100 Million Americans

668,000 Jobs

“Tactical law enforcement officers conduct an operation outside a grocery store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jan. 6, 2026. (Credit: Robert V Schwemmer/Shutterstock)”

• David J. Bier, June 1, 2026: “DHS is openly advocating for the deportations of tens of millions of citizens, including almost 50 million U.S.-born citizens. This is not an aberration. Greg Bovino, the recently retired Border Patrol chief, told The New York Times in March that while leading Border Patrol’s interior operations, he drafted “a plan to deport 100 million people.” Bovino repeatedly reiterated his call for 100 million deportations at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that month as well, and has used it almost daily on social media since then. Lest one think Bovino’s statements are no longer relevant given that he was booted out after ICE’s thuggery in Minneapolis, note that GOP political candidates at CPAC echoed him. South Carolina Senate candidate Paul Dans said: “after he heard I was committed to 100 million deportations, [Bovino] endorsed me.” A candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner (which handles oil and gas regulation in the state) Bo French was explicit: “It’s not just the Muslims, and it’s not just illegal immigration. We have roughly 100 million people in this country that shouldn’t be here.” His comments were interrupted by applause. He won his primary shortly after.”

• Brookings, May 29, 2026: “The current administration’s 2025 interior immigration enforcement campaign has been promoted, in large part, as a labor market policy: remove unauthorized workers and create jobs for Americans. This research evaluates that claim and finds the reverse: Enforcement surges cost jobs, including jobs held by American-born workers. … The enforcement surge cost 668,000 jobs. … Job losses far exceeded the number of people arrested. … [W]e estimate that, out of the 668,000 jobs lost, 51,000-297,000 would have been held by American-born workers. This implies that for every excess arrest, between one and six of the jobs lost would have been held by American-born workers. … If the objective is to protect American workers and support resilient local economies, a wide-scale, “shock and awe” enforcement approach in American cities is a costly and counterproductive tool. Businesses in sectors like construction need predictability and stable workforces to take on projects, commit to timelines, and hire. Capricious enforcement that removes employees without notice is a source of economic volatility, the kind of uncertainty that causes businesses to pull back, delay investment, and reduce employment. Enforcement at this scale and speed—visible, shocking, designed to produce fear beyond the directly targeted population—destroys jobs, disrupts businesses that Americans own and run, and depresses the local economies in which Americans live and work. Any policy that aims to improve labor market outcomes for American workers must reckon with this evidence.”

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