Trump vows to use US military for mass deportations
President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed through his social media platform that he intends to use the US military to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented migrants.
On Monday, he responded with “TRUE!!!” to a conservative commentator who suggested that Trump would declare a national emergency and deploy military resources for “a mass deportation program.”
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to mobilize the National Guard to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for deportations.
His latest comment comes amid growing questions about how he plans to fulfill his pledge to execute the largest mass deportation in US history.
Trump has consistently stated that deportations would begin on his first day in office, set for January 20, 2025.
However, even if the administration were able to legally move forward with these plans, significant logistical challenges would remain. Experts are skeptical that ICE’s 20,000 agents and support staff would be sufficient to locate and track millions of undocumented migrants.
There would also be a major financial cost, but Trump recently told NBC News that this would not deter his administration’s efforts.
Trump’s post was made on his Truth Social network early on Monday as he continues to announce his nominations for key posts in his administration.
Trump has already chosen several loyal allies for top roles overseeing immigration and deportation policy, including Kristi Noem who has been nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and former ICE chief Tom Homan who Trump has named his “border tsar”.
Trump’s team have so far released few details about how the plan will be executed.
He has previously said that he plans to declare a national emergency, which would authorise him to deploy troops on US soil.
Homan told Fox News on Monday that he will visit Trump’s Florida home this week “to put the final touches on the plan”, including deciding what role the US Department of Defense (DOD) will have.
“Can DOD assist? Because DOD can take a lot off our plate,” he said, saying that the pace of deportations will depend on the resources agencies are given.
On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued ICE for more details on how the deportation plan will work. The group plans to continue to file legal challenges in an effort to block the mass deportation.
Under the four years of the previous Trump administration, around 1.5 million people were deported, both from the border and the US interior.
The Biden administration – which had deported about 1.1 million people up to February 2024 – is on track to match that, statistics show.
