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Local politicians weigh in on President Trump’s first weeks in office

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco joined Your News Channel for an on-set, primetime segment to share their views on several key topics.

Francisco, a longtime GOP politician, and Jackson, a staunch Democrat, weighed in on border security and immigration and President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants and ramped up deportations, nationwide.

Speaking on immigration, Jackson criticized Trump’s executive orders targeting undocumented immigrants, calling them “clearly illegal” and “unconstitutional.” She emphasized the critical role that immigrants play in the local workforce, stating, “41% of all our immigrants in our area are in the workforce… they pick our food, they are the people who serve us at restaurants, and they are a huge portion of the construction industry.”

Jackson also took issue with expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, which she argued have created fear and instability in immigrant communities. She warned against policies that could disrupt birthright citizenship, asserting, “If a child is born in this country, they are an American. Why would we want to change that?”

While Francisco did not touch on the recent ICE operations he did defended Trump’s immigration actions as fulfilling a key campaign promise. “If you had to choose one reason why Trump was elected, it was immigration,” he stated. He disputed claims that the policies were unconstitutional and emphasized public frustration over illegal immigration, claiming, “Something like 8 to 10 million illegal immigrants came into this country during the Biden administration.”

On the topic of tariffs, Jackson denounced Trump’s trade policies, arguing that they would lead to higher prices for consumers. “Tariffs are a tax that we, as consumers, end up paying, thus increasing the cost of goods and increasing the cost of our food,” she said, citing economic experts who oppose tariffs as a way to reduce costs.

Francisco defended Trump’s use of tariffs as a strategic tool to pressure trade partners. “It is astonishing to me that after 10 years of Donald Trump in the public spotlight, people still do not understand how he works,” he said. He credited Trump with successfully negotiating concessions from Mexico and Canada, claiming, “Illegal border crossings are down 95% since Trump became president.”

Article Topic Follows: Local Politics

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Beth Farnsworth

Beth Farnsworth is the evening anchor for KEYT News Channel 3. To learn more about Beth, click here

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