President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he will declare a national emergency and use military assets to help him carry out his mass deportation plans.
“True!!!” the president-elect posted on Truth Social early Monday morning in response to a post by Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch. Fitton had posted about reports indicating the incoming Trump administration was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
The post on Truth Social was the latest indication that the president-elect and his administration intend to carry out an incredibly hardline immigration enforcement agenda for the next four years.
During the campaign, Trump pledged to continue building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, revive the Remain in Mexico program, hire more border patrol agents, and conduct the “largest deportation program in American history.” He has also declared he will end birthright citizenship for those born on U.S. soil to illegal migrant parents.
The incoming administration appears poised to follow through on this hardline agenda given the individuals tapped to lead top immigration enforcement roles. The White House transition team has picked former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director Tom Homan to serve as border czar, Stephen Miller to serve as deputy chief of staff for policy, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security — all of whom are considered very hawkish on border enforcement.
Trump has yet to name who will lead ICE, Customs and Border Protection, or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which are three agencies within DHS that play a critical role in the American immigration process
This would not be the first time Trump has used his national emergency authority to help his immigration agenda.
During his first term, the Republican president declared a national emergency in order to secure more funding for wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. He later extended this national emergency declaration in order to maintain progress for wall construction efforts.
As in his first term, Trump is likely to face lawsuits against his immigration agenda from immigrant rights groups and other liberal organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed more than 400 legal actions against Trump and his first administration since 2016, with a large portion targeting immigration directives, and has vowed to go to court again once Trump resumes office.
“Starting on day one, we’re ready to fight for our civil liberties and civil rights in the courts, in Congress, and in our communities,” the organization stated after Trump’s Election Day victory. “We did it during his first term — filing 434 legal actions against Trump while he was in office — and we’ll do it again.”
