Trump gives update on his mass deportations plan

Trump gives update on his mass deportations plan

President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News on Thursday that strengthening the U.S. border would be among his top priorities when he assumes office in January, describing his goal as making it “strong and powerful.”

Addressing his campaign pledge for mass deportations, Trump emphasized that his administration would have “no choice” but to pursue them.

Trump expressed that his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris grants him a mandate “to bring common sense” to the nation’s policies.

“We obviously have to make the border strong and powerful and, and we have to — at the same time, we want people to come into our country,” he stated. “And you know, I’m not somebody that says, ‘No, you can’t come in.’ We want people to come in.”

Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to carry out what he called the “largest deportation effort in American history.” When questioned about the potential cost, he responded, “It’s not a question of a price tag. It’s not — really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”

Although the exact number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. remains unclear, acting ICE Director Patrick J. Lechleitner noted in July that a large-scale deportation effort would present considerable logistical and financial challenges. Two former officials from Trump’s previous administration, who were involved in immigration, remarked that implementing the plan would require coordination across several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Pentagon.

Trump’s victory featured unprecedented support from Latino voters—a demographic Democrats aimed to capture by highlighting Trump’s past rhetoric on immigration and a controversial joke made by a pro-Trump comedian regarding Puerto Rico.

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During Thursday’s phone interview, Trump partially attributed his electoral success to his immigration message, saying, “They want to have borders, and they like people coming in, but they have to come in with love for the country. They have to come in legally.”

He also highlighted the broad coalition he attracted, citing increased support among Latino voters, young voters, women, and Asian American voters compared to 2020.

“I started to see realignment could happen because the Democrats are not in line with the thinking of the country,” the president-elect remarked. “You can’t have defund the police, these kind of things. They don’t want to give up and they don’t work, and the people understand that.”

Trump also reflected on recent conversations with Harris and President Joe Biden since the election.

“Very nice calls, very respectful both ways,” Trump said, recounting the exchanges and adding that Harris “talked about transition, and she said she’d like it to be smooth as can be, which I agree with, of course.”

In her concession speech at Howard University on Wednesday, Harris stated that she assured Trump, “We will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”

In his own remarks from the White House on Thursday morning, Biden urged Americans to “accept the choice the country made” in re-electing Trump.

Trump mentioned that he and Biden agreed to meet for lunch “very shortly.”

He also disclosed that he has spoken with “probably” 70 world leaders since Wednesday morning, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing it as “a very good talk.”

Additionally, Trump mentioned speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but withheld specifics about their conversation.

While he has not yet spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump remarked, “I think we’ll speak.”

Throughout the campaign, Trump committed to ending Russia’s war with Ukraine if elected, suggesting in September he would broker a “good for both sides.”

 

Trump gives update on his mass deportations plan