Trump vows largest deportation effort in U.S. history
25/11/2024 6:08
Republican U.S. Senator
Rand Paul voiced opposition on Sunday to the idea of using the
military to carry out mass deportations of people living in the
country illegally after President-elect Donald Trump signaled
last week that he plans to do so.
"You don't do it with the Army because it's illegal," Paul
said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program. "If they send the Army
into New York and you have 10,000 troops marching carrying
semi-automatic weapons, I think it's a terrible image, and I
will oppose that."
A 19th century U.S. law prohibits federal troops from being
used in domestic law enforcement except when authorized by
Congress.
Paul, at times a maverick within his party, noted that he
supports the idea of deporting people living in the United
States illegally who have criminal records, but said that law
enforcement authorities are better equipped than the military to
carry out that role and to heed the U.S. Constitution's Fourth
Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures.
There is a "distrust of putting the Army into our streets" among
Americans, Paul said.
Asked if this is a red line for him and whether it would
impact his Senate vote to confirm Trump's pick of South Dakota
Governor Kristi Noem to run the Department of Homeland Security,
Paul said, "I will not support and will not vote to use the
military in our cities."
Trump, who built his political profile on opposition to illegal
immigration, has vowed to launch the largest deportation effort
in U.S. history as soon as he is sworn in on Jan. 20. He
appeared to confirm in a social media post on Nov. 18 that he
would declare a national emergency and use military assets for
his plan to deport a record number of immigrants in the United
States illegally.
Paul said agents from the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency
could carry out these deportations. The senator also questioned
the use of the National Guard for deportations, saying it is
"less clear" whether it would be legal or illegal to use these
forces. The National Guard is a part of the U.S. military that
answers to both the president and to state governors.
"President Trump will marshal every federal and state power
necessary to institute the largest deportation operation of
illegal criminals, drug dealers and human traffickers in
American history while simultaneously lowering costs for
families," Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump
transition, said in a statement on Sunday.
U.S. voters, Leavitt added, gave Trump "a mandate to
implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, like
deporting migrant criminals and restoring our economic
greatness."
Republican U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, a member of
the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, on Sunday described
the potential use of the military in deportation campaigns as
"hyperbole." In an appearance on the Fox News program "Sunday
Morning Futures," Donalds suggested that the threat alone of
using the military in such a role could have a deterrent
effect.
"I think you're going to see a lot of self-deportation once
this process begins," Donalds said.
Other Republicans defended the idea of involving the
military in the deportation effort.
Senator John Barrasso, who will be the Senate's No. 2
Republican when his party takes control of the chamber in
January, told "Fox News Sunday" that if Trump declares a
national emergency "he can appropriately use the military."
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