WASHINGTON — Immigration and border security are top issues in the presidential campaign.

Former President Donald Trump vows to conduct the largest removal operation of undocumented immigrants in American history and bring back some of his hardline policies the Biden-Harris administration ended.

What You Need To Know

  • Former President Donald Trump vows to conduct the largest removal operation of undocumented immigrants in American history and bring back some of his hardline policies the Biden-Harris administration ended

  • Trump also vows to bring back the migrant protection protocols, which required asylum seekers to wait out their legal proceedings in Mexico, and a controversial travel ban that barred people from Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. 

  • Immigration experts say some local law enforcement groups may not be on board with a large-scale deportation operation, would require more funding than Congress currently allocates and potentially swamp immigration courts

  • Experts also say any mass deportation effort would also need the cooperation of foreign countries to be successful

The signs delegates held at the Republican National Convention in July said it all. Trump wants “mass deportations now.” 

“We’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country, and we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora,” Trump said last week as he took questions from journalists at his golf club near Los Angeles.

With at least 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., any mass deportation program would be a logistical challenge. Trump has offered few details about how his deportation operation would work.

“We are going to start with violent criminals, and we’re going to start then with criminals, and our local police is going to work with us,” Trump said in a press conference in August at Palm Beach, Florida. 

Immigration experts say some local jurisdictions would likely refuse to cooperate with the mass deportation effort.

“The states, the localities would have to be on board with that, and already it differs from state to state if local law enforcement is willing to give information to ICE, to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I imagine that those differences will continue to happen, regardless of who is president,” said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, associate policy analyst at Migration Policy Institute.

Immigration experts say such a large-scale deportation operation that Trump promises would require more funding than Congress currently allocates and also potentially swamp immigration courts as those facing deportation challenge their removal.

“At current funding, there is no possibility of mass deportations, or deportations of everyone who is unlawfully present in the United States,” said Deep Gulasekaram, a professor of law at the University of Colorado Boulder. “There are many people who have legitimate claims to remaining in the United States. Their cases would be difficult. [There are] many people with family in the United States and strong claims for humanitarian assistance.” 

Gulasekaram described it as rhetoric Trump uses “to rile up his base.”  

“But in terms of constitutionality, legality and practicality, it’s a non-starter,” Gulasekaram said.

Experts add that any mass deportation effort would also need the cooperation of foreign countries to be successful.

“It would take a huge amount of diplomacy, and so when we think about what goes into a deportation, a big part of it is the U.S. ability to work with the country of origin of the person who will be deported,” Putzel-Kavanaugh said. “The country has to be willing to accept them back, and this just requires heavy lifts, you know, not only on the foreign policy side but also on the resource side.” 

Trump also vows to bring back the migrant protection protocols, which required asylum seekers to wait out their legal proceedings in Mexico. 

“You think that was easy to get from the Mexican government, but I said, ‘You must give it to us. If you don’t give it to us, there will be repercussions,’” Trump said during his remarks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.  

The Mexican government agreed to the “Remain in Mexico” policy during the Trump administration because Trump threatened stiff tariffs, but the Mexican government has since vowed to reject any efforts to reinstate it. There is also going to be a new Mexican president.

“Anybody who studies this, anybody who spends any amount of time thinking about immigration, knows that the causes of migration and people moving are complex and multi-factored and cannot be controlled by one country alone,” Gulasekaram said. “So any meaningful immigration policy, even any meaningful enforcement policy, needs to consider the push factors from other countries.” 

Trump also wants to finish the border wall and bring back the controversial travel ban that barred people from Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. 

“I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip. We will restore the travel ban,” Trump said last week at the Israeli American Council’s annual conference in Washington.

Legal experts said any sweeping immigration policies that Trump enacts without congressional approval likely would be challenged in court. So Trump’s ability to conduct his immigration promises may hinge on whether Republicans can keep leading the House and gain control of the Senate.