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Bannon didn’t mince words. He argued that economic opportunity, not political persecution or poverty, is what lures most illegal immigrants into the U.S.
“That’s the magnet. If you want to stop it, you got to stop it,” Bannon explained.
He compared the situation to the aftermath of the dot-com collapse in the early 2000s, when Congress passed Sarbanes-Oxley to hold corporate leaders accountable for financial crimes. Bannon believes the same level of accountability should apply to illegal hiring.
He laid out a three-strike system: first-time offenders get a warning, second-time offenders face stiffer penalties, and the third time—criminal charges. According to Bannon, the only way to shut off the jobs magnet is to hit executives where it hurts.
“One of the key parts was it put CFOs and CEOs on the hook, I think, for civil and criminal penalties… The same thing for the illegal alien hiring.”
Bannon also pointed to successful efforts in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis enacted laws requiring state and local law enforcement to work directly with ICE through the 287(g) program. That initiative deputizes local officers to help enforce immigration laws—something Bannon says should be replicated nationwide.
In contrast, Bannon called out Texas for dragging its feet, particularly regarding perks still handed out to illegal aliens, including subsidized in-state tuition.
“In Texas, you’re still paying for in-state tuition for illegal aliens,” Bannon said. “Suck on that for a second. How does that make you feel?”
His frustration was clear—Republican-led states should be leading the charge, not enabling the problem. He urged Texas lawmakers to pass legislation giving sheriffs more tools and resources to support ICE operations.
Bannon took a swing at corporate America for lobbying against E-Verify, a system that checks whether an employee is legally authorized to work in the U.S. Despite overwhelming public support for the tool, many businesses oppose it because it would cut off their access to cheap illegal labor.
According to Bannon, companies profiting off the broken system are complicit in the border crisis—and it’s time they face consequences.
“You’re basically enticing criminals who are illegal aliens to come in and work and take American jobs.”
He also rejected the tired narrative that illegal aliens are “just doing jobs Americans won’t do.”
“And they say ‘Oh, Steve, people don’t want those jobs.’ Well, hey, let’s get the wages right. And we’ll see.”
At the core of Bannon’s argument is a simple principle—no job, no incentive. If businesses stop hiring illegal labor, the flood of migrants will slow dramatically. With a new administration potentially on the horizon, Bannon is urging conservative leaders to make job-site enforcement a top priority.
This isn’t just a border problem anymore—it’s a boardroom problem. And Bannon’s message is clear: it’s time to hold employers accountable for fueling America’s immigration crisis.
