Patriotism with Principles: Where I Part Ways with Some of the Administration’s Immigration Enforcement Tactics

I am a proud supporter of President Donald J. Trump and the America First movement. I believe in secure borders, national sovereignty, and the necessity of putting American citizens before foreign interests. The MAGA agenda has reignited our nation’s spirit, restored economic sanity, and pushed back against the globalist wave that threatens to erode our cultural and constitutional foundations.

But support does not mean silence. And patriotism must never come at the expense of principle.

In recent months, there have been specific aspects of immigration enforcement under this administration that I cannot, in good conscience, defend. I believe we can—and must—stand for law and order without becoming unjust. If we fail to draw that distinction, we risk becoming what we swore to oppose: a bureaucracy divorced from the Constitution and from basic human decency.

1. Asylum Seekers Who Follow the Law Deserve Legal Respect, Not Removal

Let’s begin with the troubling reports of lawful asylum seekers being arrested and deported—not because their applications were denied, but before they were even reviewed.

These are not illegal border crossers or cartel operatives. These are individuals and families who entered through legal ports of entry, applied for asylum under our laws, and showed up to their scheduled court hearings. They are following our process.

So what message are we sending when they’re removed without their case even being heard?

We are telling the world—and those navigating our immigration system—that playing by the rules is a gamble. We are telling future applicants that showing up to a hearing may carry the same risk as skipping it altogether. And we’re undermining confidence in the idea that America stands for lawful adjudication.

This isn’t about weakening our border—it’s about protecting the legitimacy of our process. If we want to encourage legal immigration and discourage illegal entry, then our system must be both strong and consistent. It has to mean something.

Sweeping enforcement that catches those mid-process—without a final decision rendered—creates confusion, not order. It replaces justice with bureaucracy. And it chips away at the integrity of the very framework that should be working for us.

We’re not obligated to accept every asylum claim—but we are obligated to review them with the fairness our laws promise. That’s the standard we should hold, not just for those who come here, but for ourselves.

2. Revoking Student Visas for the Peaceful Is an Overcorrection

I also take serious issue with the growing trend of canceling student visas for foreign nationals simply for being enrolled at universities where antisemitic protests have taken place—even when those students had no part in them.

Let’s be clear: antisemitism is evil. It should be called out, shut down, and prosecuted when it crosses into threats or incitement. College administrators who allow or enable this behavior should be investigated, and schools that foster hate should lose funding.

But we cannot lose sight of individual responsibility.

If a foreign student came here legally, has obeyed the law, and has not engaged in any antisemitic behavior, why should they be punished for the actions of others? That’s not law and order. That’s a blanket policy punishing the innocent along with the guilty.

It’s not “weak” to separate the peaceful from the problematic. In fact, it’s the very essence of American justice.

I’m not saying we should pay for their education—that’s a different issue entirely. But if they’re here on their own dime, obeying the rules, and avoiding political conflict, we should have no quarrel with them.

If we want the world to respect us as a nation of law, we must show that our enforcement respects the law, too. And that includes only punishing those who actually did something wrong.

America First Means Leading with Both Strength and Integrity

I remain fully committed to the MAGA movement. I support strong borders, immigration reform, and the unapologetic defense of American sovereignty. But none of that requires abandoning common sense or fairness.

Strength without clarity becomes confusion. Law without wisdom becomes overreach. And patriotism without integrity becomes tyranny.

We should absolutely build the wall. We should shut the border to cartels, traffickers, and chaos. But we must also maintain a process that distinguishes between the criminal and the compliant—between the peaceful and the problematic.

This is what sets us apart from the regimes we condemn.

That is why this critique comes not from disloyalty, but from deep respect—for the movement, for the mission, and for the principles that fuel them.

If we want America to lead the world, we must lead with a system that works—and that means treating law-abiding people with the fairness we expect in return.

Because when we abandon our standards to “win” faster, we risk losing everything that made us worth defending in the first place.

#MAGAWithHonor #LawAndPrinciple #AmericaFirst #ConservativeCompass