ICE is finally doing its job. Illegal immigrants are being removed or driven underground. And yes — the economy is feeling it. Purchasing power disappears. People who stay hide and spend only on the absolute essentials. Job numbers look worse. (See the recent Brookings analysis on how the sharp drop in net migration is weighing on employment and spending.) Growth slows. Local businesses in construction, agriculture, food service and care take hits that even some American-born workers feel.

The previous administration knew exactly what they were doing. The surge in illegal migration juiced the growth figures and quietly padded the long-term voter base. It worked… until it didn’t. An economy running on illegal labor and ignored borders is not strength. It’s a temporary high that leaves you weaker when the music stops.

The current administration is taking the political beating for the necessary detox — softer job reports, lower growth, and plenty of ill will. That’s the short-term cost of refusing to keep pretending. Whether America actually understands the long-term picture, or just punishes the people cleaning up the mess in the midterms, is the real question.

We’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy the withdrawal symptoms. They’re the price of finally telling the truth.

What do you think — is the pain worth it, or are we about to throw the cleaners out and go back on the juice?