In a bold immigration policy declaration, the United States President-elect, Donald Trump has announced plans to deport all undocumented immigrants during his four-year term, describing illegal immigration as a national emergency.
Trump who spoke on Sunday emphasized his administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws, starting from his inauguration on January 20.
Citing Department of Homeland Security estimates from January 2022, over 11 million individuals live in the U.S. without legal status, a figure potentially higher today.
Trump stated unequivocally: “I think you have to do it. It’s a very tough thing to do. You know, you have rules, regulations, laws.”
The President-elect’s plan involves deporting unauthorized immigrants at an estimated cost of $88 billion annually, as projected by the American Immigration Council.
Trump’s team, led by incoming border czar Tom Homan, is lobbying Congress for substantial funding increases to bolster immigration enforcement efforts.
While advocating strict immigration enforcement, Trump expressed openness to negotiating protections for “Dreamers” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
This group is shielded by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which Trump attempted to dismantle during his first term but was blocked by the Supreme Court.
The President-elect also proposed revisiting the policy of birthright citizenship, rooted in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and upheld by an 1898 Supreme Court ruling.
“We’ll maybe have to go back to the people,” Trump said, acknowledging that such a change would likely face significant legal and constitutional hurdles.
As the January 20 inauguration approaches, Trump’s proposed immigration policies are poised to dominate national discourse, setting the stage for heated debates in Congress and beyond.
