WSJ begs Trump to back off mass deportations: 'Economy needs them!'
The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board published a dire warning on Wednesday evening that President Donald Trump's mass deportation schemes are poised to be disastrous for the economy, stripping the workforce of critical talent needed for vital industries to function.
The board has become increasingly frustrated with the Trump presidency in recent months, also offering scathing reviews of the president's tariff plans.
Now, the board is alarmed by Trump's revocation of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, from Central American migrants who have been in the United States for decades, as well as a vow from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to shift the farming industry to a "100 percent American workforce" — if need be commandeering the 34 million working-age non-disabled adults enrolled on Medicaid, even though most of them already work, or are students or caregivers.
"Does the White House really mean that, or is it another fusillade of rhetorical deterrence?" wrote the board. "Sometimes Mr. Trump talks about giving farms and hotels a deportation pass, given how much they rely on immigrant labor. By the way, these Hondurans and Nicaraguans were originally granted TPS after Hurricane Mitch tore through Central America in 1998. It’s reasonable to ask what’s so 'temporary' about this protection. On the other hand, if people have lived and worked in the U.S. under TPS for 30 years, what’s to be gained by kicking them out?"
The board cited new, sobering data from a paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on the impact of purging immigrants on the economy.
"The study finds that 'high interior deportation,' with removals gradually rising to 437,500 a year, would cut economic growth by 0.83 percentage point this year and 0.84 in 2027," wrote the board. "If there’s a 'self-deportation wave,' meaning half of the people with TPS leave the U.S. before mid-2026, that would shave GDP growth by 1.01 point this year and 0.45 in 2027. Under 'mass interior deportation,' with removals rising over the next two years to a million annually, growth would be 0.89 point lower this year and 1.49 in 2027."
The agriculture industry would be particularly devastated, the board wrote, since around 42 percent of its labor force doesn't have legal status, which might explain why Trump has made a move that contradicts that of his rhetoric, and the rhetoric of Rollins.
"Mr. Trump said last week that the White House is drawing up a plan to let farmers vouch for longtime reliable alien employees," the board concluded. "Farmers and the economy need them."