ICE Ramps Up Charter Flights plus Eighth Amendment Victory & Over 1M Illegal Aliens in Swing States

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: ICE Ramps Up Charter Flights plus Eighth Amendment Victory & Over 1M Illegal Aliens in Swing States
Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Ben Ferguson (Premiere Networks)

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Overview

This episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson focuses on three major political stories:

1. The Trump administration’s acceleration of deportations and ICE charter flights,
2. A New York court's reversal of a major financial penalty against Donald Trump on Eighth Amendment grounds,
3. Detailed claims about illegal immigration’s impact on swing states under the Biden administration.

Ben Ferguson delivers his signature unfiltered and combative commentary, promising to bring listeners what he sees as underreported or misrepresented truths behind recent U.S. political developments.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. ICE Deportations Ramped Up Under Trump

[05:13 – 08:33]

• Deportation Rates Up:
  Ferguson highlights that the Trump administration is on pace to deport 400,000 illegal immigrants in its first year, citing The New York Times. This marks a significant rise from the previous year's 271,000 deportations.
• Operational Expansion:
  ICE is now running about twelve charter planes daily for deportations and detainee transfers—double the number from January, and has opened at least 50 new detention centers since Trump took office.
• Project “Homecoming” & Incentives:
  The administration’s “Project Homecoming” offers incentives for voluntary departures, but also aggressive enforcement for others.
• Political Framing:
  Ferguson frames increases as "promises made, promises kept," lauding Trump’s approach and interpreting outward criticism from The New York Times and immigration advocates as validation of the administration’s effectiveness.
• Comparison with Previous Administration:
  Ben repeatedly contrasts Trump’s policies with those under Joe Biden, promising that “what happened under Joe Biden will never happen again.”

Quote:
“The Trump administration is deporting about 1,500 people per day and is on track to deport more than 400,000 people in his first year in office. The New York Times is now reporting. Now, of course, they're criticizing the president for doing it. That's how you know the president's doing a damn good job.”
— Ben Ferguson (05:18)

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2. Eighth Amendment Victory in Trump’s New York Case

[08:34 – 13:11]

• Court Decision:
  A New York appeals court overturned a $500M civil fraud penalty assessed against Donald Trump, determining it to be an “egregious” and “excessive” fine that violated the Eighth Amendment.
• Attorney General Letitia James Targeted:
  Ferguson criticizes James for what he sees as a political vendetta, referencing her previous campaign promises to pursue Trump and her fundraising efforts linked to legal actions against him.
• Court Details:
  The appellate ruling maintained findings of fraud but struck down the large financial penalty, with notable dissent from Justice David Friedman who believed the entire case was politically motivated.
• Implications:
  The victory is described as a blow to Democrats and a sign of “real justice,” while Ferguson highlights continuing debates about political abuse of prosecution powers.

Quote:
“This was egregious, it was an excessive fine that clearly violates the 8th amendment.”
— Ben Ferguson (08:56)

Quote:
"Friedman wrote that James' true aim was political... ending with the derailment of President Trump's political career and the destruction of his real estate business."
— Ben Ferguson (10:59)

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3. Illegal Aliens ‘Packed’ Into Swing States Under Biden

[13:13 – 18:13]

• Population Increases:
  Pew Research Center estimates are cited, suggesting over a million illegal immigrants moved into swing states between 2021–2023, with Texas alone gaining 450,000.
• State-By-State Breakdown:
  Ferguson lists changes state by state, e.g., Florida (+700,000), Georgia (+100,000), Pennsylvania and Michigan (+80,000 each), North Carolina (+100,000), Ohio (+75,000), Arizona (+50,000), Nevada/Wisconsin (+30,000 each), and New Hampshire (+10,000 based on a small population).
• Political Motive Alleged:
  The host claims these population increases were deliberate: “the Biden administration knew what they were doing,” arguing that such demographic shifts impact representation (census counts) and the electoral map.
• Framing:
  Ferguson argues this is part of a “power grab,” suggesting Democrats intentionally increased illegal migration to benefit redistricting and eventual amnesty-driven voting shifts (though there’s no allegation of voting by the undocumented in the episode).

Quote:
"The Biden administration, we're now learning, packed swing states with over 1 million illegal aliens. Why? Solely for a power grab."
— Ben Ferguson (13:13)

Quote:
“You look at illegal aliens in New Jersey, for example, which election predators say could be tight over the next 10 years.”
— Ben Ferguson (15:45)

• Policy Contrast:
  Ferguson ends by describing Trump’s border and voting integrity initiatives as direct responses to these developments.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ICE Charter Flights & Policy Differences:
  “ICE is using a dozen charter planes per day. If that's not taxpayer money used the right way, I don't know what is.”
  — Ben Ferguson (07:23)

• On the Appellate Decision’s Impact:
  “This was one of those, like victimless crimes. No one was hurt, everybody made money and what did they do? They went after the President of the United States of America instead. It's disgusting.”
  — Ben Ferguson (12:09)

• On Political Implications of Immigration:
  “If you don't have a secure border, you don't have a country. And now we understand the plan. Biden administration said, let's pack the swing states just like we want to pack the Supreme Court…”
  — Ben Ferguson (17:07)

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Timestamps for Main Segments

• [05:13] ICE ramps up deportations; administration pace, policy, and effect
• [08:34] New York appeals court reverses Trump $500M penalty, Eighth Amendment focus
• [13:13] Analysis and breakdown of illegal alien populations in swing states
• [18:13] Episode wrap-up and host sign-off

---

Tone & Style

Ben Ferguson’s commentary is assertive, partisan, and direct. He uses charged language (“crazy, insane civil case,” “radical leftist,” “political witch hunt,” “power grab”) and frames news events to champion Trump-era policies while sharply criticizing opponents. Sources like the New York Times and Pew Research Center are referenced to underpin his analysis, often with a combative twist suggesting mainstream reporting is inadvertently demonstrating the effectiveness of conservative approaches.

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For more tailored updates and Ben Ferguson’s perspective on unfolding political events, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to both this podcast and The Ben Ferguson Podcast.

Transcript

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[Unknown Political Commentator]

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[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[Unicorn Girl Host]

Good morning. So nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update, and we've got three big stories for you. First up, it's looking like we're going to have over 400,000 illegal immigrants deported in Trump's first year in office. That doesn't count. All that are being stopped at the southern border. Also, the courts have thrown out that egregious over a half billion dollar penalty in the civil trial with Donald Trump. So what comes next? And finally, Democr have now been exposed for packing swing states with illegal immigrants. So what happens next? I'll explain that. But first let me tell you about Crockett Coffee. If you drink coffee like I do, I drink it every day. I want a great cup of coffee. Well, my good friends Clay Travis and Buck Sexton decided to start a company that only did small batch premium coffee. Small batch roasted coffee is just another level of incredible, amazing smooth coffee that if you've never tried it before, you've got to do it because every cup is premium. It's not average, it's not even good. It's amazing coffee. Crockett Coffee, they do this in small batches and there's no need to give your money to the woke liberal coffee brands that are out there because my good friends, that's part of the reason why they started this company. They are sick and tired of giving their money to companies that hate our values. And they said, hey, we can do this and do it better than anybody else. Now at Crockett Coffee, you can choose between fresh ground or whole bean or K cups. You choose. And if you're interested in mushroom coffee and the positive benefits that come with enjoying that each day, Crockett Coffee is now producing that as well. They've got dark roast, mild roast, a light roast, even a decaf version and a mushroom organic blend. You choose what you like and I'm going to save you money to try Crockett Coffee right now. You can go online to CrocketCoffee.com use my name Ben. You're going to get 20% off your first order and then you're going to be hooked. That's CrockettCoffee.com use My Name Ben, as your promo code. 20% off. Something else I love about Crockett Coffee is not just the amazing coffee you get, but a portion of your purchase will go to support Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Because the good people at Crockett Coffee also pledge to never forget. So go to Crockett Coffee, use my name Ben. Get 20 off your first order and get the best cup of coffee you've ever had each and every day. It's a 47 morning update and it starts right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Story number one, promises made, promises kept.

[Unicorn Girl Host]

That for me is the theme of Donald Trump's time in office so far, the Trump administration, we're now being told, is on pace to deport 400,000 illegal immigrants in one year. Trump administration is deporting about 1,500 people per day and is on track to deport more than 400000 people in his first year in office. The New York Times is now reporting. Now, of course, they're criticizing the president for doing it. That's how you know the president's doing a damn good job. At least 180000 people have been deported by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement under President Donald Trump. The time states deportations have increased as ICE got a massive increase in funding from the big beautiful bill that was signed into law again, the bill that they said was going to America so much for that lie. At its current pace, ICE would deport more than 400000 people. That is a sharp increase from the 271000 people removed last year by ICE, though far short of the goal of a hundred or of one million set by the Trump administration. Now the Department of Homeland Security says the total number of deportations so far under Trump is 322 000. That figure includes people who are turned around or quickly deported at the U S borders by Customs and Border Protection. The Times also states ICE is using a dozen charter planes per day. If that's not taxpayer money used the right way, I don't know what is. To conduct deportations and transport detainees. That's double the number used in January. According to Tom Cartwright, an immigration advocate who is tracking the ICE flights. Yes, they're angry. There are more than 60,000 people in city the Times reported ICE has added at least 50 new detention centers since Trump took office as well and more than 6, 000 people being held there. The White House for months has emphasized the administration's broader strategy on immigration as the deportation tally has ticked upward through its Project Homecoming initiative announced in May, the administration has offered financial incentives and streamline processes to encourage voluntary departures with aggressive enforcement measures for those who remain. That according to a White House fact sheet that was put out in public messaging. Officials have described the deportation campaign as historic. An aggressive effort highlighting record breaking numbers of arrests and expanded capacity for detaining and removing undocumented immigrants. So here we are, the President, United States of America, promising to clean up the immigration problem in this country. And what we're witnessing right now is the Trump administration is on pace to deport more than 400000 people in year one this is also happening as liberals are fighting every time they get a chance to stop the president and ICE from doing their jobs. Could the numbers go up? Yes. Could they go even higher next year? Yes. One thing is for sure, the President is sending a message that while he's on, what happened under Joe Biden will never happen again.

[Ben Ferguson]

Next story number two.

[Unicorn Girl Host]

All right, an appeals court, and this is big news. A New York appeals court has thrown out a 500 million dollar penalty against Donald Trump. Letitia James, that crazy, insane civil case, it's another story. And another big victory for the President. United States of America. The court ruled that this was an excessive fine that actually violated the eighth Amendment. Yes, it violated it and that' exactly why they said no. The appellate court throwing out the 500 million dollar civil fraud penalty against the sitting president in this, quote, high profile case brought by that radical leftist New York Attorney General. Now, remember when she was running for office, what did she say she was going to do? She was going to make sure that Donald Trump knew her name. She said, if you vote for me, I'm going after Donald Trump. And that's exactly what she did. And when she went after Donald Trump, she also fundraised off of it, saying, give me your money. I'm the one trying to lock up Donald Trump. Well, now we have real justice. The New York Appellate Division overturning the penalty ruling that this was egregious, it was an excessive fine that clearly violates the 8th amendment. The five member panel all upheld findings that Trump and his companies were liable, affirming that James acted within her authority and that this, you know, injunctive relief to curb Trump's organization practices as they described it, were appropriate. Now remember, this is a liberal court, but here's the other part you need to understand. The ruling leaves liability intact, but eliminates the massive financial penalty of 364 million-plus interest, which actually rises to around 500 million. Trump took to True Social to declare, quote, a total victory and railed against James and the original trial judge, you may remember him as Arthur James, claimed a win too, of course, because the left always does that. Noting that the appeals court upheld the findings of fraud and restrictions on Trump's businesses and she pledged to appeal the penalty decision. Total victory, she said, is fake news. Yes, Trump, there you go. That's who she's going after. Here's the other thing that was interesting. Listen carefully. Quote, I greatly respect the fact the court had to the courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful decision that was hurting businesses all throughout New York State, others were afraid to do business. There was the amount, including interest and penalties, was over 550 million. It was a political witch hunt, the president said, in a business sense the likes of which no one has ever seen before. The court, by the way, agreed with the president on that. Trump also blasted the case as election interference, saying it was tried during the 2024 presidential campaign, locking him up in court instead of out on the campaign trail. He also praised Justice David Friedman, who issued a partial dissent. Friedman wrote that James true aim was political and argued the ent case should be dismissed. He said her ultimate goal was not market hygiene, but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump's political career and the destruction of his real estate business. Freeman also blasted James use of section 6312 of New York's executive law, which gives the state attorney general broad power to pursue civil fraud claims. He wrote that it was unprecedented and political, giving James essentially limited less power to prosecute her political opponents, which if you go back to her own words, that's what she said she was going to do. Elect me, vote for me, keep me in office, send me your money, and I'm going to lock up Donald Trump and his family. Friedman wrote that Trump's business deals involved sophisticated parties who by the way, profited without harming the public, and concluded he would reverse the judgment and dismiss the complaint. Now, section 6312 has never been used in the way it is being used in this case case, he continued to write, namely to attack successful private commercial transactions, negotiated arms links between highly sophisticated parties fully capable of monitoring and defending their own interests. Friedman continued, all parties to these private transactions profited handsomely from the deals from which there were no negative effects on the public interest. So this was one of those, like victimless crimes. No one was hurt, everybody made money and what did they do? They went after the President of the United States of America instead. It's disgusting.

[Ben Ferguson]

And here is story number three.

[Unicorn Girl Host]

The Biden administration, we're now learning, packed swing states with over 1 million illegal aliens. Why? Solely for a power grab. In just two years into his first term as President, President Joe Biden's border policies helped welcome more than a million illegal aliens to nation's electoral swing states and additionally some 450,000 illegal aliens into Texas alone. The latest Pew Research center estimates specifically look at the rate at which Biden increased the illegal alien population in a two year window from 2021 to 2023. Notably, the Biden administration packed swing States with more than a million illegal aliens during those two years, with likely many more resettling in such states from 23 through 2024. In particular, the swing state of Florida saw its illegal alien population grow BY A staggering 700,000 in just two years under President Biden. Another example of just how much they wanted to pack this country with illegal immigrants to change the electoral map completely is Georgia. Georgia, not even close to the border with Mexico. Well, their illegal alien population grew by more than a hundred thousand. Pennsylvania and Michigan each added at least 80,000 legal aliens to their resident populations in 2021 and 2022. North Carolina is another great example as a swing state added a hundred thousand plus illegal aliens from 2021 and 2022, and Ohio adding almost 75,000 more as well. Arizona added 50,000 illegal aliens in the two years of Biden administration. Nevada and Wisconsin each absorbed 30,000 illegal aliens during that first two years. Colorado, which has rapidly turned blue in the last decade, saw more than illegal aliens added to its population in 2021 and 2022. If you look at the total population of some of these states, this is a massive increase. And then look at New Hampshire, for example. They have a population of 1.4 million. They added more than 10, 000 illegal aliens in the first two years. The Biden administration. Now why is this so significant? The Biden administration knew what they were doing, and they knew they were overseeing a massive surge of illegal aliens in non border states that would help them when it came to redistricting and to how many representatives different states receive based on population. They knew that illegal immigrants were going to be counted in the census. And that's exactly why when the barbed wire was put down at the southern border in Texas, Joe Biden sent in what, forklifts to raise it up to allow more illegals into the country. You look at illegal aliens in New Jersey, for example, which election predators say could be tight over the next 10 years. In Texas, a GOP stronghold, the Democrats have long sought to flip to their side. Texas alone, during the first two years, the Biden administration absorbed about a half a million illegal aliens in just the first two years under Biden. Now, New Jersey saw an influx of more than 150,000 illegal aliens during that same period. The Pew Research center estimates that the illegal alien population also had a record in 2023 under Biden at more than 14 million. Now, again, this was in 2023. Scholarly estimates from years prior suggest the illegal alien population today in 2025 is well above 22 million. Which brings us back to reality. Why is Donald Trump doing so much to secure the border? And why is Donald Trump doing so much to make sure the this doesn't count illegal aliens? And why is Donald Trump doing so much to make sure that illegal immigrants are not given the right to vote so they alter and change our elections? Because he understands what the Biden administration was trying to do. They were trying to pack swing states with well over a million illegal aliens from day one of the Biden administration within the first two years. And what happened after we had an open border policy during those first two years. They then rolled out the red carpet for illegal aliens. They started giving them hotel rooms and credit cards and cell phones and food. They started giving them everything to entice them to flood America. You may ask yourself this question. Why do we not have the numbers after 2022? Because there's so many people we're trying to count. There are so many illegal immigrants there. And this goes back to what Donald Trump has been saying since the very beginning. If you don't have a secure border, you don't have a country. And now we understand the plan. Biden administration said, let's pack the swing states just like we want to pack the Supreme Court, and then we'll give them amnesty and they'll vote for us forever. And that's exactly why Donald Trump is fighting it so hard right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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You want smart political talk without the meltdowns. We got you.

[Carol Markowitz]

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And I'm Mary Kathryn Hamm. We've been around the block in media, and we're doing things differently.

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Normally is about real conversations, thoughtful, try to be funny, grounded.

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And.

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And no panic.

[Mary Kathryn Hamm]

We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day.

[Carol Markowitz]

Join us every Tuesday and Thursday Normally.

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On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.