Mass detention and return of migrants to Mexico: Donald Trump’s immigration plans begin to take shape

() – The incoming Trump administration’s plans to implement strict border measures, repeal Biden-era policies and begin large-scale detention and deportation of migrants are underway and beginning to become clearer, according to four sources familiar with the plans. .

President-elect Donald Trump made immigration a centerpiece of his 2024 presidential campaign, but unlike his first candidacy, which focused primarily on building a border wall, he turned his attention to law enforcement in the interior of the country and the elimination of undocumented immigrants who are already in the United States.

People close to the president and his advisers are laying the groundwork for expanding detention facilities to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportation, including reviewing metropolitan areas where capacity exists. However, they are also preparing executive actions reminiscent of his first term and could be implemented as soon as Trump takes office, according to sources.

Taken together, this represents the return of harsh immigration policies that received harsh criticism from Democrats and immigrant advocates during Trump’s first term, and a dramatic change for migrants and immigrants in the United States.

Executive actions and reviews underway include the return of the program known informally as “remain in Mexico,” which requires migrants to remain in Mexico during their immigration proceedings in the U.S., the review of asylum restrictions, the revocation of protections for migrants covered by Biden’s humanitarian parole programs and the rollback of ICE enforcement priorities, according to two sources briefed on the transition policy discussions.

Another executive order being considered would make detention mandatory and call for an end to the release of migrants, which often occurs across administrations due to limited federal resources. It’s that kind of executive order, sources say, that would pave the way for large-scale detention and, eventually, deportation of people.

Trump’s team is also reviewing regional capacity to house migrants, a process that will likely lead to consideration of building new detention facilities in larger metropolitan areas, according to two sources. Homeland Security officials have already identified several cities where to build detention capabilities in preparation for border surges.

The plans also include reviving family detention, a practice widely criticized by immigrant advocates and ended by President Joe Biden.

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a wide margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign. He will deliver,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told in a statement.

But a key aspect of any plan is money. In the absence of additional funding from Congress, people working on the plans cited agency funding reprogramming to bolster resources, as previous administrations did.

However, they are also considering a possible national emergency declaration to unlock Pentagon resources, as was done during Trump’s first term, which faced lawsuits, and adapting that declaration to clear the way for expanding detention space, according to a report. of the sources.

The private sector, which the federal government relies heavily on for detention space, is also preparing to add more beds. On a recent earnings call, CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger highlighted the growing need for stopping capacity. CoreCivic is one of the largest private prison operators in the US.

“We think the outcome of this election will likely be notable for ICE for a couple of reasons. One is that we think there is going to be a greater need for detention capacity,” Hininger told investors.

The federal government also works with county jails, and Trump’s team is expected to rely on them to find additional space for undocumented immigrants.

The team to carry this out is already being assembled, including veteran immigration official Tom Homan as “border czar,” tough immigration policy advocate Stephen Miller as assistant secretary general for policy, and the loyal governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Miller has previously outlined plans that include large detention facilities near the border to detain and deport migrants, and workplace raids, which the Biden administration suspended in 2021.

Behind the scenes, other border security officials are also involved in the discussions, including former US Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, and Michael

Banks, a special adviser to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on the border, according to two of the sources.

The people who are shaping the operational plans are well versed in the immigration system, particularly Homan, who was also the architect of family separation. It has repeatedly emphasized that operations will be directed and focused on threats to public and national security.

Current and former Homeland Security officials privately argued that Homan’s selection indicates a level of seriousness on the part of the incoming administration because of his familiarity with immigration law enforcement. He also held a senior position at Immigration and Customs Enforcement during record deportations under the Obama administration.

“(In the) first days you will see those executive orders come out to stop the flow (of migrants) and affect that flow that arrives during that time. The immediate focus is on who is already here,” according to a source familiar with the plans. “Those are the first two things that are prioritized in the first few days.”

During his first term, Trump deported more than 1.5 million people, according to Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. But that’s about half the 2.9 million deportations carried out during Barack Obama’s first term and less than the 1.9 million deportations during Obama’s second term.

Those figures do not include the millions of people who were turned away at the border under a Covid-era policy implemented by Trump and used for most of Biden’s term.

politics“What he is trying to accomplish is really complex,” a former administration official told , referring to Homan.