In a letter written to the Trump Administration’s Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) revealed one clever tactic the administration could use to force massive numbers of self-deportations of illegal aliens, arguing that the Treasury Department has the authority to force the debanking of illegal aliens.
For reference, while the Trump Administration has already notched some major wins in the war against illegal immigration by forcing perhaps as many as 2 million self-deportations and actively deporting about 600,000 illegal aliens, or so the DHS claims, many in MAGA have noted that the massive scale of the illegal immigration problem means that much more must still be done.
So, many have turned to forcing self-deportations as being an economical and speedy way of dealing with the problem, and see the best way of encouraging that as being making life as unpleasant and unlivable as possible for illegal aliens in the United States, such as by shutting off their access to welfare programs.
Sen. Tom Cotton noted that one additional move that could be made on that front is forcing banks to debank illegal aliens. He began his letter to Bessent by saying, “I write to urge the Department of the Treasury to undertake a comprehensive review of current rules that allow illegal aliens to obtain financial services and access to the US banking system, including the regulations governing the acceptance of foreign identification documents for opening bank accounts in the United States.”
Continuing, he noted that the illegal alien population is massive, and much of it is somehow accessing American financial institutions, saying, “The illegal alien population reached unprecedented levels under the open borders policies of the last administration. Many of these individuals have accessed the U.S. banking system using foreign-issued identification documents such as Matricula cards, without verifying immigration status.”
Noting that banks are accepting foreign documentation rather than carrying out immigration status checks, the senator then noted, “Major financial institutions currently accept these foreign documents as primary identification, effectively extending the privileges of our financial system to those who entered or remain in the country illegally.”
Further, he noted that illegals should not be able to access our financial system, and thus their current use of it opens a fabulous avenue of attack that forces self-deportation. He said, “Access to the American banking system is a privilege that should be reserved for those who respect our laws and sovereignty. When individuals are allowed to open accounts without verifying legal status, we are permitting illegal aliens to establish financial roots and integrate economically, all while bypassing the legal channels that millions use properly.”
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Building on that, the senator noted that the legal authority to carry out this rule change already exists, saying, “The Department possesses authority under several statutes to address this issue. I respectfully request that the Department explore whether the USA PATRIOT Act or the Bank Secrecy Act could appropriately be utilized to prevent illegal aliens from opening accounts at U.S. financial institutions.”
Concluding, he argued, “Our immigration laws exist to protect American workers, ensure national security, and maintain our sovereignty. Financial regulations should not undermine these objectives. I believe thoughtful reform in this area is aligned with President Trump’s promise to end illegal immigration.”
Watch Border Czar Tom Homan comment on the number of deportation agents being deployed here: