US Vice President JD Vance gave his insights on various policies and concerns as the Trump administration establishes its stronghold after coming back to the White House in January.
During the Fox News‘ “The Ingraham Angle” on Thursday, he addresses multiple topics including deportation of green card holders, immigration, border security and trade policies.
Deportation of green card holders
Vance also addressed the recent arrest of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card holder accused of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda. He argued that “A green card holder… doesn’t have an indefinite right to be in the United States.”
“This is not fundamentally about free speech,” Vance added. “Yes, it’s about national security, but it’s also more importantly about who we, as an American public, decide gets to join our national community.” He signaled that the Trump administration is prepared to take action against student visa holders or other non-citizens who are found to be engaging in activities that authorities view as threats to the country.
“I think we’ll certainly see some people who get deported on student visas if we determine that it’s not in the best interest of the United States to have them in our country,” he further said.
Immigration and border security
Turning to the broader issue of immigration enforcement, Vance pointed to the administration’s commitment to fulfilling Trump’s campaign pledge to crack down on illegal migration. He touted significant progress in securing the southern border, claiming a “well over 95%” reduction in migrant crossings since Trump took office in January.
With border security largely under control, Vance said, the administration is shifting its focus to ramping up deportations saying “We’re building that capacity up.”
He further blamed the Biden administration for underfunding immigration detention facilities and weakening Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The vice president alleged that Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden “underfunded” migrant detention facilities and “destroyed” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leaving the Trump administration with “a hole that we have to dig out of.”
He also praised Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and “border czar” Tom Homan for implementing policies to encourage self-deportation. “We’re going to encourage a lot of people to self-deport. We don’t have to knock on your door. Before that happens, why don’t you get on a plane and go home yourself?” Vance explained, reinforcing the administration’s multi-pronged approach to immigration enforcement.
Recession looming?
When asked whether he could rule out a recession, Vance acknowledged the unpredictability of economic trends. “You can never predict the future,” he told host Laura Ingraham. Despite the uncertainty, he emphasized that the economy remains strong under President Donald Trump’s leadership. “I think the fundamentals of the economy are actually quite strong right now, and we will see how this unfolds. I think by increasing businesses’ investments in American workers and reshoring some of those supply chains, we are going to make this economy stronger over the long haul. That is the President’s ultimate goal,” he added in his statement.
His comments come amid ongoing debates over inflation, interest rates, and job growth, as the administration seeks to maintain economic stability.
‘America first’ trade policy and tariffs
Vance justified the tariffs by shifting the blame on the European unions. “The EU has in some ways been the worst on American workers and American industries of anybody. They impose ridiculous tariffs and they say they are our most important ally and, of course, we care about European security, but they don’t treat us like an ally when it comes to economics.”
He further talked about Trump’s plan adding, “The president wants to bring jobs and investment back to the US build more here, invest more here, raise wages here—and you won’t have to pay these tariffs at all.”
