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The Minneapolis Shooting Is Not an Aberration — It’s a Warning of What Comes Next

The Minneapolis Shooting Is Not an Aberration — It’s a Warning of What Comes Next

As Pressures Mount, Trump Faces the Most Precarious Moment of His Presidency

As Pressures Mount, Trump Faces the Most Precarious Moment of His Presidency

Vance’s Claims on ICE Shooting Don’t Match the Evidence

Vance’s Claims on ICE Shooting Don’t Match the Evidence

How Texas’ Housing Changes Betray Its Most Vulnerable Communities

How Texas’ Housing Changes Betray Its Most Vulnerable Communities

People voting at voting booths.

The Quiet Campaign That Could Rewrite the 2028 Election

Are 'almost all of the new jobs' in the U.S. 'going to illegals'?

Are 'almost all of the new jobs' in the U.S. 'going to illegals'?
Ava Menkes, Wisconsin Watch
By Ava Menkes, Wisconsin WatchJun 27, 2024
Ava Menkes, Wisconsin Watch
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This fact brief was originally published by Wisconsin Watch. Read the original here. Fact briefs are published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network, and republished by The Fulcrum. Visit Gigafact to learn more.

Are 'almost all of the new jobs' in the US 'going to illegals'?

No.

About 150,000 foreigners make unauthorized entry to the United States each month, yet job growth far exceeds that.

Former President Donald Trump said at a June 18 rally in Racine, Wis., "almost all of the news jobs" in the U.S. are going to undocumented immigrants, but that's mathematically dubious at best.

All immigrants constitute 18.6 perent of the U.S. labor force. Studies have found the top industries employing undocumented workers are agriculture, construction and administrative support.

Employers created about 272,000 jobs in May, higher than the average monthly gain of 232,000. That figure excludes farm jobs. More than half of the jobs were in health care, government and hospitality.

There were roughly 10.5 million individuals living in the U.S. without legal status in 2021, or about 3 percent of the population. Federal law prohibits hiring undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 3.6 percent in 2023, the lowest rate in decades.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

New York Times The U.S. Economy Is Surpassing Expectations. Immigration Is One Reason.

Statista Annual unemployment rate U.S. 2023

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment rate inches up during 2023, labor force participation rises

Pew Research What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.

AULA Blog Immigration as the Current Main Driver of Economic Growth in the U.S.

New American Economy Undocumented Immigrants and the U.S. Economy

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Total payroll employment up 272,000, health care up 68,000, in May 2024

Population Reference Bureau Immigration to the United States


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Zohran Mamdani’s call for warm ‘collectivism’ is dead on arrival

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji wave after his ceremonial inauguration as mayor at City Hall on Jan. 1, 2026, in New York.

(Spencer Platt/Getty Images/TNS)

Zohran Mamdani’s call for warm ‘collectivism’ is dead on arrival

The day before the Trump administration captured and extradited Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, many on the right (including yours truly) had a field day mocking something the newly minted mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, said during his inaugural address.

The proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America proclaimed: “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

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The Lie of “Safe” State Violence in America: Montgomery Then, Minneapolis Now

Police tape surrounds a vehicle suspected to be involved in a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Lie of “Safe” State Violence in America: Montgomery Then, Minneapolis Now

Once again, the nation watched in horror as a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The incident was caught on video. Neighbors saw it happen, their disbelief clear. The story has been widely reported, but hearing it again does not make it any less violent. Video suggest, there was a confrontation. The woman tried to drive away. An agent stepped in front of her car. Multiple shots went through the windshield. Witnesses told reporters that a physician at the scene attempted to provide aid but was prevented from approaching the vehicle, a claim that federal authorities have not publicly addressed. That fact, if accurate, should trouble us most.

What happened on that street was more than just a tragic mistake. It was a moral challenge to our society, asking for more than just shock or sadness. This moment makes us ask: what kind of nation have we created, and what violence have we come to see as normal? We need to admit our shared responsibility, knowing that our daily choices and silence help create a culture where this violence is accepted. Including ourselves in this 'we' makes us care more deeply and pushes us to act, not just reflect.

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Washington Loves Blaming Latin America for Drugs — While Ignoring the American Appetite That Fuels the Trade
Screenshot from a video moments before US forces struck a boat in international waters off Venezuela, September 2.
Screenshot from a video moments before US forces struck a boat in international waters off Venezuela, September 2.

Washington Loves Blaming Latin America for Drugs — While Ignoring the American Appetite That Fuels the Trade

For decades, the United States has perfected a familiar political ritual: condemn Latin American governments for the flow of narcotics northward, demand crackdowns, and frame the crisis as something done to America rather than something America helps create. It is a narrative that travels well in press conferences and campaign rallies. It is also a distortion — one that obscures the central truth of the hemispheric drug trade: the U.S. market exists because Americans keep buying.

Yet Washington continues to treat Latin America as the culprit rather than the supplier responding to a demand created on U.S. soil. The result is a policy posture that is both ineffective and deeply hypocritical.

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The Failure of the International Community to Confront Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on January 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Failure of the International Community to Confront Trump

Donald Trump has just done one of the most audacious acts of his presidency: sending a military squad to Venezuela and kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Without question, this is a clear violation of international law regarding the sovereignty of nations.

The U.S. was not at war with Venezuela, nor has Trump/Congress declared war. There is absolutely no justification under international law for this action. Regardless of whether Maduro was involved in drug trafficking that impacted the United States, there is no justification for kidnapping him, the President of another country.

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