President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed his intention to declare a national emergency to address border security and utilize the US military to execute a sweeping deportation initiative targeting undocumented migrants.
Immigration, a central theme of Trump’s campaign, is set to dominate his return to the White House. The former president has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and secure the southern border with Mexico, citing a surge in illegal crossings during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
Taking to his platform, Truth Social, Trump shared a post from a conservative activist, which claimed the president-elect was “ready to declare a national emergency and deploy military resources to reverse the Biden administration’s immigration policies through mass deportation.” Trump simply added, “True!” to the repost.
The announcement comes as Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office following his November 5 election victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. He has begun naming key figures to his administration, including immigration hardliner Tom Homan, who will serve as the “border czar.”
Homan, a former acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has long been an advocate for stricter immigration policies and recently urged undocumented migrants to “start packing now.”
The proposed deportation plan could affect millions of families across the United States. Authorities estimate there are approximately 11 million undocumented individuals in the country, with Trump’s sweeping policies expected to impact over 20 million people indirectly.
While border security has been a persistent challenge for successive administrations, Trump’s rhetoric has intensified concerns. Throughout his campaign, he described an ongoing “invasion” of migrants and used provocative language to allege that undocumented immigrants posed a threat to American society.
He also signaled plans to invoke the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a move critics say is outdated and reminiscent of controversial policies such as Japanese-American internment during World War II.
Trump has yet to detail the full scope of his immigration agenda but has made clear his intention to act swiftly. His remarks come as border patrol encounters have stabilized, mirroring 2020 levels after peaking at 250,000 in December 2023 — the highest monthly figure on record.
As Trump assembles his cabinet, his hardline stance on immigration signals that border policy will remain a focal point of his administration, reigniting debates on how to manage America’s complex immigration challenges effectively and humanely.
