United States: Former President Donald Trump, eyeing a return to office, reaffirms his resolve to execute a formidable pledge: the mass expulsion of millions of undocumented migrants residing in the United States.
To execute this plan, the former president intends to enlist local law enforcement and deploy the National Guard across the nation in pursuit of these undocumented residents. Moreover, he contemplates the establishment of detention facilities within the country’s borders and the potential involvement of the military in this endeavor, as reported by ABC News.
“At the onset of my forthcoming tenure, I shall fortify the borders, halt the influx of individuals breaching our boundaries, and repatriate the unlawful migrants sponsored by Joe Biden to their homelands,” Trump declared emphatically at a recent rally in Wildwood, New Jersey. “Their place is not here; they must be repatriated.”
Experts in immigration regard this proposal as radical, anticipating significant ramifications if implemented.
“This course of action is poised to unleash chaos and bedlam,” remarked David Leopold, a former leader of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “There exists no substantive economic or societal justification for this agenda, save for a malevolent ideology.”
The latest estimates from the Department of Homeland Security indicate approximately 11 million undocumented migrants reside in the United States. A significant majority (79%) have maintained their presence in the country since prior to 2010, as per DHS findings, albeit predating the notable surge in border crossings.
Data from FWD.us, an immigration advocacy organization, reveals that 22 million individuals in the United States dwell in households characterized by mixed legal status, where at least one member lacks lawful residency status.
“These policies will exert a broad impact on every American,” asserted Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center.
“We’re confronting shattered communities, families torn asunder, racial profiling, constitutional infringements, economic repercussions—not to mention the diplomatic and logistical quandaries inherent in this agenda,” she expounded to ABC News.
The National Immigration Law Center, which mounted legal challenges against previous Trump-era immigration policies such as family separations at the border and attempts to curtail Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), has been actively devising strategies since the year’s commencement, anticipating a potential resurgence of Trump’s hardline stance on deportation.
The last large-scale deportation of migrants in the United States occurred in the 1950s under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who expelled approximately 1 million undocumented Mexican immigrants, many of whom were temporary or seasonal laborers, via trains, buses, and cargo vessels. Trump has cited Eisenhower’s forceful actions—dubbed at the time with the derogatory term “Operation Wetback” and subsequently condemned as inhumane—as a blueprint for his proposed initiative.
However, besides legal impediments, any mass expulsion endeavor would encounter formidable logistical challenges: constrained detention capacities, the requirement for a substantial enforcement workforce, and substantial case backlogs.
“The aggregate capacity falls far short of what would be necessary to execute the outlined plans,” observed Jorge Loweree, managing director of programs and strategy at the American Immigration Council, according to the reports by ABC News.
“The sheer labor intensity of this process, particularly within a nation of our scale and diversity, is grossly underestimated,” remarked Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. “Identifying undocumented laborers within our heterogeneous communities is exceedingly difficult, and executing a warrant against a single individual demands significant personnel resources.”
“Given these constraints, the feasibility of this endeavor is markedly dubious,” Chishti asserted. “It ostensibly serves political ends and may fade into obscurity post-election.”
Indeed, during his 2016 campaign, Trump similarly pledged mass deportations of undocumented migrants, a promise left unfulfilled.
In the current electoral cycle, Trump has amplified his anti-immigrant rhetoric, insinuating that migrants are “contaminating the nation’s bloodstream” and baselessly alleging their origins from “prisons, jails, mental institutions, and insane asylums.” In addition to mass deportations, he has advocated for terminating birthright citizenship—a constitutional guarantee under the 14th Amendment for children born in the United States to undocumented parents—and reinstating travel restrictions.
Some observers express concerns that Trump if granted a second term, may escalate his anti-immigrant agenda further.
Trump has vowed to expand executive authority and appoint public servants who are aligned with his vision. Additionally, his administration significantly reshaped the federal judiciary through the appointment of numerous judges and multiple Supreme Court justices.
Moreover, indications suggest increased Republican support on Capitol Hill. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, formerly an advocate for immigration reform, recently reversed his stance to endorse Trump’s deportation proposal, as mentioned in reports by ABC News.
“I believe they have assimilated invaluable lessons from their initial term regarding bureaucratic agencies and judicial proceedings, as well as the potential for stalling their initiatives,” remarked Leopold regarding Trump’s team. “Consequently, they enter a potential second term armed with greater acumen on governing and executing their agenda.