**Sen. Rand Paul Opposes Military Involvement in Mass Deportations**

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) openly stated his opposition to the use of military forces for mass deportations during an interview on Sunday. Speaking on CBS News's "Face the Nation," Paul expressed strong reservations about deploying military personnel to enforce immigration laws.

Anchor Margaret Brennan raised a concern about the feasibility of such an operation, noting the limited resources currently available to immigration authorities. She highlighted that there are only 6,000 agents and 41,000 detention beds, which may be insufficient for the task of rounding up millions of undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, Brennan questioned whether Paul's stance against military involvement would influence his vote on the confirmation of Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Paul responded firmly, stating, "I will not support and will not vote to use the military in our cities." He emphasized that it would project a negative image and maintained his stance against the idea.

This statement comes in contrast to recent indications from Trump and his transition team. On Monday, Trump endorsed a post on Truth Social by Tom Fitton, head of the conservative group Judicial Watch. The post suggested that the incoming administration would consider declaring a national emergency to utilize military assets for mass deportations. Trump affirmed this view with a resounding "TRUE!!!"

Trump's transition team spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, reinforced this stance, stating that the president-elect intends to use all necessary federal and state powers to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history. This ambitious plan aims to target illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers, leveraging extensive government resources.

Despite agreeing that actions should be taken to remove undocumented individuals, Paul reiterated his belief that the military should not be involved. He suggested alternatives such as using the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Border Patrol. Paul asserted that deploying army troops in urban areas would create an alarming visual and social impact, which he strongly opposes.

"We don't recommend using the army," Paul said during his "Face the Nation" appearance. "If they send the army into New York, and you have 10,000 troops marching, carrying semiautomatic weapons, I think it's a terrible image, and I will oppose that."

The Hill reached out to the Trump transition team for further comments on this contentious issue.