Trump keeps brutalizing immigrants because he's failing at everything else
There seems to be no end to President Donald Trump's and Republicans' cruelty, but don't be fooled: it's all a distraction.
The reports coming out of Alligator Alcatraz, the immigration detention center built in the Florida Everglades, are harrowing. Detainees in the center have reported overflowing toilets, lights on through the night and dismal meals.
"This place needs to be shut the hell down," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, said on a press call with the Naples Daily News and other outlets.
According to a report from The New York Times, only about 60% of the detainees have criminal convictions. That means 40% did nothing wrong. The facility currently houses about 900 men sleeping in tents.
Alligator Alcatraz is a cruel reminder that Trump will do whatever he wants to vulnerable populations in the United States, and only a few Democrats seem willing to call him out on it. It's also cruel for a reason: to appease the MAGA base and keep them from realizing that Trump isn't making good on any of his other promises. And never forget that none of this would be happening if not for Republican support.
Trump continues to fail us on the economy
Take the economy, for example. Trump campaigned on a promise that he would make it easier for the average family to afford the cost of living, only for his tariff plan and cuts to federal funding to send the economy into a tizzy.
The 'Big Beautiful Bill,' Trump's fiscal agenda, is projected to harm working-class families because of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits. His tariff agenda is leading to an increase in inflation and consumer prices, something that will ultimately cost the average American household at least $1,000.
Polling on Trump's handling of the economy has consistently been negative, according to Gallup. While it improved slightly in June, it's still much lower than the economic confidence during Trump's first term.
Opinion: Republicans hurt rural Americans with their beautiful bill. Then they clapped.
Going after immigrants does nothing to solve the unfolding economic crisis in our country. In fact, the pursuit of the Trump administration's strict immigration agenda is likely to harm the economy, thanks to the way it is affecting businesses that rely on undocumented labor. But Trump hopes you don't notice that, and Republicans know this was never about improving an economy that was already thriving in a global market.
America's foreign policy is a global joke. US is no longer a force for good.
Foreign relations are another area where Trump is failing – likely because he was making promises he couldn't keep.
He claimed he would end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – only for both conflicts to continue. He claimed there would be no wars under his leadership, then conducted airstrikes in Iran and nearly plunged the United States into another war. New reporting suggests his bragadocious messaging after those Iran strikes was nonsense.
Opinion: White House wants us to see Trump as Superman. We all know he's the villain.
He's just now realizing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin can't be trusted, and has finally decided to help Ukraine. Other countries are no longer seeing America as a force for good, according to Ipsos polling over the last six months. Pew Research Center polling shows a lack of confidence in Trump's international leadership abilities.
He threatened to annex Greenland and Canada – things that there was no way he'd be able to achieve. He has damaged relationships with allies due to his tariffs and ambitious plans, making the United States an international laughingstock and causing tourism to the country to plummet.
But sure, let's brutalize immigrants.
The Epstein files mess is engulfing the Trump administration
Or consider the Jeffrey Epstein files, which have become a source of contention for the MAGA movement. Back in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed the files existed and were sitting on her desk. Then, in July, she claimed there were no such files. Trump doubled down on this and demanded that everyone stop talking about Epstein, 'somebody that nobody cares about.'
At first, this led to a huge backlash among MAGA supporters and conspiracy theorists who wanted answers. Right-wing personality Laura Loomer said in a July 16 interview that this could 'consume' the presidency in the same way Trump's ties to Russia did during his first term. Other pundits, like Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, have dropped the conversation altogether.
But Trump really, really doesn't want you to focus on the fact that he said he wanted to declassify the Epstein files on the campaign trail. It's best if you just focus on the immigrants who are being treated no better than livestock. After all, Trump says they're the root of the problem in this country, and we should believe that, right?
In all seriousness, the cruelty is not the point for a Republican Party that is both successful in pushing its agenda and failing in convincing Americans it's worth pushing. The Trump administration is busy producing smoke and mirrors to pacify its political base by targeting immigrants while failing to improve the lives of the working class. The needless meanness is merely a comforting distraction for an entire political party that can't be bothered to actually help Americans.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno
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