"; 8/26/25, 8:32 AM