Inside Donald Trump’s Controversial Plan to Deport ‘Nearly 20 Million’ Immigrants From the US

Donald Trump has set his sights on what could potentially be the largest mass deportation effort in history if he wins back the presidency in the upcoming election. In a recent interview with TIME, Trump discussed his strategy, which involves utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard, and maybe even the military to target millions of undocumented immigrants across the United States. This plan draws parallels to the controversial "Operation Wetback" under President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954, which led to the deportation of over 1 million migrants.

The Trump 2024 campaign has outlined a staggering estimate of 'nearly 20 million' undocumented migrants currently residing in the US, a figure that has sparked intense debate and scrutiny. Eric Ruark, the director of research at NumbersUSA, supported this estimate, citing the recent surge in migrant entries under the Biden administration as a contributing factor. But it stands in stark contrast to the official figure (11 million) provided by the US Census Bureau.

The specifics of how such a massive deportation operation would be executed remain unclear. However, former ICE officials have emphasized the need for prominent expansions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), increased collaboration with the State Department, and enhanced funding from Congress to support such a monumental undertaking.

Tom Homan, former acting director of ICE during Trump’s administration, acknowledges the challenges and complexities involved in carrying out mass deportations. Homan remarked, “A lot of that is going to be up to Congress... We need officers, we need detention beds, we need transportation contracts... because [we would have] more flights heading out of the country and more bus removals down to the border. We would still prioritize criminals and national security threats first, they are the most dangerous for the country. But I would say no one is off the table. If you’re in this country illegally… then we’ll remove you.”

Jon Feere, former ICE chief of staff under Trump, echoes similar sentiments, “This effort will likely include city-wide operations where officers from different parts of the country are brought in to conduct work site investigations and make arrests within the course of weeks within in any given jurisdiction. This will require a whole government approach. Every part of the government that has a nexus to immigration has a role to play here. From Health and Human Services to the State Department, to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, every part of the government can assist in reducing illegal immigration,” as reported by the New York Post.

One of the potential problems in executing such a plan lies in the cooperation of countries for the re-entry of deportees. Feere said, “When a country hears that the United States will not allow its residents in if they don’t take their people back, those countries quickly cooperate. ICE must also work around the problem of sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with removal operations. ICE would prefer that all states and cities cooperate with federal law enforcement. But those who choose not to are going to see an increase in operations within their communities. ICE will have no choice but to conduct large operations.”

In his interview with Time, Trump reiterated his commitment and exclaimed, “These are people that aren’t legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country. An invasion like probably no country has ever seen before.” He added, "You have to do what you have to do to stop crime and to stop what’s taking place at the border."