The Global Story Trump’s first year back: for better and for worse
Jan 25, 2026
Ani Lucia Lopez-Bellosa, an immigrant detained and later deported after crossing from Honduras as a child, shares her immigration ordeal. Sherry Blanchard, a bookkeeper tied to a four-generation Louisiana shrimping family, describes the industry’s collapse and the impact of tariffs. They discuss intensified immigration enforcement, personal consequences of deportation, the shrimping economy’s decline, and how tariffs reshaped prices and livelihoods.
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Shrimper’s Comeback After Tariffs
- Sherry Blanchard described how her husband, a fourth-generation shrimper, tied up his boat in 2023 because shrimp prices made trips unprofitable.
- After Trump’s tariffs, their sales rose and they earned about $165,000 more in 2025, letting them resume maintenance and trips.
Imported Farmed Shrimp Undercut Gulf Fishers
- Sherry links the domestic shrimp collapse to cheap farmed imports from Asia that flooded the U.S. market at below-market prices.
- Earlier U.S. tariffs provided short-lived relief because producers negotiated lower terms over time.
Support Rooted In Economic And Security Gains
- Sherry credits Trump with protecting American workers and reducing fentanyl-linked overdose deaths by tightening the border.
- She gives him a B or A- for his first year back despite disagreeing with some behavior and rhetoric.