**Legal and Advocacy Groups Gear Up to Counter Trump's Immigration Plans**

Immigration advocacy groups and Democratic leaders are prepping a legal battle against President-elect Donald Trump's proposed deportation initiatives. Trump has reaffirmed his promise to launch what he terms "the largest deportation operation" in U.S. history and plans to reintroduce and broaden his contentious ban on individuals from certain majority-Muslim nations. On Truth Social, Trump reiterated his readiness to declare a national emergency and utilize military resources to enact mass deportations.

Prominent immigration advocates and Democratic officials disclosed that they have been preparing for months to confront the potential policies of another Trump administration. Tom Homan, chosen as the new border czar, supports Trump's vision of mass deportations from "Day 1." Homan, previously the head of ICE during Trump's administration, enforced a "zero tolerance" policy that resulted in the separation of families at the border.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta revealed that his team has been crafting legal briefs on various immigration issues Trump mentioned during his campaign, such as mass deportations, birthright citizenship, DACA, and sanctuary cities. Bonta asserted that the state had a success rate of 80% in legal challenges against Trump’s immigration orders during his first term. Bonta firmly stated that they are ready to employ legal measures to protect immigrant communities and block unlawful actions.

Sean Rankin, the president of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, expressed confidence in forming a united front among the 24 Democratic state attorneys general to obstruct immigration policies from a prospective Trump administration. He emphasizes that they are well-prepared, drawing from how the Trump administration operated in its first term.

Homan indicated that sanctuary states and cities, which implement laws to protect undocumented immigrants by limiting cooperation with federal authorities, are significant targets in his deportation strategy. Despite this, leaders in these sanctuary jurisdictions are determined to defend their communities using all available legal resources.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose team won 55 legal battles against Trump’s actions from 2017 to 2021, pointed out that the legal landscape could be more challenging this time as the Trump administration may be more organized. Legal experts like the ACLU’s Lee Gelernt and Alina Das from NYU's Immigrant Rights Clinic have been building strategies to quickly counter any attempts to use military force or ancient laws to expedite deportations.

As the political climate grows increasingly polarized, these groups are bracing for aggressive policies, ensuring they are better prepared to respond and protect immigrant rights this time around.