Trump’s supporters welcome the first steps in his immigration repression – public radio in South Carolina

Washington – Dozens of demonstrators have recently gathered in a park on the other side of the White House street, waving Cuban flags and chanting.

They came from the United States to show their support for President Trump and push him to be even more rigorous to the Cuba Communist government.

That’s not all they like about his policies.

“We are grateful that Donald Trump is taking action against illegal immigration,” said Alexece Blanc Diaz, a demonstrator who travels from Spokan, Washington for the event.

President Trump has launched his second term with Dramatic repression of immigration: Arrest attack, termination Temporary Legal Protectssuspension Refugeeand restart Migrant Holding in Guantanamo BayS

Immigrant defenders call these movements cruel and unnecessary. But many of Trump’s supporters applaud these early steps.

This includes Blanco Diaz, which wore a Red Maga baseball cap with the 45 and 47 sides. However, there is a key way that Blanco Diaz differs from your average Trump supporter: he himself is a recent immigrant in the United States who escapes from Cuba and joined after illegally crossed the border between the US and Mexico in Arizona in 2022 S

“I expected the officials to ask me, what are you doing here? Why are you coming to this country? I went in with my documents, with all the evidence I have to suppress in Cuba,” said Blanko Diaz, whose asylum work is still making his way through the courts.

“But no one asked me anything. And at that moment I thought it wasn’t right,” he said.

If Blanko Diaz appears at the border today, with President Trump, he will probably be rejected.

The White House moved quickly to block access to the border asylum. The Trump Administration also ended with several policies from the Biden era, closing CBP one app This allowed migrants to legally to seek asylum as well as a A special humanitarian program For migrants from Cuba and a handful of other countries.

“I think this is a temporary need to organize the unfortunate chaos to allow three, four or five million migrants in this country,” says Kiele Cabrera, who grew up in Miami but still has a family in Cuba.

There were a record number of migrants at the border during the Biden administration, although the numbers dropped significantly last year.

However, some Trump supporters are impatient for a more difficult approach.

“It’s an unfortunate and sad situation,” said Zvi Dechter, who visits Washington from Lighthouse Point, Florida with his family. “But, you know, many things happen in America that have to take care and clean. And I am happy that someone does it.”

Near the Washington Monument, Beatrice Richards was selling sweatshirts, hats and glasses of Trump, located on several tables on the sidewalk. Richards, who was born in Uganda and now lives in Washington, says she has voted for Trump twice and is glad to see him keep migrants from the US

“This is very good because these are bad people. It comes to harm people – good people here in America,” Richards said. “They are criminals.”

There is no evidence of a widespread wave of migrant crime, although several ominous cases have He attracted a lot of attention. Trump’s administration tried to play this story, with a series of high -cities arrests in big cities, including Chicago., New York and DenverS

Critics say these well -proclaimed raids are more lightning than the substance and ignite fear and chaos in immigrant communities. But so far, many Trump supporters have been on board.

“My God, they pass thousands of miles per hour. But everything he said he wanted to do so far,” says Enoch Rich, a central city pastor, Kentucky, who wore a knit hat on Trump while visiting Lincoln’s Memorial in Washington last week.

While he supports the administration’s repression, Rich says he is anxious about congregants in his own church, who immigrates from Mexico.

“Those who are in the council are afraid,” he said. He tried to comfort them, saying that they were unlikely to be intended.

“I have the feeling that things will not go down this way,” Rich said. “I believe that what I have seen about Trump is as difficult as he has a soft heart.”

Rich says immigration policy is a balance that can easily be directed in any direction. And he is praying for President Trump will not go too far.

He is not Trump’s only supporter to worry about the president’s impact on immigrants who have not committed crimesS

“This is a pity and tragic because you have many families from other parts of the world who seek refuge in freedom and safety and security in this country,” said Sean Lanam of El Paso, Texas.

“But this is necessary. This is something that needs to be done in this country,” Lanam said. “We can’t take everyone out of the world.”

Julian Aguilar contributed to an El Paso reporting.

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