Tillis: Republicans Have 'lost the debate' on Immigration

Monday, March 09, 2026

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said Sunday: "We've lost the debate over immigration and deportations. I believe that we should deport everyone that we can find that came across the borders during the Biden administration. But we've got to be smart, use our limited resources, go after the most dangerous first ... It didn't look like that happened under Noem."

Posted by sentinel at 11:33 AM | 26 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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Question from CNN to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) just now: "Do you think Stephen Miller should go? Tillis: "Of course I do"
-- Scott MacFarlane (@macfarlanenews.bsky.social) Mar 8, 2026 at 10:22 AM

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"We're beginning to get the American people to think that deporting people is wrong. It's the exact opposite," Tillis told Noem during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week.

"The way you're going about deporting them is wrong, the fact that you can't admit to a mistake, which looks like under investigation, it's going to prove that Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti probably should not have been shot in the face and in the back," he said.

#1 | Posted by sentinel at 2026-03-08 01:13 PM | Reply

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said Sunday: "We've lost the debate over immigration and deportations."

That's alright. No reason to win a debate when your go-to plan is disenfranchising a few tens of millions of voters for midterms.

#2 | Posted by censored at 2026-03-08 01:15 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

... It didn't look like that happened under Noem." ...

Sec Noem was not the problem. She was just following the orders she was given.

Sen Tillis seems to be trying to make her a scapegoat for the evil that Pres Trump has done and is doing.

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-08 02:48 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Did anyone doubt that she would be "reassigned to under-the-bus"?

#4 | Posted by sentinel at 2026-03-08 08:11 PM | Reply

ICE was conceived as Trump's private army. It still is that. It needs be broken to break Trump. And there's nothing more important than breaking Trump.

#5 | Posted by Zed at 2026-03-08 09:09 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

I agree. Ice was designed to be Trumps SS.

I think we're likely to see the full force of ICE in the Fall. And it's not going to be simple deportation enforcement.

#6 | Posted by Whatsleft at 2026-03-09 12:01 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

US Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC): Republicans Have 'lost the debate' on ~~Immigration~~ Everything

#7 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-03-09 12:19 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Trump ran on closing the border (he did it in about a day) He also ran on removing illegals, which they were doing until Dems started arming protesters and supporting foreign ---------ers. In other words their base.

#8 | Posted by fishpaw at 2026-03-09 12:36 PM | Reply

Dems started arming protesters

#8 | POSTED BY FISHPAW

Is that why we've seen so many dead ICE?

#9 | Posted by Zed at 2026-03-09 12:44 PM | Reply

Trump ran on closing the border (he did it in about a day)

#8 | POSTED BY FISHPAW

Give me a break.

Propaganda. Like when Trump says he stops wars.

The Texas border still lets people through.

And it's clear as sunshine that whatever Trump is trying to do with immigration as a whole is failed.

You people have lost the argument.

And because Trump knows this, that's why he'll hit his own country with repression and violence next November.

#10 | Posted by Zed at 2026-03-09 12:58 PM | Reply

Zed,

Look at the numbers. Illegal border crossings are at the lowest point in decades. Under auto-pen they were at all time record highs.

As for deportations, I agree with the basic message of Sen Tillis.

#11 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-03-09 01:46 PM | Reply

#11 What "numbers"?

#12 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 01:46 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Look at the numbers.

POSTED BY BELLRINGER

There's an intern in the White House in charge of lying about numbers.

#13 | Posted by Zed at 2026-03-09 01:48 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

#11 | POSTED BY BELLRINGER

After all this time, you don't see Donald Trump as being a Liar.

#14 | Posted by Zed at 2026-03-09 01:49 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

"Look at the numbers."

You're joking, right? These folks have lied through their teeth, basically boiling it down to "Who you gonna believe? Us, or your lying eyes?"

These are folks who saw the videos, and STILL called Good and Pretti "domestic terrorists".

Remember when labeling people "domestic terrorists" used to get you upset, even when it was true?

What's (D)ifferent now? What's your (R)easoning?

#15 | Posted by Danforth at 2026-03-09 01:53 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

So, I'm guessing you all have counter factual evidence that shows our border is still being inundated at the same level as auto pen?

Please, show your work. I'll wait.

#16 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-03-09 02:02 PM | Reply

"So, I'm guessing you all have counter factual evidence"

Um...don't look now, but you're the one who made the claim.

It's not that you shoot from the hip; it's that your targets are all lies.

#17 | Posted by Danforth at 2026-03-09 02:16 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

I can provide statistics to support my claim. You, on the other hand, don't have any counter evidence to support yours. And what is exactly is your claim? Illegal crossings have remained constant between the two administrations? Yeah, try and run with that.

#18 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-03-09 02:35 PM | Reply

Yeah, try and run with that.

#18 | Posted by BellRinger

No we will run with "republicans always start oil wars" and "why is trump hiding the epstein files"

#19 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2026-03-09 02:36 PM | Reply

#19 that's all well and good, if either of those were on topic.

#20 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-03-09 02:39 PM | Reply

#18 You cannot provide a single, unbiased source for your "statistics," bell boi.

#21 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 02:40 PM | Reply

Real life intrudes. I'm out until maybe this evening. Work, errands and other life things take priority over this place.

#22 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-03-09 02:53 PM | Reply

#22 Why do you think anyone cares about your "real life," bell boi?

If you never return to the Retort, are we to take that as a sign that you were involved in a deadly traffic incident?

Or should we just assume that you came to your senses?

#23 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 02:56 PM | Reply

I can provide statistics to support my claim

#18 | POSTED BY BELLRINGER

From Trump.

But, hey. Try to surprise us.

#24 | Posted by Zed at 2026-03-09 02:56 PM | Reply

The lifeblood of America is immigration. Legal. Illegal. Turning off the spigot never was and never will be a long term option.

#25 | Posted by moder8 at 2026-03-09 03:07 PM | Reply

There are officially 195 countries in the world recognized by the United Nations (193 member states and two observer states: Vatican City and Palestine). Consequently, there are roughly 195 distinct nationalities associated with these sovereign states.

And in the United States of America, ~195 of all of those distinct nationalities are present in this country, natural-born or immigrant (regardless of status).

And, of the approximately 7,168 known living languages in the world today, somewhere in America most of those languages will be spoken today.

You're 100% correct, Moder8... The lifeblood of America is immigration..

#26 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 03:15 PM | Reply