Donald Trump's promise to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants continues to cause consternation within the press. While such an operation would focus on those who have committed crimes other than crossing the border illegally, the journalistic class has decided it would be a terrible thing, and lately, they've just started blurting the quiet part out loud. 

In one of the most surreal displays I've seen on CNN, panelist Catherine Rampell recently told Scott Jennings that if Trump deports illegal aliens, there will be no one to "pick your crops." 

CNN Host doesn't want to get rid of illegal immigration because there will be nobody to 'pick your crops.'pic.twitter.com/ozEuLfZL8k

— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) October 18, 2024

JENNINGS: And he's going to take on these countries that screw American workers, and by the way, 

RAMPELL: It is not the plan, it is not the plan.

JENNINGS: He's going to crack down on immigration to the benefit of the American worker.

RAMPELL: He's going to deport 20 million people? The people who pick your crops? The people who process your meat? The people who, you know, care for your grandmother? The people who serve all sorts of critical functions in this country?

My word, talk about not hiding the ball. Apparently, illegal immigrants are the only people in the country who can pick crops, process meat, and take care of old people. Who knew? Never mind that there are already work programs in place that allow seasonal workers to come in and "pick the crops." 

So what's Rampell really saying? She's saying that it's more important to have illegal quasi-slave labor to ensure her standard of living than for the nation's laws to be followed. That seems rather exploitative of the CNN panelist, doesn't it? Democrats sure love to talk about fair wages until it comes to illegal immigrants working for minimum wage to save a few cents on fruit. 

NBC News did this same song and dance about construction costs, citing the "experts," of course.

Donald Trump’s pledge to “launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” would jeopardize construction firms already facing labor shortages, regardless of legal status, and push record home prices higher, experts say. https://t.co/TT5fMxozen

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 19, 2024

Could you imagine NBC News in 1863 after Abraham Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation? "Lincoln's plan to end slavery for the first time in history would jeopardize an agriculture industry already facing shortages and push costs higher." That is literally the argument these news outlets are making about illegal immigration. They don't even try to pretend anymore. They want their cheap labor, and they don't care about what they have to do to get it. 

Unfortunately for the press and their Democrat allies, most Americans do not support the continued flaunting of immigration law so rich people can pay a little less for their gardeners. A recent survey found that 66 percent of respondents support deportations like the one Trump has proposed. 

SEE: Two-Thirds of Americans Support Deportations of Illegal Immigrants 

There are other ways to fill jobs than constantly relying on an unending stream of illegal immigrants. Americans managed to build houses, pick crops, and process meat prior to the current situation. Never mind that a true securing of the border coupled with temporary work permits could also provide labor in sectors that truly lack it. Democrats would never agree to that, though. Instead, they'd demand another watered-down security bill that keeps the floodgates open while giving away the farm on the other end. 

So instead, the demagoguery will continue while the cartels get fat and innocent people die. All so people like Catherine Rampell can save a few bucks, at least in their own mind.