'Is it realistic to deport everybody?' Top Senate Republican on Donald Trump's mass deportation promises

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Published 5:04 p.m. ET Jan. 6, 2025 | Updated 5:05 p.m. ET Jan. 6, 2025


WASHINGTON −The Senate’s top Republican questioned on Sunday how easy it will be for President-elect Donald Trump to launch a “mass deportation” of at least 11 million immigrants living in the United States without authorization. “Is it realistic to deport everybody? I mean, there's a lot of people in this country who are here illegally,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

A mass deportation of 1 million people per year could cost $88 billion annually, according to the nonpartisan American Immigration Council. It would require an unprecedented ramp-up of law enforcement staffing, detention capacity, immigration courtrooms and flight accessibility.

Pew Research estimates there are 11 million immigrants in the United States without authorization. The vast majority don't have a criminal conviction, and their individual situations can vary dramatically, from asylum-seekers who crossed the border to people who flew in on a tourist visa and overstayed.

Among them are some 1.3 million immigrants who have already been issued removal orders but remain in the country, either because of a lack of U.S. removal resources or because some countries refuse to take the immigrants back. Trump has promised the "largest deportation program in American history." Mass deportations were the centerpiece of his reelection campaign.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/05/immigrants-deport-thune-donald-trump/77476089007/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. I'm thinking Trump Camps will be making Tesla parts

but with indentured labor there will be quality concerns

[Unladen Swallow]

2. Its going to get very ugly very quickly

[DallasNE]

3. Sen. Thune Asks A Good Question

It deserves a response. And how do you prioritize who you deport first, considering the disruptive nature of such an order? Supply-chain issues will immediately surface, and that means inflation. Campaign pitches are simplistic, so let's see the fleshed-out plan to make this happen. That gets us back to the question posed by Sen. Thune.

[travelingthrulife]

4. Fleshed out plan? lol.

It will be done by executive order like last time.

[moose65]

5. Fleshed out plan??

That's a good one! When have Republicans ever had a fleshed out plan for anything, beyond a sound bite (byte)?

That's their problem. "Deport all the illegals" may sound good to the MAGAs, but as always, the devil is in the details.

[KS Toronado]

6. Tom Homan will come flying out of the gate Jan 20th

with Der orange Fuhrer's blessing to round up as many illegals as he can on day one.

[Marthe48]

7. Papers are irrelevant

The goons will just smash and grab, especially to get their hands on anyone with brown, yellow or black skin. I imagine the eastern Europeans will get a pass entirely.

There is a legal group called RAICES, who have lawyers to help people detained by goons. They take donations.

[KS Toronado]

8. Their hatred of non-whites will be on full display on the evening news

hopefully moderate Republicans will be repulsed by this and help to divide their party.

[Marthe48]

9. I'm wondering how far back the rwnj will go

People of color will be easy targets for an initial mass expulsion. After that, when rwnj try to inflict more pain, who do they terrorize next? My paternal g-grandmother was born here, from a naturalized Swede. My maternal g-g grandparents were born here, from naturalized Germans. But I'm a mouthy Dem. As the goons refine their deportation parameters, will my pedigree and skin color be enough to keep me under the radar? Or anyone, for that matter?

[Nasruddin]

10. retroactive

revocation of birthright citizenship
waivers for a fee, of course

[KS Toronado]

12. When they run out of POC to deport they'll go after all Democrats,

they already plan to kick 1000s out of their Washington jobs Jan 20th.

[milestogo]

11. Am I being too negative if I say that I expect this

to result in widespread violence?