President-elect Donald Trump announced on Monday his intention to declare a national emergency over border security, utilizing the U.S. military to implement a large-scale deportation of undocumented immigrants. Immigration was a central theme of Trump’s campaign, where he pledged to deport millions and secure the U.S.-Mexico border, citing record-high crossings during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump endorsed a post by a conservative activist stating that he planned to declare a national emergency and use military resources for a mass deportation program, referring to the Biden administration’s handling of migration as an “invasion.” Trump confirmed the post by commenting, “True!”
Having achieved a dramatic return to the presidency with his November 5 victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump is assembling a cabinet that includes staunch immigration hardliners. Among his key appointments is former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Tom Homan, who has been named “border czar.” Homan, speaking at the Republican National Convention in July, warned undocumented migrants released under Biden’s policies to “start packing now.”
With an estimated 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States, Trump’s mass deportation plan is expected to affect around 20 million families. The U.S. government has long grappled with challenges at the southern border, but Trump has intensified concerns by framing the situation as an “invasion” and asserting that migrants pose significant threats to public safety.
During his campaign, Trump frequently made inflammatory remarks about undocumented immigrants, using charged language about their alleged dangers to the country while often misrepresenting immigration statistics. He also proposed invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used and controversial law, to expedite deportations. Critics have called the law outdated, noting its use during World War II to detain Japanese-Americans without due process.
While Trump has not provided detailed plans for his immigration strategy, U.S. border patrol data shows the number of migrant crossings has returned to 2020 levels, the final year of Trump’s first term, after hitting a peak of 250,000 in December 2023.
