President-elect Donald Trump signaled Monday that he plans to ask the U.S. military to assist with a massive deportation effort aimed at ousting some of the illegal immigrants who came during the Biden administration.
Mr. Trump took to Truth Social, his social media platform, where he confirmed a statement by conservative group Judicial Watch that he was preparing “to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
He did not reveal any more details about that plan.
That leaves it unclear whether Mr. Trump envisions U.S. troops acting as deportation officers with arrest powers, or whether it means using them in a support role.
Previously, Trump officials had signaled they expected the second option.
It’s also not clear whether Mr. Trump’s vision is for troops to be used to speed up deportations of fresh illegal immigrants still crossing at the southern border, or whether he envisions them as part of an effort to scour the interior for illegal immigrants who have already settled in American communities.
Immigrant rights advocates are bracing for their worst fears to come true, particularly after seeing the stern talk coming from the Trump team.
Tom Homan, whom Mr. Trump has tapped as his border czar, a position that appears to be shaping up as his immigration policy coordinator, has promised to deliver “shock and awe” to the large wave of illegal immigrants that crested over the U.S. in the last four years.
There is plenty of precedent for using troops at the border. Every president since George H.W. Bush has tapped the military to help with border enforcement.
In recent years their role has been strictly limited to support operations, such as tracking illegal border crossers or handling office tasks to free Border Patrol to get back into the field.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.