Why I love Canadians!

@Bexsy you aren't on the wrong side of the tracks - the facts are already clear. There is virtually nothing Trump has done that benefits the people of the United States or the world at large.

That includes the mass deportations and crackdown on visas and other immigration actions. Cost to the American people will run at nearly a billion dollars a year with a total estimated cost of about a billion dollars. The benefits to the people and country are virtually zero.

@peterlee And yet you are very judgmental . Europe ( NATO) used America as a piggy bank while making side deals with America’s enemies that were recently exposed . E Tú Brute? America is not Europe , nor do we want to be .

@peterlee They still speak it in Louisiana.

@TexChik As I said at the beginning I respect your views. And the American people actually elected Mr Trump for a second term.

@TexChik First, I'm not a socialist, but you wouldn't know that because you don't know what a socialist is.

However, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you the help you need in understanding this entire claim.

To do that I'll pick you one thing to explain how every line on the graphic is highly suspect.

The claim that “400,000 convicted criminals were apprehended” is not supported by federal enforcement data.

In a typical year before Trump’s current term, federal agencies collectively made roughly 100,000–150,000 arrests nationwide — a number that has remained broadly consistent for more than a decade.

What changed under Trump was not the total number of federal arrests, but the share of those arrests involving individuals with prior convictions, which historically ranges from about 20,000–40,000 depending on the year.

Most of these convictions are for low level offenses such as traffic violations, DUIs, shoplifting, or probation technicalities, not violent or serious crimes.

There is no evidence that this shift produced a measurable reduction in crime, and no federal dataset shows a causal link between these arrests and improved public safety.

Meanwhile, the expanded enforcement posture has imposed substantial costs on taxpayers (billions) through increased detention, transportation, and administrative spending, as well as broader economic impacts such as reduced labor availability, lower tax revenue, and higher consumer prices driven by workforce shortages in agriculture, food processing, logistics, and service industries.

The graphic’s framing significantly overstates both the scale and the benefit of Trump's federal enforcement activity while ignoring the economic burden placed on ordinary households.

1. The claim produces no measurable public safety benefit
Federal data does not show:
• reduced violent crime
• reduced property crime
• reduced gang activity
• reduced cartel activity
• reduced recidivism
• reduced trafficking

There is no causal link between the shift in federal arrest mix and any improvement in public safety.

So the “benefit” is not safety. It’s symbolic toughness — the warm fuzzy you mentioned.

2. The claim is not supported by federal arrest numbers
Federal agencies arrest 100,000–150,000 people per year, and that number has been stable for a decade.
Of those:
• 20,000–40,000 have prior convictions
• most are minor offenses (traffic, DUIs, shoplifting, probation violations)
• very few are violent offenders
• many were arrested by local police, not federal agents

So the “400,000 convicted criminals apprehended” claim is not real in any meaningful sense.

3. The economic downside is real, measurable, and borne by ordinary people
This is the part political graphics never include — and the part you’re correctly focusing on.
A. Lost production
Aggressive immigration enforcement removes workers from:
• agriculture
• food processing
• construction
• logistics
• hospitality
• caregiving
• service industries

These sectors already face shortages. Removing workers reduces output.

B. Higher consumer prices
When labor supply drops:
• food prices rise
• restaurant prices rise
• construction costs rise
• logistics costs rise
• service prices rise
This is basic supply and demand economics.


C. Lower tax revenue
When fewer people work:
• payroll taxes fall
• income taxes fall
• sales taxes fall
• local revenue falls
This shifts the burden onto remaining taxpayers.

D. Higher federal spending
Expanded enforcement requires:
• more detention beds
• more transportation
• more administrative processing
• more legal proceedings
• more border infrastructure
• more personnel
This costs billions in federal spending — paid by taxpayers.

E. Higher state and local costs
Local governments bear costs for:
• court systems
• jails
• public defenders
• social services
• foster care
• emergency medical care
These costs are not reimbursed by federal agencies.

4. So what’s left?

When you remove:
• the inflated numbers
• the misleading framing
• the lack of safety benefit
• the economic downsides
• the taxpayer burden in the billions

You’re left with one thing:

A symbolic political gesture that gives some people a feeling of toughness, but delivers no measurable benefit and imposes real costs on everyone else.

You're Welcome - hope you have a great day!