People have a right to be optimistic right now. The Trump administration has been successfully acting on a host of issues. Trump has a lot of momentum. He has the opportunity to be the answer to some of the longstanding problems afflicting the nation, and he is most definitely seizing the chance to do so. The right should, therefore, make certain to maintain high expectations.

For many, their top issue is illegal immigration. Criminals have entered the country illegally, and now is the time to enforce the law. That is why the deportation efforts ought to grow. Per the administration’s own comments, the current pace is not sufficient to complete the deportation of several million people. Over the past few weeks, daily deportations have risen to as high as one thousand at its peak. The daily average needs to increase dramatically to reverse the previous administration’s border failures. Under Biden, millions of illegals flooded the country. The Department of Homeland Security admitted to releasing 85% of migrants apprehended at the southern border. A peak of one thousand deportations per day is not going to cut it. Fortunately, the Trump administration concurs with this sentiment. 

There is only so much time to get this done. As illegal immigrants continue to embed themselves across the United States, the strain on public resources increases. And, as they scatter throughout the country in response to active ICE operations, the harder they are going to be to find. 

So, what ought to be expected? Well, there are a lot of things that can be done, and many of these things are currently in motion. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio continues meeting with foreign leaders, it is paramount that he extract more resources and manpower from the chief countries of origin. Once these nations commit themselves to these efforts, the Trump administration must place an enduring set of requirements on their operations to ensure they follow through. These places showed their hand when they capitulated at the first threat of tariffs. To reference “The Godfather,” Trump has made them an offer they can’t refuse. It is time to compel their support.

Domestically, the Trump administration should further prioritize coordinating with local governments in states like Texas and California, which account for nearly half of all illegal immigrants in the United States. Trump should apply pressure on local officials to secure their support, using the bully pulpit to expose defiance and threaten retaliatory measures as needed. He should do this quickly while he still has momentum and political favorability from the landslide election. Trump’s ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan has been working on this, requesting that county sheriffs aid federal law enforcement arrests and detention. But, the scope of these operations needs to expand fast. 

Now, it is good that President Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship. It is good he signed an executive order to pull back the overly broad applications of Temporary Protected Status. However, as seen last week with US District Judge Deborah Boardman’s injunction blocking Executive Order 14160, there are going to be a litany of challenges to these orders that will be fought in the courts, just like during Trump’s first term. Regardless of who is right or wrong constitutionally, this is the reality and it means Trump needs to deploy Congress to act on illegal immigration. 

Trump has already landed punches on illegal immigration with the help of Congress, signing legislation like the Laken Riley Act, which intensified the scope of deportations. But there is more to be done. Among the many things Congress can do, they most certainly should increase the number of ICE agents and expand detention capacity. Right now, it is like draining the ocean with a teaspoon. Expanding ICE’s size would be a remedy.

Trump is undoubtedly a gigantic upgrade from the last administration and a far better choice than the election’s alternative. Under the final year of Biden’s presidency, the daily average ICE arrests were 312 per day. That means Trump’s current deportation trend is substantially outpacing his predecessor. But it can still increase. 

It is typically unlikely a political candidate will be able to live up to the rhetoric of a campaign, but in this case, given the auspicious conditions surrounding Trump and given the rapid success on issues like government bureaucracy and energy, and thus, the marked capacity to deliver, everyone ought to maintain high expectations for an increase in deportations. A lot of challenges are going to arise as time passes. But Trump has never been one to throw in the towel. That is why there is so much reason to be optimistic.

To become a columnist or to submit a guest column, contact Opinion Editor Caleb Weingarten at [email protected]