US President-elect Donald Trump intends to declare the immigration issue a national emergency and has announced that he will use the military to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
Trump has promised his electorate an uncompromising immigration policy, and on Monday he reiterated and confirmed intentions for what he called "the largest deportation program in American history."
Responding to a social media post by Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, who talked about "using military resources to carry out a mass deportation program," Trump actually confirmed this, writing, "TRUE! !".
In addition, the incoming US president has assembled a team of hard-line immigration aides to carry out this policy, starting with Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, although the framework for this deportation is far from clear at this time.
"On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to remove criminals," the US president said during a rally at Madison Square Garden in the final days of the presidential race.
On the economic side, declaring a state of emergency would allow Trump to tap the additional funds and resources needed to carry out a mass deportation program of this scale that includes purges and temporary detention camps.
As Miller himself explained, Trump's plans also include a willingness to federalize the state's National Guard personnel and their commitment to enforcing immigration laws, including sending troops from friendly states governed by Republicans to neighboring states with governors who refuse to participate.