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Terrors in new year contribute in supportment for Trump’s anti-immigration policies

2025.02.07 12:26:01 Daniel Yejoon Ko
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[Photo Credit to Unsplash]

On the first day of the new year, multiple suspected terrorist attacks occurred simultaneously, resulting in at least 16 deaths and reinforcing support for President-elect Trump's anti-immigration policies.

In celebration of the new year and the Sugar Bowl, large crowds gathered in New Orleans, but the event ended with 14 people killed and 35 others injured. 

The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army veteran and U.S.-born citizen who lived in Houston, died after opening fire on  two officers with his assault rifle and officers returning fire.

Subsequently just five hours later, before the nation  had time to heal from this tragedy, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Las Vegas Trump Hotel at 8a.m.

The terrorist in the truck was identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old, living in Colorado.

While authorities found no clear evidence of motive at Trump Hotel, the terror in New Orleans revealed a strong ideological link.

Before the attack, Jabbar drove from Houston to New Orleans and posted several videos online in which he "proclaimed his support of ISIS," also emphasizing his joining ISIS before this summer, said Christopher Raia of the FBI.

Following what was said, he also mentioned ISIS flags were retrieved from the back of the car.

President Joe Biden announced, "The suspect showed his inspiration from ISIS and the desire to kill others on social media platforms."

Trump, on the other hand, criticized President Biden's open border policy on X, claiming that the attacks were proof of their failure, indicating that "Joe Biden is the worst president in the history of America" followed by "Complete and total disaster."

He also mentioned that within an hour they were "unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans" while pointing out that criminals from foreign countries are more threatening than those inside the U.S. 

Despite these intense condemnations, NBC rebutted Trump’s claims, pointing out that the terrorist was identified to be a U.S. citizen.

Despite the controversy, on January 20, Trump returned to office and swiftly leveraged the terror attacks for endorsement of his policies.

His stance was  evident by  the executive actions made directly after his inauguration ceremony.

Specifically, the newly reformed immigration policies included the addition of forces for illegal immigrants exportation with the increase in military forces in that process. 

Additionally, the orders included the immediately ending use of a border app called CBPOne that had allowed migrants to legally enter the United States, and kicking off the process to end birthright citizenship, which is expected to tee up a legal fight.

Subsequently, the president signed an action declaring a national emergency at the US southern border and mentioned in his inaugural address that “all illegal entry will immediately be halted.”

However, in response, a coalition of civil rights and immigration rights groups swiftly sued the Trump administration on Monday over his executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

The current approval rate for these immigration policies are shown as 48%, despite these abrupt and hardline renewals.

Researchers suggest that these approval rates have been strongly influenced by the recent terrors, fueling a surge in anti-immigration sentiment among the public. 

Daniel Yejoon Ko / Grade 10
Cheongshim International School