Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, confirmed on Monday that he plans to declare a national emergency to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportations of undocumented migrants living in the U.S.
He responded to a social media post by Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, who had earlier mentioned reports suggesting that Trump’s incoming administration was preparing to use military assets for deportations.
Trump tweeted, “TRUE!!!” in agreement with the claims. He also reiterated his intention to begin mass deportations immediately after taking office, stating, “On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out.”
He added at a rally in the final days of his campaign, “I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible.”
Trump has already appointed several immigration hard-liners to key Cabinet positions. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is nominated for homeland security secretary, pending Senate approval, and former Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan has been designated as the “border czar.”
Homan has discussed focusing deportations initially on criminals and national security threats but did not rule out deporting entire families.
Trump has also vowed to mobilize the National Guard for deportations, a move that would mark a significant shift in the military’s traditional role, as the military typically does not engage in domestic law enforcement activities. In some instances, he suggested deploying troops from overseas to assist with border security.
There are approximately 11 million unauthorized migrants in the U.S., and deporting them could incur billions of dollars in costs, according to the American Immigration Council.
