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Month: July 2025
All modern U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democratic, have attempted to reduce the population of millions of undocumented immigrants. But their various strategies have not had significant results, with the population hovering around 11 million from 2005 to 2022.
President Donald Trump seeks to change that.
With harsh rhetoric that has sowed fear in immigrant communities, and policies that ignore immigrants’ due process rights, Trump has pursued deportation tactics that differ dramatically from those of any other modern U.S. president.
As a scholar who examines the history of U.S. immigration law and enforcement, I believe that it remains far from clear whether the Trump White House will significantly reduce the undocumented population. But even if the administration’s efforts fail, the fear and damage to the U.S. immigrant community will remain.
Presidents Bush and Obama
To increase deportations, in 2006 President George W. Bush began using workplace raids. Among these sweeps was the then-largest immigration workplace operation in U.S. history at a meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa in 2008.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deployed 900 agents in Postville and arrested 398 employees, 98% of whom were Latino. They were chained together and arraigned in groups of 10 for felony criminal charges of aggravated identity theft, document fraud and use of stolen Social Security numbers. Some 300 were convicted, and 297 of them served jail sentences before being deported.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
In 2008, Bush also initiated Secure Communities, a policy that sought to deport noncitizens – both lawful permanent residents as well as undocumented immigrants – who had been arrested for crimes. Some 2 million immigrants were deported during Bush’s two terms in office.
The Obama administration limited Secure Communities to focus on the removal of noncitizens convicted of felonies. It deported a record 400,000 noncitizens in fiscal year 2013, which led detractors to refer to President Barack Obama as the “Deporter in Chief.”
Obama also targeted recent entrants and national security threats and pursued criminal prosecutions for illegal reentry to the U.S. Almost all of these policies built on Bush’s, although Obama virtually abandoned workplace raids.
Despite these enforcement measures, Obama also initiated Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in 2012. The policy provided relief from deportation and gave work authorization to more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.
Obama deported about 3 million noncitizens, but the size of the undocumented population did not decrease dramatically.
The first Trump administration and Biden
Trump’s first administration broke new immigration enforcement ground in several ways.
He began his presidency by issuing what was called a “Muslim ban” to restrict the entry into the U.S. of noncitizens from predominantly Muslim nations.
Early in Trump’s first administration, federal agents expanded immigration operations to include raids at courthouses, which previously had been off-limits.
In 2017, Trump tried to rescind DACA, but the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s effort in 2020.
In 2019, Trump implemented the Remain in Mexico policy that for the first time forced noncitizens who came to the U.S. border seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims were being decided. He also invoked Title 42 in 2020 to close U.S. borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump succeeded in reducing legal immigration numbers during his first term. However, there is no evidence that his enforcement policies reduced the size of the overall undocumented population.
President Joe Biden sought to relax – although not abandon – some immigration enforcement measures implemented during Trump’s first term.
His administration slowed construction of the border wall championed by Trump. Biden also stopped workplace raids in 2021, and in 2023, he ended Title 42.
In 2023, Biden sought to respond to migration surges in a measured fashion, by temporarily closing ports of entry and increasing arrests.
In attempting to enforce the borders, his administration at times pursued tough measures. Biden continued deportation efforts directed at criminal noncitizens. Immigrant rights groups criticized his administration when armed Border Patrol officers on horseback were videotaped chasing Haitian migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border.
As of 2022, the middle of the Biden’s term, an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants lived in the U.S.
Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images
A second chance
Since his second inauguration, Trump has pursued a mass deportation campaign through executive orders that are unprecedented in their scope.
In January 2025, he announced an expanded, expedited removal process for any noncitizen apprehended anywhere in the country – not just the border region, as had been U.S. practice since 1996.
In March, Trump issued a presidential proclamation to deport Venezuelan nationals who were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department. In doing so, he invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 – an act used three times in U.S. history during declared wars that empowers presidents to remove foreign nationals from countries at war with the U.S.
Declaring an “invasion” of migrants into the U.S. in June, Trump deployed the military to assist in immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
Trump also sought to dramatically upend birthright citizenship, the Constitutional provision that guarantees citizenship to any person born in the U.S. He issued an executive order in January that would bar citizenship to people born in the U.S. to undocumented parents.
David Pashaee/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
The birthright executive order has been challenged in federal court and is mostly likely working its way up to the Supreme Court.
Under the second Trump administration, immigration arrests are up, but actual deportation numbers are in flux.
ICE in June arrested the most people in a month in at least five years, roughly 30,000 immigrants. But deportations of noncitizens – roughly 18,000 – lagged behind those during the Obama administration’s record-setting year of 2013 in which more than 400,000 noncitizens were deported.
The gap between arrests and deportations shows the challenges the Trump administration faces in making good on his promised mass deportation campaign.
Undocumented immigrants often come to the U.S. to work or seek safety from natural disasters and mass violence.
These issues have not been seriously addressed by any modern U.S. president. Until it is, we can expect the undocumented population to remain in the millions.
Kevin Johnson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Politics + Society – The Conversation
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Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby seem to be very good friends.
Their clear rapport is obvious during very touchy interviews for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Is there a platonic version of PDA? Sure! And that seems to be what they’re displaying.
Some fans are confused, wondering if there’s something more. Others just envy Vanessa Kirby or Pedro Pascal. Or both.
‘Fantastic Four’ stars Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby are getting along very, very well
Just weeks ago, theater-goers could scarcely believe their eyes at the first truly good live-action Superman film, ever.
Now, reviews make it clear that the same is true of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
We never thought that we’d see a good theatrical adaptation in our lifetimes.
One part of this success is the cast, including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
As you can see from the tweet below, Pascal and Kirby are getting a lot of attention in interviews.
The two portray Reed Richards and Sue Storm in the film.
Though Mister Fantastic is a polarizing (at best) superhero among comics fans, the couple are one of the most enduring and iconic Marvel pairings of all time.
For these actors, their on-screen chemistry extends to unscripted interviews. There’s a lot of touching and it’s grabbing people’s attention.
oh to be pedro pascal and constantly have my neck caressed by vanessa kirby pic.twitter.com/D4iMjYswgy
— sue storm brainrot (@bluntemly) July 24, 2025
Everyone wants to be one of them or the other (or their hypothetical ‘third’)
“Oh, to be Pedro Pascal and constantly have my neck caressed by Vanessa Kirby,” one denizen of the fallen corpse of what was once Twitter wrote alongside a supercut of Kirby reaching out and stroking Pascal.
Pascal is one of those people who seems to have intense and flirtatious chemistry with everyone.
He is kind, he is charming, and rumor has it that he is anatomically blessed.
To be clear, none of the touching is sexual. Pascal has embraced many co-stars of various genders while promoting all sorts of projects.
Meanwhile, some internet trolls — possibly people who hate Pascal for being a famously good person, but possibly people who’d be this way about any famous man — asked how he can “get away with” being so touch-feely.
Simply put, these are people who heard #MeToo horror stories about sexual predators using power, blackmail, and cultural pressure and thought “what, so we can’t touch women now?“
The point, always, is about consent. Many people would happily consent to hold hands with Pascal or have Kirby give them neck scritches.
That is not the same thing as a powerful agent groping someone at a gala. This is not actually a difficult topic to understand, and it is confusing that people pretend that it is.
Is this another cynical marketing ploy?
Just for the record, Vanessa Kirby is still in a relationship with Paul Rabil.
She is also, if the photos did not make it clear, pregnant.
The news broke in May. No, she’s not wearing a prosthetic baby bump to tease the birth of Franklin Richards.
Most of the time, these red carpet relationship rumors are intentional ways to promote a film.
In this case, though, it might just be Pedro Pascal’s limitless rizz at work.
Pedro Pascal & Vanessa Kirby Elicit Envy, Questions with Touchy-Feely Friendship PDA was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Sky Daily has shared her first public sentiment since the death of her husband, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.
“I wasn’t ready for this…and my heart is in pieces,” Daily, Hogan’s third spouse, wrote on social media Friday, July 25.
“He had been dealing with some health issues, but I truly believed we would overcome them. I had so much faith in his strength. I thought we still had more time.”
Hogan died on Thursday morning of what is believed to have been cardiac arrest; Daily, for her part, did not elaborate on these aforementioned health issues.
Local officials in Clearwater, Florida said in July 24 that they responded to Hogan’s residence after receiving a 911 call just before 10 a.m.
The local police department said the athlete and entertainer was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The pro wrestling star’s death came after his representatives and friends had downplayed concerns in the media about his health in recent months… with longtime friend and on-screen manager Jimmy Hart even saying last Tuesday that Hogan’s health was “phenomenal.”
By these accounts, therefore, the presumed heart attack came out of nowhere.
“This loss is sudden and impossible to process,” Daily added wrote in her tribute. “To the world, he was a legend… but to me, he was my Terry. The man I loved. My partner. My heart.”
Daily, who exchanged vows with the icon in 2023, wrote that Hogan “loved his fans so much and despite his growing physical discomfort, he did everything he could to show up, sign autographs, take photos, and connect with the people who supported him through it all.”
“You meant everything to him,” Hogan’s wife told his supporters.
One of these supporters was Donald Trump, who also mourned the late star after learning of the news yesterday.
“We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster,’” the President wrote on Truth Social. “Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.”
Trump went on to recall Hogan’s enthusiasm on the 2024 presidential campaign trial, writing about his “absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention” which he called “one of the highlights of the entire week” and concluded:
“He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive. To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!”
From what we can gather, Brooke Hogan was able to tell her dad that she loved him before Hulk passed away.
“He was a believer in Christ, and I take comfort knowing his soul is at peace and he’s been welcomed home,” Daily added on Friday. “Please keep his family and all of us who loved him in your prayers as we try to navigate this new reality.”
Hogan was previously married to Linda Hogan from 1983 until 2009. The Hogan Knows Best cast member then married Jennifer McDaniel in 2010 before filing for divorce in 2021.
Hogan won the WWF heavyweight title in 1984, launching the “Hulkmania” craze that helped WWE become a household name over the next decade or so. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on two occasions and he starred in such films as Rocky III, No Holds Barred and Mr. Nanny.
We send our condolences to those who knew and were close to Hulk Hogan. May he rest in peace.
Hulk Hogan’s Wife Shares Heartfelt Tribute, Reveals Wrestler’s Ongoing … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Ever since Natalie Portman’s divorce from Benjamin Millepied, fans have been quick to link the A-list actress with pretty much every guy she’s been spotted with in public.
And now, Natalie is about to be subjected to the most intense scrutiny of her career, as she’s caught the attention of the internet’s most rabid fan base.
Yes, worlds are colliding as the Natalie shippers are now coming into contact with Swifties.
Natalie Portman-Austin Swift photo sparks romance rumors
Natalie was spotted in New York City this week, where she appeared to be enjoying the company of Taylor Swift’s brother, Austin Swift.
Naturally, fans are jumping to wild conclusions and assuming that Natalie and Taylor will be sister-in-law besties before the year is out.
But before you get too excited and start brainstorming cute couple names (Autalie? Naustin?), you should know that there’s no indication that the relationship between Austin and Natalie is anything more than a platonic friendship.
In fact, it looks like they both might have been in New York for professional reasons.
It seems that Natalie is in New York to star in a new Lena Dunham film titled Good Sex.
“After spending a decade in a failed relationship, pragmatic couples’ therapist Ally is turning 40 and reluctantly dipping her toe back into the New York dating scene,” reads an official Netflix synopsis for the movie.
“But she gets more than she bargained for when she meets two men- one in his twenties and one in his fifties- who show her there is no set formula for good sex.”
Now, Taylor is close friends with Lena — or at least she was at one point — so it’s widely assumed that Austin’s presence on or near the film’s set is not coincidental.
Is he making his acting debut? Scoring his first executive producer set? Just stopping by because he’s famous, and he’s allowed to do that?
Either way, it’s very likely that Austin and Natalie’s paths crossed for professional reasons, not romantic ones.
Still, the situation is sparking a lot of conversation.
And it seems that a surprising number of Swifties didn’t even know she had a brother!
Austin generally lives a low-key life
“Taylor has a brother? I must have been living under a rock,” one Reddit user remarked, according to Hello! magazine.
“Didn’t even know she had a brother until now,” another said.
“Same, I had to do a double take,” a third chimed in.
It’s not like Taylor keeps Austin a secret, but he generally seems to avoid the spotlight.
Of course, it’ll be that much harder to maintain his privacy if he starts dating Natalie!
‘
Natalie Portman Spotted Hanging Out With Taylor Swift’s Brother, Austin Swift, In … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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It’s been a big week for Travis Kelce.
First, he reported to Kansas City Chiefs training camp for what will likely be the last time. (Travis will turn 36 this season, which is certainly not old — but it’s old in NFL tight end years.)
Shortly thereafter, he made a highly memorable cameo in Netflix’s highly anticipated Happy Gilmore sequel.
But all of that pales in comparison to the news that Taylor has been spotted wearing a sizable ring in a new photo of the couple!
Yes, as we reported earlier today, Travis shared some intimate photos of himself and Taylor on his Instagram page.
In one of the pics, we can see Travis’ iPhone, which has a black-and-white photo of the happy couple as its wallpaper. And yes, in said photo, Taylor is wearing a ring on what appears to be her left hand.
But before you get too excited, we should note that she also appears to be wearing two other rings on the same hand.
And it looks as though all three of them are Travis’ Super Bowl rings.
The pic in question is the third item in the carousel above. As you zoom in, you might go through the same roller coaster of emotions that every other Swiftie experienced.
Now, it’s entirely possible that Travis and Taylor are engaged. But if that’s the case, they’re keeping it under wraps for now.
“Had some adventures this offseason, kept it [100 emoji],” Travis captioned the photo above.
He wasn’t lying. In fact, one of his off-season adventures involved stripping down and getting slathered in honey by Bad Bunny — for a movie, of course.
Travis makes an impression with semi-nude ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ cameo
Yes, if you’re one of the few remaining Swifties who has yet to check out Travis’ work in the new Adam Sandler comedy, you should know that Tay would like you to fix that ASAP.
The queen of pop doesn’t post to social media very often, but today she sent a clear message to her 280 Instagram followers.
“Happy Gilmore 2 had me cackling and cheering the whole movie. An absolute must watch,” Taylor wrote in a Story post, along with the film’s poster. “13/10, go watch it on @netflix as soon as humanly possible.”
She added a honey pot emoji in case there were any doubts as to her favorite scene.
For the most part Happy 2 is almost exactly what you’d expect. But it does some points for originality, as we doubt anyone expected to see Travis devoured by a bear while slathered in honey.
It might not have been the off-season surprise Swifties were hoping for, but it’ll have to do for now!
Taylor Swift Rocks Ring In New Photo, Praises Travis Kelce’s ‘Happy Gilmore … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Brock Davies is coming clear about his dirty past.
In her new memoir, My Good Side, Scheana Shay writes that her husband didn’t just cheat on her about four years ago — he cheated on her while she was pregnant with the couple’s daughter!
YIKES, huh?
“As I sat there, feeling completely sick to my stomach, he admitted that — at the time — he was scared about being a father again, specifically about whether he even deserved to be, and he chose to deal with it by sleeping with someone else,” Shay says to readers in the book.
Now, on the latest episode of his wife’s podcast, Davies has come out and confirmed this exact telling.
“I just didn’t know how to handle [becoming a dad again]. I didn’t know how to handle that at all. Inherently, I always deflected to the worst version of myself,” Davies explained on ai. “I was scared of being a parent again. I believed what I read. I believed I was a bad dad.”
Shay suggested that Davies was “self-sabotaging” amid his estrangement from his older kids, Winter and Eli, whom he shares with his ex-wife.
“That in itself was just an example of me just deflecting and being that version of myself, right?” Davies responded.
“It wasn’t until years later that I actually thought about that. It’s not okay to even have that as a response because that was just me — again — blaming other reasons outside of facing it up to myself. So I apologize for even saying that.”
Despite this infidelity, Lala Kent recently came out and defended Davies as a human being.
Shay — who previously told Us Weekly she would have left her husband if there was no child involved or she had learned what had happened right around when it happened, as opposed to years later — has clearly arrived at some kind of peaceful place with him, as well. The two remain together.
Davies, for his part on the podcast, said how being married to a public figure allowed him to be “held accountable” for his mistakes.
“If anything, it’s probably made me a better version of myself because it’s really forced me to hold myself to that standard of being a better person,” he continued on Friday, adding that without the accountability “I would probably be doing the same stupid things, blaming other people for the same reasons why I’m in that situation every day.”
Davies also said it was merely a “sexual affair” that lasted three weeks.
“I apologize to you, my love,” he told Shay on air.
“And for everybody else out there, you gotta back off, to be honest. I feel like there’s a lot of opinions that get thrown around and all we need to do is look in a mirror, okay? I’m a hypocrite. People are hypocrites sometimes.
“I will fight for my wife until the end of the day. So if anyone has a problem with this affair, they shouldn’t be coming and attacking her. They should be coming to me.”
Elsewhere in her memoir, Shay lists all the famous men she’s slept with. It’s an impressive list!
Brock Davies Admits to Cheating on Scheana Shay, Tries to Explain Why was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez launched her gubernatorial bid on Friday, making her the first entrant into what’s expected to be a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Gov. Tony Evers.
In her announcement video, Rodriguez, a former emergency room nurse and state legislator, pledged to work to expand Medicaid and give public school teachers a pay raise if elected.
“We’ve got a maniac in the White House. His tariffs are killing our farmers and his policies are hurting our kids. Next, our legislature refuses to expand Medicaid, even though 41 other states have done it,” Rodriguez said in the video. “With a Democratic governor, we can finally expand Medicaid and boost our healthcare workforce, strengthen our farms, unions, and small businesses, fund our public schools, and give teachers the raise they’ve earned. That’s the right path.”
Rodriguez’s launch video focused on biographical details, including her path from emergency room nurse, to health care executive, to state lawmaker.
Evers, who announced his retirement Thursday, unseated Republican Scott Walker in 2018 and won reelection in 2022. But the state remains a battleground, providing President Donald Trump his narrowest victory in 2024.
Wisconsin Democratic operatives listed several other potential primary contenders, including Attorney General Josh Kaul, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys and Milwaukee Mayor Chevy Johnson.
Republicans also expect a crowded primary. Walker posted a photo on X with a “Make Wisconsin Great Again” hat with “45-47” on the side with the comment: “Interesting.” Walker served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) has also suggested he’s interested in a run. Business executive Bill Berrien is already running.
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