Former President Donald Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation operation of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history if re-elected, promising immediate action on his first day in office. However, experts suggest that carrying out such an ambitious pledge would face significant legal, financial, and logistical challenges.
“Rhetoric is one thing,” noted Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell University immigration law professor, emphasizing that “actual implementation is something else.” Under U.S. law, all individuals, regardless of citizenship, are entitled to due process, making rapid deportations legally complex. With a backlog of over 3.6 million cases, the immigration courts are already under strain, Yale-Loehr added.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council (AIC) highlighted the logistical enormity of Trump’s plan, noting that the U.S. would need to hire tens of thousands of law enforcement agents, build hundreds of detention centers, and expand immigration courts to meet such goals. Deporting millions of people would likely cost tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars, requiring extensive funding from Congress, which is far from guaranteed.
The plan also raises questions about its economic and humanitarian impacts, with analysts cautioning that mass deportations could disrupt communities and the workforce, presenting a contentious challenge for the next administration.
