President-Elect Donald Trump has confirmed that on January 20, 2025, the day of his inauguration as the 47th President of the US, he will declare a “national emergency” to implement a large-scale deportation program to remove millions of supposedly undocumented immigrants from the U.S. His plan includes deploying the military as well as federal law enforcement agencies, notably the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to carry out such deportations.
Trump’s decision, announced on his social media network, is intended to fulfill Trump’s repeated campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and enforce strict border security, the BBC reported.
The plan involves prioritizing individuals who allegedly pose security or safety threats, as well as those working in the U.S. without authorization.
Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration also includes ramping up deportations of individuals with final orders of removal after failed asylum claims.
To implement this vision, Trump has appointed Tom Homan, former acting director of ICE during Trump’s first term, to lead the agency starting in 2025 as his “border czar.”
Homan has long been a key Trump ally on immigration issues, and under his leadership, ICE is expected to carry out the most extensive deportation campaign in U.S. history.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump echoed his earlier statements asserting that he would use the National Guard or the US army to support ICE in this mission, an action that otherwise would be unprecedented and unlawful under US law.
By declaring a national emergency, Trump would be able to mobilize military resources, legally allowing him to deploy military assets to assist in carrying out raids and rounding up civilians in operations reminiscent of the US internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Trump’s plans face significant logistical challenges, however. With only about 20,000 ICE personnel, experts have questioned whether the agency has the human resources to track down and deport millions of undocumented migrants. ICE also lacks the space to hold a significantly larger number of detainees than it already currently does. The financial cost of mass deportation operations is also a concern, though Trump has expressed confidence that funding will not be an obstacle.
Homan, who has consistently advocated for tough immigration policies, will also oversee U.S. border security efforts at both the southern and northern border, along with maritime and aviation security.
As part of his role, Homan suggested that deportations would be prioritized based on individuals’ legal status, with a focus on those who have exhausted all legal options for staying in the U.S. He also highlighted the need for local law enforcement cooperation in supporting deportation efforts.
Despite the clear commitment from the Trump administration to execute this plan, it has sparked significant backlash in Congress and from immigrant rights organizations. Congressional Democrats have asserted that the plan is all but certain to violate federal laws preventing the use of the military on American soil.
Rights advocates are particularly concerned about the potential for family separations and broader impacts on immigrant communities across the U.S.
The American Civil Liberties Union has already filed a lawsuit demanding more details about how the deportation process will work, and it plans to challenge the legality of the mass deportations in court once they begin.