- President Donald Trump's inauguration is set for Jan.20.
- The President Elect has been vocal about his plan to deport the millions of undocumented people in the county. An effort Trump says will start on his first day.
- We asked neighbors how they felt about it. Watch video above to hear their responses.
The count down until President Donald Trump's inauguration has begun, and mixed emotions are circulating across our neighborhoods.
“Trump's going to do wonderful things,: said neighbor Norm Shinkle. “We need him really bad right now.”
“Am I happy with the results? Absolutely not,” said neighbor Lorenzo Lopez.
Different viewpoints on Trump's plans to deport undocumented immigrants in the US has gotten a lot of attention ahead of the President Elect's first day.
“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in history,” said President Trump.
That’s a promise Trump has been vocal about throughout his 2024 campaign. Deporting, what he said are an estimated 11 million undocumented people in the country, while prioritizing undocumented immigrants with criminal background.
“ I have a lot of friends and peers who are undocumented,” Lopez said.
As a Latino American, Lopez said this is something he does not support. Lorenzo has lived in Lansing for his whole life. In 2017 - former Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero put an executive order in place that protects refugees and undocumented immigrants from law enforcement, citing their contributions to the cultural, social and economic make up of the city.
Click here to read the full Bernero’s full Executive Order.
“It has never bothered me, at any time in my life, that someone wants to come here, work, and contribute economically,” Lopez said.
Then, there are people in our neighborhoods with a different perspective. For that perspective we traveled to Williamston to chat with Shinkle, a former Republican Michigan Senator who served from 1983 to 1990.
“As far as just opening our borders and letting anyone come on in, we cant afford it,” Shinkle said. “It's costing all our local government a fortune. We feed them, house them, educate them, health care. Add it all up that’s millions and we can't even give our own people that.
Two different opinions - that seem to not be changing any time soon.
“The party is over, you have to go home,” Shinkle said. “I mean you're a citizen in another county, you're not a citizen in America and you don't have permission to stay here.”
“Our country is extremely diverse,” Lopez said. None of us are leaving, we are part of the American scene.”
