Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he’s plotting to use the U.S. military to carry out his massive deportation scheme.
The president-elect shared a post on Truth Social in the early hours of Monday morning that claimed “reports” suggested Trump’s administration was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion.”
“TRUE!!!” Trump wrote in response.
Trump’s latest pronouncement comes as Republicans attempt to downplay just how extreme his immigration plans will be.
In an interview Sunday with CNN, House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed back on assertions that Trump planned to deport all undocumented immigrants, which could lead to widespread family separation and a significant reduction in the U.S. workforce. Johnson said that the government’s efforts would begin with criminals and terrorists, of which he speculated there were “three or four million people.”
“Begin there, and then see how it transpires,” Johnson said.
Texas Representative Tony Gonzales said Sunday that if the Trump administration were to target undocumented immigrants for deportation, that would mean that the “government has failed us.”
Trump has said that he plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 to expel suspected members of drug cartels from the country without due process, but the reality of Trump’s immigration scheme suggests that the government plans to target more than violent criminals.
White nationalist Stephen Miller, who is expected to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said that Trump’s immigration plan involves sweeping raids for undocumented immigrants and large detainment camps to stage deportations. Miller also said that Trump planned to target those in the country legally and would revoke legal protections such as birthright citizenship, DACA, and temporary protected status—leaving millions more in danger of being deported.
Trump’s new “border czar,” Tom Homan, said last week that he expected support from the U.S. military and special operations to carry out their immigration blitz.