Former President Donald J. Trump has outlined an ambitious immigration enforcement agenda that includes the deportation of approximately one million people in its initial phase, according to a new Bloomberg report. The plan would primarily target individuals without legal status who have either received final removal orders or exhausted their appeals and asylum claims.
According to sources familiar with the proposal, Trump's team has already initiated unofficial diplomatic channels with Mexico and El Salvador, seeking agreements to accept large numbers of deported migrants. These behind-the-scenes negotiations suggest an attempt to establish the diplomatic framework necessary for mass deportations before a potential return to office.
The former president also made unexpected comments about U.S. - Canada relations, suggesting that America's northern neighbor should become the 51st state. Claiming that the United States "subsidizes Canada for over 100 million dollars a year," Trump argued that Canadian citizens would benefit from reduced tax burdens and military spending under U.S. statehood.
The deportation proposal echoes but significantly expands upon policies from Trump's first term, when his administration implemented a series of restrictive immigration measures. These included the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which required asylum seekers to await their U.S. court hearings in Mexico. Under his presidency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) significantly increased interior enforcement operations, while Customs and Border Protection (CBP) embarked on an extensive border wall construction project.
Immigration experts note that implementing such large-scale deportations would face significant logistical and legal challenges. The U.S. immigration court system currently faces a backlog of over 2 million cases, and mass deportations would require substantial increases in enforcement personnel and detention facilities.
The proposal comes as immigration remains a central issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. Recent polls show that a majority of Republican primary voters support stricter immigration enforcement, though views on specific measures vary.
Trump's comments about Canada mark an unusual departure from traditional U.S. - Canada relations discussions. The two countries share the world's longest undefended border and maintain one of the largest bilateral trading relationships globally, with approximately $2 trillion in goods and services crossing the border annually.
The former president continues to lead Republican primary polls despite facing multiple legal challenges, including four criminal indictments. His campaign has increasingly focused on immigration as a key platform issue, promising more aggressive enforcement policies than those implemented during his first term.
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