Sen. Merkley Warns Trump’s Deportation Push Will ‘Not End Well,’ Slams Attack on Freedom

Sen. Jeff Merkley from Oregon isn't mincing words when it comes to President Trump's latest immigration crackdown. At the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Merkley voiced serious doubts about the president’s mass deportation efforts, warning, "It’s not going to end well" for Trump.

The senator’s comments came as Democrats ramp up their challenge against Trump’s deportation policies, especially after they visited Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a man the Trump administration labels a Venezuelan gang member, but whom Democrats insist is anything but. According to Merkley and his party, Abrego Garcia’s deportation was a case of mistaken identity swept up in a policy targeting hundreds of Venezuelans.

Merkley dug into the heart of the debate, defending the importance of due process. He explained, "Due process...is what prevents the government from sweeping you, or me, off the street. It’s extraordinarily important for freedom." He pressed that Trump’s approach is "undermining" freedom and predicted a backlash, saying, "Our nation is going to respond, and we are going to defend our Constitution and our freedom."

But the White House isn’t backing down. Officials slammed Democrats for rallying behind Abrego Garcia, calling him a "documented criminal" and an illegal resident. White House spokesperson Kush Desai didn’t hold back, stating, "If the hill that Democrats want to die on is demanding the return of a violent illegal alien, wifebeater, and foreign terrorist, we are happy to dig that grave for them." Not exactly the language of a friendly debate, but hey, Washington never does subtle.

The controversy isn’t limited to Garcia’s case. Democrats are also fuming about Trump’s move to revoke student visas and deport non-citizen college students who allegedly organized anti-Israel—and, according to some, anti-Semitic—protests on campus. The administration justifies these actions by citing federal law that targets visa-holders considered national security threats.

And as if things weren’t heated enough, Trump signed an executive order on Monday going after sanctuary city policies. The new order threatens to withhold federal funding from cities that don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and gives the Justice Department broad power to bring resistant jurisdictions in line.

It’s clear both sides are digging in for a long fight, but one thing’s for sure: this immigration battle isn’t cooling off any time soon—and the drama is only getting juicier.