Washington (Web Desk/Agencies): President-elect Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he intends to declare a national emergency over border security and utilise the US military for large-scale deportations of undocumented migrants.
Immigration was a central issue in his campaign, where he vowed to remove millions of undocumented individuals and tighten the US-Mexico border after a significant increase in illegal crossings during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Trump reinforced his plans on his social media platform, Truth Social, by sharing a post from a conservative activist that claimed he was “prepared to declare a national emergency” and deploy military resources to reverse what Trump called the “Biden invasion” through a mass deportation program.
Trump responded with a simple affirmation: “True!”
After securing his comeback to the presidency with a victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5, Donald Trump has started forming a team of immigration hardliners, including appointing former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Tom Homan as his “border czar.”
Homan, known for his tough stance on immigration, addressed the Republican National Convention in July, warning undocumented migrants released under Biden’s policies, saying, “You better start packing now.”
With estimates suggesting that around 11 million undocumented immigrants reside in the US, Trump’s deportation plan would directly affect about 20 million families.
Throughout his campaign, Trump emphasized what he described as an "invasion" of migrants whom he portrayed as a threat to American safety, often using inflammatory language and misleading statements about immigration issues.
Although Trump has not fully detailed his strategy, he repeatedly pledged to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 during the campaign to expedite deportations.
Critics argue that the law, which was last used during World War II to justify the internment of Japanese-Americans, is outdated and would be a violation of civil liberties.
Border security remains a divisive topic, and encounters between US border patrol agents and migrants crossing illegally have remained high, mirroring levels seen in 2020, the final year of Trump’s first term, with record numbers of 250,000 encounters reported in December 2023.