Trump aims to deport all immigrants in the US illegally over 4 years

9/12/2024 6:14

U.S. President-elect

Donald Trump aims to deport all immigrants in the U.S. illegally

over his four-year term but wants a deal to protect so-called

"Dreamer" immigrants, he said in an interview that aired on

Sunday on NBC News' “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.”

Trump also said he plans to take executive action on his first

day in office to try to end birthright citizenship, which

confers citizenship on anyone born in the U.S. regardless of

their parents' immigration status.

Trump, a Republican who won a second term in the White House

promising mass deportations, is expected to declare illegal

immigration a national emergency when he takes office on Jan. 20

and draw on resources from across the federal government to

support a wide-ranging crackdown.



The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimated some 11

million immigrants were in the U.S. illegally as of January

2022, although the figure is likely higher today. In the NBC

News interview, Welker asked Trump if his plan was to deport

everyone without legal status.

"I think you have to do it," Trump said. "It’s a very tough

thing to do. You know, you have rules, regulations, laws."

Trump said he wanted a deal to protect "Dreamer" immigrants

brought to the U.S. illegally as children, saying Republicans

are open to the idea.

During his 2017-2021 presidency, Trump tried to end a program

that provides deportation relief and work permits to the

immigrants, but was rebuffed by the Supreme Court.

Trump's plans to try to end birthright citizenship will likely

face legal challenges. The right stems from an amendment to the

U.S. Constitution and is supported by 1898 Supreme Court

precedent.

Speaking to Welker, Trump suggested Republicans may need to

pursue a constitutional amendment to address the issue - an

arduous process.

"We'll maybe have to go back to the people," he said.

Trump's incoming border czar Tom Homan and deputy chief of

staff Stephen Miller both told Fox News' "Sunday Morning

Futures" that Congress should provide a major funding increase

for immigration enforcement.

The pro-immigration American Immigration Council estimated that

deporting all immigrants in the U.S. illegally over more than a

decade would cost $88 billion annually.

Homan said the minimum needed would be near that amount.

"We're going to need as much money as Congress can get us," he

said.