The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who has made immigration his signature issue, has insisted that he intends to deport all immigrants who are in the country illegally. This is the latest on the subject.
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, aims to deport all immigrants who are in the country illegally during his four-year term, but wants an agreement to protect the so-called “Dreamers”, according to with his statements on Sunday on the program “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” of NBC News.
Trump also said he plans to take executive action on his first day in office to try to end birthright citizenship, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States regardless of their parents' immigration status.
Trump, who won a second term in the White House by promising mass deportations, could declare illegal immigration a national emergency when he takes office on Jan. 20 and draw on resources from across the federal government to support a broad crackdown.
The United States Department of Homeland Security estimated in January 2022 that about 11 million immigrants were in the United States illegally in January 2022. The number is likely higher today.
In the interview of NBCNewsWelker asked Trump if his plan was to deport everyone without legal status.
“I think it needs to be done,” Trump said. “It's a very difficult thing to do. You know, there are rules, regulations, laws.”
Trump said he wanted a deal to protect immigrant “Dreamers,” as those brought to the United States illegally as children are known, and said Republicans are open to the idea.
During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump attempted to end a program that provides relief from deportation and work permits to immigrants, but was rejected by the Supreme Court.
Trump's plans to try to end birthright citizenship will likely face legal challenges. The right is derived from an amendment to the United States Constitution and is supported by an 1898 Supreme Court precedent.
Speaking to Welker, Trump suggested that Republicans might need to seek a constitutional amendment to address the issue, an arduous process.
“Maybe we have to go back to the people,” he said.
Trump's border czar pick Tom Homan and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told the show “Sunday Morning Futures” of Fox News that Congress should provide a significant increase in funding for immigration enforcement.
The pro-immigration American Immigration Council estimated that deporting all immigrants who have been in the United States illegally for more than a decade would cost $88 billion annually.
Homan said the minimum needed would be close to that amount.
“We're going to need all the money Congress can get us,” he said.
(Contains information from Reuters)