‘You have to do it’: Trump confirms plans to deport all undocumented immigrants
Donald Trump confirmed a slew of his campaign promises during his Meet the Press NBC News interview. He vowed to stage the “largest mass deportation” in U.S. history during his presidential bid, and it seems that he’ll follow through.
Kristen Welker from NBC News brought up Trump’s mass deportation agenda during the interview. Trump expressed sentiments about deporting undocumented immigrants who have criminal histories. Welker clarified further, “Is it your plan to deport everyone who is here illegally over the next four years?”
Trump was unwavering in his mass-deportation stance. He said, “Well, I think you have to do it.” The president-elect clarified that it’s going to be tough to do but reiterated the importance of rules. He pointed out that illegal immigration is unfair to those who’ve been waiting legally to migrate for years.
Distorting figures
Aside from pledging a sweeping deportation of undocumented immigrants, Trump also swore that he’d improve and make the migration process easier. “We’re going to make it easy for people to come in, in terms of, they have to pass the test. They have to be able to tell you what the Statue of Liberty is.” In addition to proposing tests for immigrants, Trump repeated a dubious claim about undocumented migrants. He said that there are 13,099 undocumented immigrants who’ve committed murders freely roaming the United States. Although Welker corrects him and states that the statistic goes back over forty years—not during the Biden-Harris term.
The Cato Institute explained that the 13,099 migrants convicted of homicide are only “non-detained” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These migrants are currently in federal prisons, so they aren’t free to roam, contrary to Trump’s claims. Regardless, Trump’s rhetoric about murderers on the loose was another selling point during his campaign. Trump voters chose the president-elect because they think of migration as a vital issue, only second to the economy. Compared to Harris, these voters thought that Trump explained his policies on migration and the economy better than his opponent.
Unfortunately, Trump has repeatedly blamed undocumented migrants for economic grievances. Whether these migrants are as terrifying as Trump makes them out to be doesn’t matter. In the eyes of many voters, migrants are synonymous with crime and a lack of opportunities. With Tom Homan, the ‘border czar’ of his choice, Trump intends to continue with deportations as promised.
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