Caitlin Dickerson

I do think that populist message, as misleading as it was, was very powerful and impactful to the electorate.

But you are seeing the polling change.

And, you know, at a certain point,

When you create the image of these boogeymen and you promise this unprecedented deportation campaign, you're going to have to do it.

And then the untruths that you've been spreading are going to become obvious.

I mean, you don't want to be alarmist, of course.

I know you don't either.

But I don't think that it's overstated in the fact that the president himself has said that he'd like to unleash American troops within the interior of the country.

But I think we do have to believe Trump when he says what he wants to do.

And he has not gone so far as to say he plans to unleash a domestic paramilitary force.

But I think he's also said lots of things that come very close to that.

We have to take those seriously.

Usually when I hear abolish ICE, I think it's coming from the realization people are having about what our immigration laws actually are and what they allow, which is that

Anyone who does not have legal status in the country is subject to deportation.

It doesn't matter if you're best friends with a bunch of families at church.

It doesn't matter if you're beloved in your community.

You've lived here for 20 or 30 years.

You've never committed a crime.

You have a bunch of American children.

They're in the military.