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Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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Right-wing media's immigration wish list: Kill the bipartisan Dignity Act, more mass deportations, and fewer paths for legal immigration

Right-wing media are trying to pressure Republicans to move even further right on immigration

Written by Torri Lonergan & Isabella Sherk

Published

Right-wing media figures are rejecting recent messaging from the Trump White House to back away from calls for mass deportations and attacking bipartisan immigration legislation. These personalities have gone so far as to accuse the GOP of “pushing for mass amnesty” and “surrendering our country to foreigners.” 

They are advocating for harsher anti-immigration policies — demanding that President Donald Trump enact his most extreme campaign promises for mass deportations, calling for “a 10-year ban on all immigration,” and encouraging Trump to start “denaturalizing citizens” and “removing lawful permanent residents.”

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  • While the Trump administration slashes legal immigration, some congressional Republicans have backed away from mass deportations and cosponsored the Dignity Act

    • The Trump administration has been slashing legal immigration and targeting non-criminal “immigration violators” while telling the public its efforts were prioritizing deporting “the worst of the worst.” The administration has drastically cut visas for legal permanent residents, international students, H-1B workers, and the foreign partners of U.S. citizens. Meanwhile, CBS reported that “30,986 — or 48% — of the ICE detainees in custody as of Nov. 16 lacked any criminal charges or convictions in the U.S. and were being held solely because of civil violations of U.S. immigration law.” [Cato Institute, 4/13/26; CBS News, 11/26/25]
    • A recent poll from Politico found that “half of Americans — including one quarter of Trump’s 2024 voters — said his mass deportations campaign is too aggressive.” However, the poll also found that two-thirds of his 2024 voters said, “Trump’s mass deportations campaign is either about right or not aggressive enough.” [Politico, 4/18/26]
    • In March, the White House reportedly advised congressional Republicans to avoid discussing mass deportations ahead of the midterm elections. According to Axios, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair urged House Republicans “to stop emphasizing ‘mass deportations’ and instead focus their messaging on removing violent criminals.” [Axios, 3/10/26]
    • A group of Trump allies have formed the Mass Deportation Coalition to encourage the administration not to back away from its deportation push. The coalition — which includes the Oversight Project’s Mike Howell, former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, former Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan, and conservative groups including The Heritage Foundation — released a playbook urging the White House to continue raiding work sites and deporting migrant workers despite pushback from voters. [Politico, 4/1/26]
    • The Dignity Act is a bipartisan bill that would allow migrant workers who have been here more than five years to legally work in the U.S. The “Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2025” or the “DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act” was introduced by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX) in July 2025. 19 other Republicans and a similar number of Democrats have cosponsored the bill. Salazar described the legislation as “a serious, balanced solution: no amnesty, no path to citizenship, but a legal status for those who have worked, paid taxes, and contributed to our economy.” According to the American Immigration Council, “The Dignity Act would provide a path to permanent legal status — but not citizenship — for nearly all undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States since December 31, 2020.” [Congress.gov, 7/15/25; Office of Rep. María Elvira Salazar, 3/25/26, 7/15/25; American Immigration Council, 7/15/25]
    • In April, 11 House Republicans voted with Democrats to extend temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants through 2029. CBS News reported that TPS “allows immigrants to temporarily live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation if DHS decides their home country is unsafe due to armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary circumstances.” Haitian immigrants have been granted TPS since 2010. The bill’s Republican supporters broke with Trump, who has attempted to end deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants and reportedly plans to veto the bill if it passes the Senate. [CBS News, 4/16/26; NPR, 4/16/26]

  • Right-wing media figures railed against the Dignity Act, calling the bill that bars undocumented people from citizenship “amnesty”

    • The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called Dignity Act cosponsor Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) an “anchor baby,” described the bill as “treasonous,” and claimed the legislation would “backdoor a mass amnesty.” [The Daily Wire, The Matt Walsh Show, 4/9/26, 4/9/26]
    • Fox’s Sean Hannity complained, “We have Democrats and some Republicans even that are pushing for this idiotic, imbecilic, insane idea of the Dignity Act.” He framed the proposed legislation as saying, “Oh, never mind that you didn't respect our laws, our borders and sovereignty. Never mind that we didn't vet you. We're just going to let you into the country anyway.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 4/9/26]
    • On April 8, Fox host Laura Ingraham asked Dignity Act cosponsor Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), “How can you possibly look in the face of the American people and say that's dignity?” The next day, Ingraham argued that “American workers, taxpayers, and the rule of law” will lose if this bill gets passed. She also said that Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) “nailed it” when he referred to the bill as a “double middle finger to the middle class.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 4/8/26, 4/9/26]
    • Discussing the Dignity Act, Fox host Will Cain asked Lawler, “How is this not amnesty?” Cain insisted, “Whatever words you want to use, amnesty, pathway to citizenship — I know you’re not proposing that — legal status, you are creating the continued incentive for illegal immigration.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 2/4/26]
    • Right-wing podcaster Laura Loomer said that Republicans will “lose the midterms” because they are “talking about this Dignity Act to give amnesty to 65 fucking illegal aliens.” In February, she insisted the Dignity Act is “just another word for mass amnesty, it makes me so angry,” and said, “I think that Lawler should be primaried. I think that he should be removed from Congress.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 4/7/26, 2/5/26]
    • Megyn Kelly questioned why Republicans were cosponsoring the “betrayal bill” and said, “This is no time to be talking about amnesty.” She added, “I don't care about them being in fear of deportation,” and asked, “What is this, just to create a talking point for the Democrats right before the midterms?” [Sirius XM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 4/9/26, 4/9/26]
    • The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles said Salazar is “pushing for mass amnesty” and declared that the Dignity Act is “as rancid as a bill as ever I have seen.” On The Megyn Kelly Show, Knowles said, “I have my own alternative legislation that I am proposing. The legislation is the All New Denizens Actually Leave En Masse Bill, or the ANDALE Bill.” He argued, “Mass deportations are a mainstream popular political issue. So what are these jokers, these Republicans in Congress say? They come around and they say I know what we'll do after winning the first popular election in 20 years. Let's give illegals mass amnesty. … Leave it to these people to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.” [The Daily Wire, The Michael Knowles Show, 7/21/25; The Daily Wire, Friendly Fire, 4/8/26; Sirius XM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 4/9/26] 
    • Infowars host Harrison Smith said that Congress “named the amnesty bill in the Spanish language just to really emphasize how thoroughly they are surrendering our country to foreigners.” [Infowars, War Room, 4/7/26]
    • On former Trump strategist Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, Immigration Accountability Project co-founder Rosemary Jenks criticized the Dignity Act, claiming, “It's got amnesty for at least 10 million illegal aliens to compete with low-wage American workers.” She said, “I call this bill, instead of the Dignity Act, the SAAW Act for Screw All American Workers, because this bill hits every American worker, whether they're low-wage, medium-wage, or high-wage.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 4/10/26]
    • The Charlie Kirk Show executive producer Andrew Kolvet said the Dignity Act is “a new grift to try to get more illegals coming in.” He claimed, “There are people around the president right now saying, don't ever use the word mass deportation again — the thing that we all got so excited to vote for in 2024.” [Real America’s Voice, The Charlie Kirk Show, 4/7/26]
    • Podcaster Vince Coglianese ranted, “What the hell did people vote for, by a majority? A majority? They said mass deportations. They said get everybody out of the country who's here illegally. Stop breaking our laws. Stop making it chaotic. Get out. Get out. And you're picking now for amnesty? No. None. No more amnesty.” Coglianese called the Dignity Act a “dumpster fire” and said, “The goal of the bill is to give amnesty to huge categories of illegal aliens.” He criticized Republicans who support the bill, complaining, “They're going to deliver the American dream. To whom? Not to Americans. To illegal aliens. What are you idiots doing?” [Rumble, VINCE, 2/5/26]

  • Right-wing media personalities demanded that Trump double down on mass deportations

    • Podcaster Tim Pool complained about “the Trump administration telling people to back off of mass deportations,” claiming, “That says to me, yeah, MAGA's dead.” He continued, “If the Republican Party is now saying Joe Biden allowed in 10 million undocumented — undocumented — migrants, illegal immigrants, as we call them, if he really did that, and the Trump admin is saying we're done with this; we're not going to do it — OK. Well, then America's over.” [Rumble, Timcast IRL, 3/17/26]
    • War Room host Steve Bannon called for “mass deportation of every illegal alien that’s here. All of them, not just the bad hombres.” Previously, in late March, Bannon had complained that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the White House said, “We can't even use the phrase mass deportations again.” Days later, Bannon insisted, “We cannot take our eye off the ball of mass deportations, even if the lobbyists that continue to hammer at the White House want us to stop doing it.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 4/14/26, 3/23/26, 3/31/26]
    • In an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show titled “The RINO Plot to Dump 'Mass Deportations,’” Andrew Kolvet said, “We’re going to keep saying mass deportations, because guess what? That’s what the people want.” Kolvet later complained, “If you're going to cuck out on deportations and immigration, you will depress turnout at the midterms. … You will depress our base and we will not get out and vote for you in the midterms." [Real America’s Voice, The Charlie Kirk Show, 4/9/26, 4/9/26, 4/21/26]
    • Fox host Laura Ingraham told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, “We want mass deportations, Mr. Secretary. That's what the American people voted for.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 4/15/26]
    • White nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes lamented, “Trump always chickens out,” specifically complaining that the administration backed down on mass deportations. Fuentes said, “Mass deportations — where are they? Not happening.” [Rumble, America First, 3/31/26, 4/8/26]
    • Laura Loomer complained that “we're not getting all of the 65 million mass deportations like we were told,” saying, “At the rate of these deportations, they're not exactly mass deportations.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 4/7/26]
    • Conservative influencer Nick Sortor said he will continue to use the words “mass deportations” because “if we only go after the worst of the worst, that means amnesty for the rest.” [Rumble, The Charlie Kirk Show, 4/7/26]
    • Megyn Kelly said, “We’ve gone from worst-first to pretty much worst-only, if that.” She said, “We’re going in the wrong direction in terms of the detention of illegals,” complaining that the drop in ICE detentions is “primarily driven by the decline in arrests of illegal immigrants without criminal records. It very much appears like we have moved considerably on from that group.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 4/15/26]
    • PBD Podcast panelist Vincent Oshana said, “This mass deportation has slowed down. OK? And I’m sorry, I voted for the people that do not belong here to leave.” He continued, “The rules are the rules, you have to leave if you're freaking here illegally and that's it.” [YouTube, PBD Podcast, 3/20/26]
    • Mike Howell of the Mass Deportation Coalition said on Julio Rosas’ Mostly Peaceful Podcast that “only focusing on the worst of worst” is “comfort food for RINOS.” He continued, “It's a problem in that there's not that many criminal illegal aliens out of the total illegal alien population. And so, when you're focused on a small subset, you're going to get small numbers.” [YouTube, Mostly Peaceful Podcast, 4/2/26]
    • The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh complained that if Trump “won’t do” mass deportations, then “I don’t think anyone else ever will.” [The Daily Wire, Friendly Fire, 4/8/26]
    • The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles said he’s sure the “abuelas are really nice, but abuela has to go too.” He said, “I want mass deportations. I don’t just want the face-tattooed criminals gone.” [The Daily Wire, Friendly Fire, 4/8/26]

  • Right-wing media figures attacked legal immigration and advocated for denaturalizing US citizens

    • Steve Bannon said, “We should have a 10-year ban on all immigration. People say, oh well legal — it's not legal. It's all a scam.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 4/10/26]
    • YouTuber Tyler Oliveira posted a video attacking the H-1B visa program that claimed to expose “Texas' Indian Invasion.” Oliveira said “infinite legal immigration” will “alter the fabric of any place” and asked, “If the law has allowed Frisco's Indian population to go from less than 2% to almost 20% Indian in the last 20 years, turning Frisco into a majority-minority city, is the intent of these work visas bringing Indians to America to support our labor force or to replace it altogether?” [YouTube, Tyler Oliveira, 4/5/26, 4/5/26]
    • Right-wing streamer Zack Hoyt, known online as Asmongold, said that “what needs to happen” is “denaturalizing citizens,” “removing lawful permanent residents,” and “scaling down the H-1B program by like 95%.” He said he would denaturalize and deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “instantly” and added, “I am not satisfied in the level of aggression and force that they are using to get rid of a lot of these people.” Omar immigrated to the United States as a child and has been a U.S. citizen for over 20 years. [YouTube, Asmongold TV, 4/13/26; Politico, 2/3/26]
    • Hoyt complained about legal immigration from India specifically, saying, “It's way too fast, way too many.” Hoyt insisted, “The problem is the system that allows these companies to undercut American workers and then get cheap foreign labor and then import them here and then bring their entire family.” He went on to accuse Trump of “selling out the American people” by supporting H-1B visas. [YouTube, Asmongold TV, 4/14/26, 4/14/26]
    • Podcaster Benny Johnson said “Ilhan Omar’s family” is “a walking advertisement for why we should never take anyone from the Third World into our country ever again.” He complained that a “horrific” and “sick” “experiment” has been “run on us for the last 40 years that you need to flood our nation, that anyone can become an American, that paperwork Americans are just as American as you are. No, doesn't work.” [YouTube, The Benny Show, 3/22/26]
    • Podcaster Vince Coglianese said, “We need a full-blown moratorium on all migration into the United States.” He celebrated data from the Cato Institute finding that Trump has cut legal immigration more than illegal immigration, saying, “Yes, I voted for all of this. And, yes, these are all massive wins.” Coglianese also criticized Congress for extending temporary protected status for Haitians, saying that we need to “purge the ranks of people who would sell us out like this” and falsely labeling Haitian immigrants with TPS as illegal aliens. [Rumble, VINCE, 4/16/26, 4/16/26]
    • Fox host Laura Ingraham said it “drives me crazy” that Republicans voted with Democrats to protect Haitian immigrants in the United States with temporary protected status. [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 4/15/26]
    • Blaze TV host Auron MacIntyre said on The Charlie Kirk Show that Haitians have a “high propensity toward violence” and “don’t belong in the United States.” MacIntyre railed against extending temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants, saying, “The problem with Haiti, the reason it's dangerous, is because Haitians live there.” [Rumble, The Charlie Kirk Show, 4/16/26]
    • Megyn Kelly said Haitians are continuing to “be rewarded for their illegal law breaking” and that Republicans who voted to extend temporary protected status for Haitians “deserve to be named and shamed.” Kelly said, “They pretend at every turn that there are not Americans who want these jobs. I'm here to tell you there are. There are. I've known and loved some of them. So fuck you and your bullshit excuses, Rep. Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 4/17/26]