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VICTOR JOECKS: Trump racks up immigration wins

President Donald Trump just created a new golf shot — the Colombia-in-one.

Over the weekend, the United States attempted to send two C-17s filled with illegal Colombian immigrants back to their home country. The South American state had approved the flights but revoked their authorization while the planes were en route. As a result, the aircraft turned back and landed in the United States.

Colombia President Gustavo Petro took to X and bragged about the move. He wrote, “The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.”

The stakes were much larger than just these flights. If Petro’s gambit had succeeded, it certainly would have emboldened other countries to rebuff similar efforts.

As an aside, Petro inadvertently made the case for more deportations. If a country doesn’t want its own citizens back, America shouldn’t let them stay here illegally.

But Petro made a major mistake. He challenged Trump, not Joe Biden. On Sunday morning, Trump went on Truth Social to lay out what would happen if Colombia didn’t reverse course. Those actions included a 25 percent tariff on Colombian imports, rising to 50 percent a week later. The United States would revoke the visas of Colombian officials and sanction members of the Colombian government.

Minutes later, Petro backed off. He even offered to use his presidential plane to transport illegal immigrants returning to Colombia. By Sunday night, the White House announced that Colombia had “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia.” The tariffs and sanctions “will be held in reserve” to ensure Colombia keeps its end of the bargain.

This story gets better. It appears Trump sent his message while playing golf. A viral video even showed Trump on his phone while sitting in his golf cart.

But wait. It gets even better. Less than two hours later, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself wearing a fedora and three-piece suit standing in front of a sign reading “FAFO.” The sanitized version of that phrase is “fool around and find out.”

What a difference from how the country’s self-proclaimed experts have handled foreign policy. They want the world to like us. Trump demands the world respect us.

Trump has been racking up victories on the illegal immigration issue more broadly, too. He sent 1,600 troops to the southern border to help secure it. During Biden’s presidency, daily apprehensions sometimes topped 10,000. On Sunday, daily encounters were under 600, according to Fox News. That same day, ICE arrested almost 1,200 illegal immigrants. Last fiscal year, ICE averaged fewer than 315 arrests per day. Trump shut down the CBP One app, which the Biden administration used to bring in more illegal immigrants. Customs and Border Protection canceled previously scheduled appointments.

For decades, America’s Chicken Little elite have been afraid to swiftly use America’s might to achieve the country’s objectives. Trump isn’t afraid to do so. It’s a major reason he keeps racking up immigration wins.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.

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