"As president, I will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history," Trump declared at the Republican National Convention.
This ambitious plan is central to Trump’s second-term immigration strategy and has gained full support from the Republican Party, including his vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance.
"We have to deport people who broke our laws who came in here," Vance stated, emphasising the party’s hardline stance on immigration.
During Trump’s previous term, there were an estimated 935,089 deportations, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. In contrast, the Biden administration has seen approximately 339,751 deportations as of February.
From a policy perspective, the scale and implementation of this plan raise significant questions. The potential impact on the economy and the logistics of such a large-scale operation are critical issues yet to be fully addressed. However, at the Republican National Convention, there was unanimous agreement that this should be the policy direction.
Two former officials who handled immigration issues under Trump indicated that a “whole of government” approach costing billions would be necessary to execute this unprecedented deportation effort. The exact number of individuals targeted for deportation remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from Trump’s claim of 18 million to as high as 30 million by some former officials.
The most recent government estimate puts the number of unauthorised immigrants in the US at just under 11 million as of January 2022.
The feasibility and broader implications of this plan are still unclear, but the Republican Party’s commitment to it is evident as they shift from pursuing comprehensive immigration reform to advocating for a massive deportation force.