Immigration remains a top Day 1 priority for President-elect Donald Trump, with expectations that he will sign executive orders calling for mass deportations and a border lockdown.
“You’re certainly going to see a much more aggressive action from Border Patrol to lock down our border, number one,” Rep. Mike Waltz, Mr. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Number two, we are working rapidly back towards a ’Remain-in-Mexico’ policy. Number three, you’re going to see some of our key partners step up in terms of deportation and taking some of these people back. I don’t want to get too far ahead of who they are, how that’s going to occur,” the Florida Republican said.
“And then, number four, [incoming border czar] Tom Homan actually absolutely is going to take much more aggressive ICE action,” he added.
He said Mr. Trump “is ready to go day – minute one on getting these people out” of the country.
When asked whether the raids would be “large-scale” Mr. Waltz said it would depend on the definition of large-scale.
“But when we have criminals raping, assaulting and conducting the mayhem that they are, one of the things you’re absolutely going to see is aggressive action to come out of our communities.” he said.
Rep. Jim Jordan said later on in the show that he expects “a number of executive orders” on Mr. Trump’s first day in office.
“I think there will be one on the wall. I think there will be executive order telling the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, get working on the ’Remain-in-Mexico’ policy,” the Ohio Republican said.
The policy, which was a feature of Mr. Trump’s first term until President Biden repealed it, requires those seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico until their court date.
“I think there will be an executive order saying we’re not going to release people into the country, like the Biden administration did. People coming seeking asylum, they will be detained,” Mr. Jordan said. “I think there’s likely to be something on parole. The Biden administration did this blanket parole authority for certain groups of migrants coming in.”
He also said he thinks there will be executive orders on energy policies.
When asked about potential raids to locate and deport illegal immigrants, Mr. Jordan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will start with people who have done “bad things.”
“They’re here — as migrants, they have done bad things,” he said. “We’re going to start with those.”
He said he hopes the mass deportation plans start “right away.”
“That’s what the American people voted on. This issue was front and center on Nov. 5. The American people spoke loudly and clearly,” he said. “They want the border secure. They want people who broke the law, particularly ones who came here and did bad things, they want those people repatriated back to their native country.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.