President Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy is showing measurable results, with record self-deportations and drastically reduced border encounters. ICE, with local and federal partners, is executing an unprecedented crackdown. Meanwhile, Congress—paralyzed by donor influence and political cowardice—is dragging its feet on supporting or solidifying these gains. Jessica Vaughan and Dave Brat expose the success of Trump’s policy and the danger of congressional inaction, especially with amnesty efforts resurfacing.
On a recent WarRoom segment, Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, joined Dave Brat to deliver a stark update: President Trump’s immigration policy is not only working—it’s reshaping the national debate. While Congress remains largely silent, the Trump administration is pushing forward with enforcement initiatives that are finally reversing the damage done under the Biden regime.
Vaughan began by emphasizing the scale of illegal immigration inherited by the Trump administration: over nine million individuals entered the country illegally during the previous four years. Trump’s enforcement campaign, especially through ICE and its federal and local partners, has already forced a significant portion of these individuals to self-deport. Recent reports confirm that over a million have left voluntarily, with hundreds of thousands more arrested and removed by ICE.
Vaughan stressed that the success of this initiative is not just in the numbers—but in the reaction. Businesses that became addicted to cheap, illegal labor are beginning to panic, pushing back against enforcement policies that now threaten their exploitative model. This pressure led to a brief but significant flip-flop by Secretary Brooke Rollins, who appeared to signal a pause in enforcement against farm and hospitality sectors. But that message was quickly reversed—proof that President Trump is listening to the public, not donor-driven lobbyists.
Public sentiment remains solidly behind Trump’s efforts. As Vaughan noted, even politicians in sanctuary states like Massachusetts are expressing concern—not over morality or human rights—but over losing House seats due to the exodus of illegal migrants. In other words, these politicians were leveraging the presence of illegal aliens for political gain.
At the southern border, the results are even clearer. As former ICE Director Tom Homan reported, there were fewer than 100 border encounters in a single day recently—a record low. This is due to the end of the failed "catch and release” approach and the re-establishment of real deterrence. Trump’s policies are working, and Americans are noticing.
Dave Brat drove the point home: despite these wins, Trump is carrying the weight of the immigration fight almost entirely alone. Congress and the Senate have failed to act decisively. Their hesitation is largely due to the influence of corporate donors who benefit from illegal labor. Meanwhile, local taxpayers are left footing the bill for education, healthcare, prisons, and social services consumed by non-citizens.
Vaughan issued a final warning: Congress is preparing another push for amnesty. This would undermine Trump’s entire enforcement campaign and send the signal that breaking the law eventually leads to legal status. Amnesty would not only halt self-deportations—it would trigger a new wave of border surges. Brat and Vaughan agreed: amnesty is political suicide and a betrayal of the American people.
Bottom Line:
President Trump is winning on immigration, but without congressional support, these victories may be temporary. It’s up to citizens to demand their representatives stop the amnesty push, fund enforcement, and finally lock in a lasting, lawful immigration system.
For more context watch this Wednesday WarRoom segment:
