Trump promises to use military personnel to deport illegal immigrants

Former President Donald Trump has vowed to use the National Guard or other military forces to deport millions of illegal immigrants if he is elected to another term in the White House.

Trump spoke in an exclusive interview with Time magazine about how he would combat a migrant crisis that has escalated to record numbers of border crossings under President Joe Biden.

The former president said he would be willing to build detention camps for migrants. He also plans to resume construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and reimplement policies such as “Remain in Mexico” and Title 42.

The former policy required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until their court dates, and the latter allowed border officials to expel migrants due to health concerns.

The increased amount of fentanyl entering the country and child trafficking would be cited as justification for reimposing the emergency measures, Trump advisers said.

A border wall would likely be financed by appropriating money from the military budget without congressional approval, Time reported Tuesday.

The main initiative, however, would be the mass deportation of more than 11 million undocumented migrants – a plan for which Trump would rely mainly on the implementation of the National Guard.

“If they couldn’t do that, I would deploy (other parts of) the military,” Trump told Time.

Asked whether he would override the Posse Comitatus Act, which bans the use of military force against civilians, Trump said the law would not apply in this case.

“Well, these aren’t civilians,” he said. “These are people who are not legally resident in our country.”

Trump added that local police would also be asked for help. If you refuse this, the financing will be refused.

“There is a possibility that some will not want to participate and will not share in the wealth,” Trump said.

Former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan, a Trump adviser, said: “People should be deported. No one is allowed to leave the table.”

A border security and immigration package would join legislation extending his 2017 tax cuts, now two bills Trump is eyeing to kick off a second term.

Trump and Biden appear headed for a rematch of the 2020 presidential election in November.

A CNN poll over the weekend showed Trump with near-majority support at 49% and Biden (43%) ahead by as much as 6 percentage points in a head-to-head election matchup.