### Trump Plans to Use Military for Mass Deportations, Sparking Controversy

Donald Trump announced that his administration, upon taking office, would declare a national emergency and utilize military resources to undertake mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. This announcement came through an early morning social media post where Trump responded with an emphatic "TRUE!!!" to Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton’s suggestion that the next administration would reverse the Biden administration's immigration policies through a mass deportation initiative.

Trump has reiterated his commitment to carrying out mass deportations, aiming to implement what he terms the "largest deportation program in American history" starting from his first day in office. However, the specifics of this ambitious plan remain largely undefined. Trump has hinted at employing wartime powers, utilizing military troops, and garnering support from sympathetic state and local leaders. Such an expansive operation is likely to face significant legal battles and resistance from Democratic leaders, some of whom have already vowed to oppose Trump's deportation agenda.

To advance his plans, Trump has appointed a team of staunch loyalists and hardliners. Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s first administration, has been appointed as "border czar." Stephen Miller, known for defending some of the previous administration's most controversial immigration policies, including family separation, will return as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and a homeland security adviser. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a recognized immigration hardliner, has been nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Experts anticipate that the proposed mass deportation campaign will encounter considerable legal and logistical obstacles, in addition to high costs and the need for extensive infrastructure to detain and deport millions. Trump and Miller have mentioned plans to federalize state national guard units for immigration enforcement, even suggesting deployment of troops from Republican-governed states to neighboring states with non-cooperative governors. They have also discussed building large detention camps and tents.

An estimate by the American Immigration Council suggests that deporting 1 million people annually would cost over $960 billion over a decade. Trump has claimed that his administration's goal is to deport between 15 to 20 million people, although these figures remain unverified. According to a Pew Research analysis, around 11 million people were living in the United States without authorization as of 2022.

Trump’s campaign has not clarified whether the proposed deportations would target immigrants with lawful status or those without. Trump has frequently associated recent immigration with rising crime rates, despite evidence indicating that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S. citizens.

Lastly, civil liberties advocates and some political analysts argue that public opinion does not favor mass deportations, particularly when considering the potential economic, workforce, and familial disruptions. Greisa Martínez Rosas, executive director of United We Dream Action, remarked that Trump’s plans seek to instill fear and chaos but stressed that he does not have a mandate to dismantle communities.