Hannah-Beth Jackson vs. Dale Francisco

by Bonnie Donovan

(In case you missed the debate of Hannah-Beth Jackson and Dale Francisco on KEYT Tuesday February 4, 2025, here is a link (below) or you can read my notes below.)

Hannah-Beth Jackson vs. Dale Francisco, Face-to-Face

Hosted by CJ Ward and Beth Farnsworth of KEYT

Q. Your impression of President Trump’s Border Security and Immigration plans?

Hannah-Beth: Put it all into context we have a series of executive orders and activities that are clearly illegal, clearly unconstitutional, and we should start probably with the immigration issue.

I think we can all agree that those that have committed crimes, violent crimes, should be removed from the country. I think that is what most Americans supported and agreed upon and I certainly agree with that.

But to then expand this to now allow ICE to come into schools, churches, and “sensitive” areas and that’s part of the problem. Nobody is quite sure what that means. But generating this instability, this fear, is really having an impact on our community, in part because we are a nation of immigrants; forty-one percent of all immigrants in our area are in the work force and they are doing the jobs frequently that people, that others, do not want to do. They pick our food; they are the people that serve us our food at restaurants; they are a huge portion of the construction industry, which really needs some help right now.

So, to vilify people who are immigrants, to suspend planes coming in from Afghanistan – people who truly have sought asylum in this country – is all part of a plan to disrupt, create fear among people, and something we should ask ourselves partially when it comes to birthrights… This is established law. If a child is born in this country, they are Americans. Why would we want to change that?

Dale: In context, the most important issue in the election—if you had to choose one reason why Trump was elected—was immigration. People don't like illegal immigration and the vast majority of the people in this country were surprised and astonished and then outraged that something like eight to ten million—we don’t know exactly how many—but roughly eight to ten million illegal immigrants came into this country during the Biden Administration.

Now I’m not aware of anything illegal or unconstitutional in the executive orders that Trump promulgated on immigration. To me, it looks like everything in there is referenced to the Immigration and Naturalization Act or the powers that the president has. I can guarantee you if there is anything illegal or unconstitutional it will be taken to court. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

So those issues will not be resolved overnight, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Trump acted on an issue that is of incredible importance to most Americans.

How about Tariffs?

Hannah-Beth: Well, the other thing that Trump himself claims is that he was elected on the basis of immigration, but I don't… believe it is quite as he has intended it, and also in reducing the cost of food and reducing the cost of goods and services. Fifty of our top economists say tariffs are exactly the wrong thing to do if you were going to reduce cost.

What are tariffs? They’re a tax and they are a tax that will be imposed if Mr. Trump has his way on goods coming into this country. It’s a tax that we end up as the consumer will end up paying. Thus, it is increasing the cost of goods and increasing the cost of our food and we have seen that happen previously and there’s absolutely no good reason in the world why we should increase tariffs and think that’s going to decrease the cost of food. It’s exactly opposite and as I mentioned, the economists think it’s the wrong way to go.

Dale: It is astonishing to me that after ten years of Donald Trump in the public spotlight that people still do not understand how he works. He announced he was going to impose tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless they – both of those nations – take steps to stop drugs and illegal immigrants from coming into this country from their side of the border. And guess what? Both of those nations said they will do that, and they had to, it’s in their best interest.

Because Canada’s trade with the United States is far more important to them than our trade with Canada. We do import things to Canada, no doubt about it but it would have been devastating to them if we would have imposed those tariffs.

Now apparently what we’ve heard is that Justin Trudeau had a very nice conversation with Donald Trump and agreed to do the things that Trump wanted on the border, similarly with the president of Mexico. Mexico agreed to put 10,000 troops on the border to stop the drug cartels from moving fentanyl into this country and stop illegal aliens from crossing their border. Since Trump became president border crossings are down 95%...

Hannah-Beth: …Just if I may, Mexico already had 15,000 at the border so the fact that they now have 10,000, I don't think I’d call it a win for President Trump.

Dale: Ten thousand more!

Hannah-Beth: And what Mexico was able to extract from Trump was an agreement that he would try to reduce the amount of guns that are brought into Mexico and sold to Mexican Cartels.

Dale: I’d call that a win-win.

Hannah-Beth: Well, I think what you’ve got there is an attempt to be a bully and what we know about Donald Trump is that he loves to be a bully, and what we’ve had here is just a PR effort that hasn’t accomplished anything except to alienate us from our friends and major trading partners.

Dale: I think it’s obvious that Trump used the tariffs as a negotiating tactic and both Mexico and Canada agreed to do what Trump wanted them to do on the border. I don’t see how that’s a problem.

Hannah-Beth: And there going to raise their rates on goods that are then going to be charged onto the consumer, so this whole business about reducing the cost of goods and reducing the cost of food that was one of the two reasons that Trump himself indicated he believed he won the election… is going by the wayside…

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This televised debate ended as KEYT ran out of time, but both were invited back to continue the discussion.

Here’s the link to watch for yourself, It’s only eight minutes long.

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