Firing Line Debate: Mass Deportation is Necessary

On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 4:30pm, the Buckley Institute is pleased to welcome Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier and former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf for our first Firing Line debate of the semester on the resolution, “Mass Deportation is Necessary.”
In recent years, surging illegal immigration has intensified the national debate over border security and public safety. The dramatic change between President Joe Biden’s laissez-faire approach to the border and President Donald Trump’s hardline enforcement has provided two models for what border control should look like. A February 2024 Gallup poll found that 28% of voters named immigration as their number one concern, yet more recent numbers indicate widespread disapproval of Trump’s deportation strategy. What is the best path forward for American border policy?
The event will be held in WLH 116. Doors will open at 3:45pm. Tickets are non-transferable and will be required for entry. Please bring your Yale ID and plan to arrive by 4:15pm to ensure a seat.

Please do not bring bags. There will be a security checkpoint.

Chad F. Wolf serves as Chair of AFPI’s Homeland Security & Immigration. In this role, Wolf is responsible for the day-to-day management and strategic direction of AFPI with a focus on setting policy goals and research priorities. Prior to joining AFPI, Wolf served as Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the third-largest federal department in the U.S. Government. During his time at DHS, he successfully navigated numerous global and domestic challenges to the nation’s security, including COVID-19, civil unrest, numerous border and immigration crises, historic natural disasters, and threats to global aviation security. Wolf is a former Visiting Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and currently a Member of the Texas Public Policy Foundation Border Security Coalition. He also serves as President and Founder of Wolf Global Advisors. Wolf has written and speaks frequently on national security, border security, immigration, China, counterterrorism issues. Prior to his service at DHS, he spent over 10 years in the private sector helping clients manage risks and earlier in his career worked on Capitol Hill. He has received the U.S. Secretary of Transportation 9/11 Medal, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.
David J. Bier is the Director of Immigration Studies and occupies The Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy. He is an expert on legal immigration, border security, and interior enforcement.
Bier’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and many other print and online publications. The US Supreme Court and multiple federal appeals courts have cited his research and writing. Bier has testified before House and Senate committees on several occasions.
From 2013 to 2015, Bier drafted immigration legislation as a senior policy adviser for Rep. Raúl Labrador (R‑ID), then a member and later the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

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