In greater Minnesota, immigration debate hits close to home for a GOP leader, Trump backer
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Rodney Johnson’s political beliefs have always aligned most closely with the Republican party.
“As a biblical born-again Christian guy, I see a country that is moving further and further away from the biblical foundations that the country used to be based on,” he said.
Johnson is chair of the Clay County Republicans. He’s vehemently against abortion and supports low taxes.
Recently, though, another topic has emerged among the issues Johnson is most concerned about: immigration. Specifically, how immigration ought to be enforced.
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“I think it's hard for the Trump administration,” Johnson said. “Because part of what got them elected was we are going to deal with all the illegal people that are here.”
The Biden administration, Johnson said, was too lax on immigration enforcement. Illegal border crossings spiked during the Biden era.
So, Johnson said he’s not surprised President Donald Trump engaged in more aggressive immigration enforcement crackdowns to rein in illegal immigration.
However, Johnson feels these crackdowns, many of which have involved detaining people with legal residency status, have gone too far.
“'It's very tough,” Johnson said. “I hope after the first year here of the current Trump administration, that we can get back to rigid enforcement of the law without having to go as far as we have. But in the meantime, there's going to be some pain, and it saddens me.”
The debate hits close to home
The ‘pain’ Johnson is saddened by has now become personal.
He has a friend from Nicaragua who came to the U.S. a few years ago. Johnson said the woman obtained a work permit through a Biden-era program and that she spent thousands of dollars in legal fees to follow the correct procedures before building a life in Minnesota.
“She was serious about doing that before getting married,” Johnson said. “Because she didn't want any accusation that she was getting married just so she could stay here.”
Johnson became acquainted with the woman from Nicaragua because the man she married is close to him.
Now that woman and her husband are facing a major dilemma. In June, the Trump administration shut down the program that had allowed the woman to work here legally. So there’s a chance she may have to leave, Johnson said.
“I've grown to really appreciate and even love this young lady,” he said. “These things are easy to come to a conclusion on when it doesn't affect you.”
Johnson now anxiously awaits the immigration court’s decision on whether his friend will be allowed to stay.
‘There’s got to be a way’
This is a difficult topic for him to discuss. His own family arrived in the U.S. as immigrants from Denmark centuries ago. He said the U.S. is a welcoming country and needs to be.
But at the same time, immigration law needs to be enforced, he emphasized, though he sees a need for practical solutions.
“I honestly believe when people are here, they've been here for four years, if it is someone who is working a steady job, paying taxes… There's got to be a way to allow them to stay,” Johnson said.
Johnson stressed that this is his personal opinion. “It's not going to be shared by every Republican out there,” he said.
Despite his concerns about the administration's actions, Johnson remains a Trump supporter.
“My hope is that we get to a point where enforcement is done correctly,” Johnson said. “And is then followed up in the next administration as well, so we don't have these wide swings that damage people.”
