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Illegal Immigrant Protests: How Not to Win Friends or Influence People

Guy Benson
Guy Benson  |  February 05, 2025 2:25 PM

You may have witnessed some of the scenes playing out in recent days, in which large groups of illegal immigrants and their allies have gathered to protest the Trump administration's mass deportations.  We have freedom of assembly and speech in this country.  I have no quarrel with that.  In terms of public relations and optics, I do take great issue with foreign nationals -- especially those who aren't legally present in the United States -- demanding anything, let alone the 'right' to face no consequences for violating our immigration laws.  I think it's particularly detrimental to their cause to be engaging in such entitled (absent actual, legal entitlement) agitations while the current enforcement actions are prioritizing national security and public safety threats, convicted criminals, and people with standing deportation orders against them.  Pouring into our streets with an apparent message of 'let them stay' is not exactly a winner.  

Given what just happened in our recent elections, illegal immigrants wishing to somehow remain in the US might be best served to adhere to the absolute letter of the law -- beyond their existing violation -- and keep their heads down.  Read the room, in other words.  People's tolerance for this lawnessness has dropped dramatically, guys.  This...is not reading the room:


Again, the sense of entitlement is deeply off-putting.  I saw one sign reading 'we are not criminals' at a rally that was blocking traffic, which is illegal, just as entering the country in violation of our laws is illegal.  Intentional disruptions of traffic -- impacting American citizens trying to get to work, interfering with emergency services routes, preventing people from living their lives normally, etc. -- are yet more illegal acts.  That's not "speech."  Violators should be arrested, and where applicable, deported.  It's hard to capture just how counter-productive these spectacles are.  And this one might taken the cake:


All the Mexican and other foreign flags are also a bad look in this context, for reasons that should be obvious. Waving foreign flags, while burning our flag, while demanding that we let them stay here, in the country whose flag they're burning: That's quite a choice.  I'd guess many, many Americans, from across the spectrum, would look at that footage and say, round 'em up and ship 'em out.  I don't know who or what they think they're "helping." And if it's citizens or legal residents doing the burning, they're profoundly hurting the cause they may believe they're supporting.  It's as if they've been taking notes from the cartoonishly-alienating pro-Hamas crowd.  Videos like this will push public support for ICE raids and mass deportations higher.  Of course, you need American officials who are willing to actually enforce laws to do what's necessary.  Unlike this:


At least the federal government is now once again serious about enforcement and deterrence.  On that note, I'll leave you with this:

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