“Mass deportation now!” has become the rallying cry of former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. While spreading lies about immigrants and crime rates, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, have repeatedly promised to forcibly remove millions of immigrants now living in the United States, including those who currently enjoy legal status, promising the “largest deportation operation in American history” if elected this November
Trump and Vance have spoken little about how exactly they would deport upwards of 13 million people, a massive undertaking that would require building infrastructure to house and transport detained immigrants, or what it would cost taxpayers. Asked about the GOP's deportation plans during the vice presidential debate on Tuesday, Vance said only that they would first deport immigrants with a criminal record, refusing to answer a question about whether he would separate parents who entered the country illegally but whose children are U.S. citizens.
