Topline
The Department of Homeland Security used its official X account on Thursday to blame undocumented immigrants for a host of national problems including unemployment, public safety concerns, traffic and the cost of rent, homes, groceries, cars and healthcare.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Jan. 28, 2025.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The official Homeland Security account posted a list of complaints like, “There aren’t enough jobs!” and “I can’t afford a house!” each followed by the sentence, “There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country.”
After linking nine different issues to the number of immigrants in America, the post ended by saying “Many problems. A simple answer,” implying the deportation of immigrants would fix the listed problems, though the posts did not elaborate on how the issues were linked.
The DHS blamed immigrants for welfare spending, unemployment and women not feeling “safe walking down the street,” though experts have largely agreed immigration is not the most prevalent factor in any of these problems.
The agency said the cost of cars and groceries could also be blamed on the immigrant population, but former Ford CEO Mark Fields told CNN that mass deportation efforts could actually be what leads to an increase in the cost of cars due to labor shortages, and the same has been said for food prices.
The DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has repeatedly used its X account to criticize immigrants, while the agency carries out mass deportation efforts first promised during Trump’s presidential campaign.
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Key Background
Affordability has been increasingly worrying Americans for the last year as the costs of residential electric bills, electronics and groceries, among other things, rise. Despite evidence of a rising cost of living, President Donald Trump has repeatedly denied claims Americans are worried about expenses. The president last week called polling on the economy “fake” and said that concerns about affordability are a “con job by the Democrats.” Earlier this month, after Republicans lost several elections, Trump accused Democrats of inventing the narrative that the economy is performing poorly, alleging, “the Democrats ‘affordability’ issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!” More than three in four Americans said they’re feeling anxious about their financial situation in a survey earlier this month and, in a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey, most Americans said they are spending more on groceries and utilities than they were a year ago.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/11/20/department-of-homeland-security-blames-immigrants-for-grocery-prices-and-healthcare-costs/
