'TRUE!': Donald Trump confirms he will declare national emergency, use military for mass deportation
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 19, 2024, 12:06 AM ISTUS President-elect Donald Trump has announced his intention to declare a national emergency on border security and implement a sweeping mass deportation plan.
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced his intention to declare a national emergency on border security and implement a sweeping mass deportation plan, signaling a hardline approach to immigration as he prepares to assume office.
Trump, who defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election, shared his plans on his social media platform, Truth Social. In response to a post claiming he was "prepared to declare a national emergency" and use military resources for mass deportations, Trump commented, "True!"
Trump confirms he is prepared to declare a national emergency and use military assets to carry out his mass deportation pledge. pic.twitter.com/GCndVCXxSX
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Immigration was a central theme of Trump’s campaign, where he pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and restore what he described as "border stability" after record migrant crossings during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Immigration crackdown
Trump has started assembling a cabinet with staunch immigration hardliners. Notably, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting chief Tom Homan has been named as the administration’s "border czar." Homan, who appeared at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, warned undocumented migrants: "You better start packing now."
With an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, Trump's deportation agenda could affect as many as 20 million families. His proposed plan reportedly includes invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, an obscure law last used during World War II to detain Japanese-Americans.
Critics have raised concerns about the legality and humanitarian implications of using the centuries-old law, arguing it could bypass due process protections and lead to widespread displacement.
Rhetoric and reactions
Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly described the situation at the southern border as an "invasion" and claimed migrants posed a dire threat to public safety, accusations critics say are unfounded and incendiary. Trump has also come under fire for using inflammatory language, including suggesting that undocumented immigrants "poison the blood" of the country.
Supporters, however, praise Trump’s hardline stance as a necessary step to address what they see as a failure by the Biden administration to secure the border.
Border dynamics
While Trump has emphasized a perceived crisis at the border, official data shows the number of illegal crossings has declined significantly since peaking at 250,000 in December 2023. Current figures are comparable to those during the last year of Trump's first term in 2020.
As Trump prepares to assume office in January, his aggressive immigration policies are likely to dominate national debate, with advocates and opponents gearing up for legal and political battles over the administration's approach to undocumented immigrants and border security.
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