### Trump's Deportation Plan and Its Potential Cost to the U.S.

Former President Donald Trump has proposed an aggressive plan to deport undocumented immigrants, alluding to what he calls the "Eisenhower model." This plan references the controversial "Operation Wetback" from 1954, under which around 1 million Mexican immigrants, including some U.S. citizens of Mexican descent, were deported.

Trump's "border czar," Thomas Homan, who previously served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has suggested utilizing U.S. military resources for this operation. During an appearance on Fox News's "America Reports," Homan discussed the logistics of the plan, questioning how many agents, buses, and airplanes would be necessary, and whether the Department of Defense (DOD) could contribute to the initiative.

Homan has been vague about the costs associated with such a massive deportation scheme. When Cecilia Vega of "60 Minutes" brought up an estimate of $88 billion per year to deport 1 million people, Homan did not confirm or deny its accuracy, focusing instead on the perceived value of national security.

There are an estimated 13 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. The American Immigration Council's analysis indicates that a onetime mass deportation could cost at least $315 billion. Extending this effort over more than ten years would escalate the costs to around $968 billion. The report notes that these estimates are conservative and do not include the potential need for extensive detention facilities, or the economic impact of removing approximately 5% of the American workforce, who contribute over $105 billion in taxes annually.

Trump's spokespeople did not respond to requests for more details on the financial aspects of the plan or the specific role of the military before the publication of this article. Trump's key immigration policy adviser, Stephen Miller, has suggested using military funds to construct large holding facilities for processing deportations and has proposed mobilizing the National Guard to assist with this effort.

Experts warn that involving the military in domestic deportation operations would represent a significant shift in the purview of the armed forces. Furthermore, Trump has indicated plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expedite the deportation of suspected cartel members without due process. This law allows for the deportation of individuals from nations at war with the U.S., those that have invaded, or are involved in "predatory incursions."

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, has expressed deep concerns about the potential scale and impact of Trump's proposed deportation measures. He emphasized that the incoming administration would wield unprecedented power to displace immigrants, fundamentally altering American life for millions.

During his first term, Trump deported roughly 1.5 million immigrants, a number that the Biden administration is on track to match. This new plan, however, underscores a far more extensive and costly approach to immigration enforcement.