Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) predicted that it won’t be difficult to accomplish the mass deportations promised by President-elect Donald Trump.
While appearing on Sunday Morning Futures, Donalds repeated Trump’s plan to focus on deporting immigrants who are convicted of crimes or who have since committed crimes in the United States. According to the congressman, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement begins to deport these individuals, others will choose to leave the country rather than face the consequences of being deported.
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“First, you start with criminal illegal aliens. They’re easy to identify. Working with law enforcement agencies all across the country. … Then you have move to people who already have deportation orders been given but they simply have not left,” Donalds explained. “Because the truth is once you start deportation proceedings, illegal immigrants understand as well, they don’t want to be caught in our country and deported by ICE. If you are, then you’re barred from returning to the United States for a decade. So, I think you’re going to see a lot of self-deportation once this process begins.”
Local sheriffs in Florida are “more than prepared” to begin the process, according to Donalds, thanks to ICE’s 287(g) program. It allows the department to delegate immigration officer functions to local law enforcement.
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President Joe Biden tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to be his border czar, for which she faced scrutiny throughout their administration. Since the pair took office in 2021, over 10 million immigrants have reportedly entered the country illegally, the most recorded in that amount of time of any administration. It is unlikely that the Trump administration will be able to or even try to deport that many people.
A report from Blueprint found that nearly a quarter of voters ranked the border as their top issue of the Nov. 5 election. It was among the top three concerns voters had, leading to the election of Trump over Harris.