In Donald Trump's second inaugural address, the president renewed a longstanding promise to deport "millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came." That pitch has always been tailored to help listeners hear what they want to hear. For many of his supporters, "criminal" was the important word, implying that Trump would keep communities safe from the dangerous gang members he had warned them about. But for White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the most important part was — and has always been — the words "millions and millions." For Trump's most influential adviser, the more deportations the better, regardless of criminal status. NBC News confirmed Monday that in a meeting last week, Miller berated top Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for not making enough arrests. "According to two sources who spoke with the attendees," NBC News reported, Miller at one point was "threatening to fire the leaders of the field offices who post the bottom 10 percent of arrest figures monthly." This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest column. Read the full column here. |
