I spoke yesterday with a gentleman from Hidalgo County whose family owns a construction company. They build houses. He said he doesn't talk about politics and didn't want to be quoted, but he voted for Trump.
When I mentioned to him that estimates suggest the undocumented workforce in Hidalgo County is around 100,000 or more, and that removing these individuals could devastate the local economy, he dismissed the concern, saying it was "all politics" and that he doesn’t believe such a large-scale deportation will actually happen.
He was surprised to learn that Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming pick for Border Czar, has already confirmed they will "absolutely" use the 1,400-acre ranch in Starr County, offered by the Texas General Land Office, as a camp for the planned mass deportations of millions of people.
In the video below, we see that border wall construction on the land in Starr County begins on Tuesday.
Homan has also said he will not let local jurisdictions stand in the way of deportations.
The gentleman I spoke with also didn't know that DHS can audit the I-9 paperwork for all his workers, current and recently terminated.
(An I-9 is the verification form used to confirm a person’s authorization to work in the U.S.)
Even for those who are working legally, fines for paperwork errors can go up as high as $2,789 each. These audits quadrupled during Trump's first administration, and are likely to be even higher in his next term.
We did not have a chance to talk about what it means that the current Supreme Court now has a 6-3 conservative majority after three appointments made during Trump's first presidency.
Will be closely watching this. More to come