The new US president said in an interview with Time magazine that he will use the US military, to the extent permitted by law, to implement the mass deportation plan.
When asked about the law that broadly prohibits the use of the military to enforce the law inside the country, Trump said illegal immigration amounts to an invasion that must be stopped.
«I consider it an invasion of our countryDonald Trump said in his interview. “We will use the National Guard and , based on the laws of the country“, he said.
In his election campaign, Trump portrayed immigrants as dangerous criminals. While he promised to crack down on both legal and illegal immigration, with mass deportations. It plans to draw resources from across the federal government. At the same time, he is considering declaring a state of emergency to free up money for his plan, Reuters reported in November.
How have previous US administrations used the military?
Republican and Democratic administrations have previously used the National Guard to help guard the border with Mexico, but not to arrest immigrants. The Trump administration plans to use the military in a similar, supportive role, Tom Homan, the next border “czar,” told Fox News on Sunday. “We would like (the Ministry of Defense) to help us in many areas, in transportation and building infrastructure, intelligence gathering and targeting. But the arrests will be made by immigration officials“, he emphasized.
Trump did not rule out the possibility of building new detention facilities to house the immigrants until they are deported. His government’s goal, however, is to move the deportation process quickly, limiting the need to build camps or other sites.
«I don’t want them to sit in a camp for years to come. I want them gone and the countries have to take them back“, he stated.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US in January 2022. The number has likely increased since then.
The American Immigration Council is pro-immigration. But, he estimates that , or even more in a decade.
