The real question is that if the Dems ever get power back, what can be done to punish the bad people who participated in all this criminality?

With every other social norm being broken, I don't see why political reprisals shouldn't be the way forward. Just say that any of the pardons were illegal[1], and start stripping citizenship from anyone involved in this.

The genie's out of the bottle, and not punishing the thugs involved in this would just embolden them and their minions to try harder the next time they have power. Criminality should have consequences.

Deprivation of rights under color of law is a serious crime in this country, and should be treated as such.

[1] The current administration regularly declares immigration decisions made by the previous one illegal, and retroactively applies that label to the people affected by them. I'm not sure why any of its decisions should be worth the paper they are printed on, if it is ever theown out.

> People would have to be 100% off the grid which is nearly impossible and miserable these days

Or you can just use someone else's identity. There's more incentive now than ever.

$140 billion for 15 million illegal immigrants is under $10,000 per deportation, which strikes me as kind of light, given that as the process is likely to involve international plane flights, board. and so on.

I don't think there are any plans to deport citizens or legal immigrants, as opposed to illegal aliens.