The Truth with Lisa Boothe: Borders, Safety, and Politics

Guest: Jonathan Fahey (Former Acting ICE Director, Trump Administration)
Date: September 9, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – iHeartPodcasts
Host: Lisa Boothe

Episode Overview

Main Theme:
Lisa Boothe sits down with Jonathan Fahey, former Acting ICE Director, to dig deep into the current landscape of U.S. immigration enforcement under President Trump versus President Biden. They explore the challenges of enforcing immigration law in sanctuary cities, the impacts of policy changes, dangers faced by ICE agents, the political climate surrounding immigration, the role of drug cartels, and the administration's approach to fentanyl and the drug crisis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Crackdown on Sanctuary Cities & ICE Enforcement

Timestamps: [03:40]–[08:56]

• Trump’s New Enforcement Focus:
  Trump’s administration is targeting sanctuary cities like Chicago and Massachusetts. Fahey lauds this move, saying these cities "are sanctuaries for criminals" that shield convicted or arrested individuals from being deported ([05:49]).

• Strategic Impact:
  Fahey predicts these highly committed sanctuary cities will resist change, but others may begin to cooperate with ICE due to limited resources and legal liabilities. “There's so many other sanctuary cities that will probably start getting in line and cooperating to some greater degree with ICE…because their politicians may not be as committed” ([05:49]).

• Practical Challenges for ICE:
  Sanctuary cities drain ICE resources, complicate operations, and increase danger both for the agents and public.

  • In cooperative jurisdictions, ICE arrests criminals safely in jails.
  • When released into the community, agents must hunt down dangerous individuals—posing higher risks and consuming more resources ([08:56]).
  • Efforts to protect “law-abiding illegal aliens” inadvertently capture more non-criminals when ICE is forced into community sweeps.

Notable Quote:

“These sanctuary cities, they, they are sanctuaries for criminals. What they do is shield criminals, meaning people are convicted, arrested in state court from being turned over to ICE and deported.”
—Jonathan Fahey [05:49]

2. The Biden Policy Landscape & Its Aftermath

Timestamps: [12:48]–[16:07]

• Explosive Border Crossings & Policy Shift:
  Fahey argues that the Biden administration “let in probably 10 million new illegal aliens,” with minimal vetting, creating “an enormous burden on ICE and on us as citizens” ([13:17]).

• Deliberate Inaction?
  Fahey asserts the open border is a politically-driven, deliberate tactic for Democratic gains:

  “They did nothing to stop it. … This was, in my view, deliberate because they think it was beneficial to Democrats politically.” ([13:17])

• Consequences:
  He points out taxpayers shoulder costs for increased schooling and healthcare, while the Democrats “go apoplectic when people want to remove them.”

• Constitutional Duty:
  Fahey defends Trump's approach as fulfilling a constitutional mandate to enforce immigration laws enacted by Congress. Critics, he says, “are really complaining about the wrong people.”

3. Rising Risks for ICE Agents

Timestamps: [20:15]–[24:31]

• Escalating Violence:
  ICE agents face unprecedented challenges: a “tenfold increase in assaults…a thousand percent” ([21:12]).

• Anti-Law-Enforcement Climate:
  Lisa and Fahey connect modern hostility toward ICE to earlier anti-police rhetoric after incidents like Michael Brown. Fahey cites “doxxing” as a new, deeply personal threat, endangering agents' families—not just themselves.

Notable Quote:

"When you have politicians and activists essentially encouraging people to harm them... we're asking them to put their little kids at risk and their husbands or wives at risk. And that's almost like a new low. That's hard to believe we're there."
—Jonathan Fahey [21:12]

• Lack of Political Support:
  Aside from a few outliers, Democrats are not defending ICE or law enforcement. The term “Gestapo” has become a “standard Democrat talking point,” Fahey laments, referencing comments made by politicians like Tim Walz ([21:12]).

4. Media Narratives & Political Motivation

Timestamps: [24:31]–[27:29]

• Media Obfuscation:
  Both point out how media and Democratic politicians often hide the immigration status of criminals (“Minnesota man” instead of “illegal immigrant”), and are reluctant to admit to or justify deportations.

• Benefits for Illegal Immigrants:
  Fahey notes how illegal immigrants often receive perks such as free phones and hotel vouchers, sometimes even “treated better than United States citizens.”

• Underlying Motive:
  He says the true Democratic agenda is mass amnesty:

  “They want them to become citizens and…will get, you know, 2/3 of them as Dem voters.” ([25:27])

5. Trump’s Evolving Strategy: Terrorist Cartel Designations & Drug War

Timestamps: [27:29]–[36:08]

• Shift in Drug Cartel Policy:
  Trump is now designating some drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations”—a significant shift from treating them as mere criminal groups ([27:29]).

• Alien Enemies Act:
  The administration is using the Alien Enemies Act for more efficient deportations and adapting rapidly to legal challenges, Fahey notes approvingly ([28:36]).

• Impact & Deterrence:
  Fahey highlights that tougher tactics and rhetoric are already driving results:

  “...the messaging has been so strong and that's why we've had, you know, what's the number, 1.6 million people voluntarily left.” ([28:36])

Notable Quote:

“The Biden administration...frankly surrendered our southern border to the drug cartels. If we want to be honest about it, they had more control down there than we did.”
—Jonathan Fahey [28:36]

• Predicted Outcomes:
  He predicts early 2026 overdose deaths will drop, attributing it to the administration’s campaign against cartels and border tightening ([31:57]).

6. Fentanyl, Public Health, and Trump’s Personal Perspective

Timestamps: [36:08]–[38:49]

• Personal Motivations:
  Trump’s commitment to fighting drugs and fentanyl may be rooted in personal experience—his brother’s struggle with substance abuse ([36:34]).

• Comprehensive Approach:
  While tough on traffickers, Fahey notes Trump’s “sensitivity” to those suffering from addiction and willingness to consider “creative ways to help them.”

• Stark Statistical Contrast:
  Under Biden: Roughly 101,000 overdose deaths/year;
  Under Trump’s first term: 75,000 overdose deaths/year.
  Fahey is confident these numbers will improve dramatically under Trump’s policies ([36:45]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sanctuary Cities:
  “Sanctuary cities...are sanctuaries for criminals. What they do is shield criminals…from being turned over to ICE and deported.”
  —Jonathan Fahey [05:49]

• ICE Agent Dangers:
  “It’s a tenfold increase in assaults...and you're asking agents to put their families at risk through doxxing and intimidation.”
  —Jonathan Fahey [21:12]

• On Media & Political Spin:
  “They basically want illegal aliens treated better than United States citizens...It's so astonishing.”
  —Jonathan Fahey [25:27]

• On Trump’s Border Strategy:
  “The Biden administration...surrendered our southern border to the drug cartels. They had more control down there than we did.”
  —Jonathan Fahey [28:36]

• On Overdose Deaths:
  “The average was 101,000 overdose deaths per year during the Biden administration...under the Trump's first administration, the number was roughly 75,000 per year.”
  —Jonathan Fahey [36:45]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:40] Lisa introduces Jonathan Fahey and outlines the main topics
• [05:49] Fahey explains why sanctuary cities shield criminals
• [08:56] Mechanics and challenges for ICE in sanctuary vs. cooperative cities
• [13:17] Fahey criticizes the Biden administration’s “deliberate” open border
• [21:12] Discussion on increasing risks, political rhetoric targeting ICE
• [25:27] On broader political motivations and unwillingness to deport
• [28:36] Trump’s new approach: designating cartels as terrorists
• [36:34] Trump’s personal connection to the crisis and the administration’s multifaceted approach
• [36:45] Overdose deaths under different administrations and hopeful projections

Concluding Thoughts

• Boothe and Fahey agree: Dangerous illegal immigration is enabled by political gamesmanship and lack of accountability at the top—hurting communities and law enforcement agents alike.
• Optimism expressed: Fahey is confident new enforcement efforts, strategic messaging, and Trump’s approach to cartels will deliver improved results for border security and overdose deaths.
• Call-to-action: Lisa Booth thanks Fahey and encourages listeners to share the episode.

Listeners come away with a thorough analysis of how U.S. immigration enforcement has changed under two very different presidential administrations, a clear sense of the practical and political challenges involved, and a robust debate on the best strategies to protect American citizens.