Trump’s Immigration Plans: Deportations, Dreamers, and the End of Birthright Citizenship

 

In a recent interview with Meet the Press, President-elect Donald Trump laid out his immigration plan, indicating significant shifts in U.S. policy. Among his proposals are mass deportations, ending birthright citizenship, and a willingness to work with Democrats on protections for Dreamers under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Trump reiterated his pledge made during the campaign to deport all illegal immigrants, starting with those who have committed crimes. Trump declared, "We have to get the criminals out of our country," and he added that deportations will also apply to "others" who are not criminals. Despite not defining "others," he underlined how important it is to enforce immigration laws: “It’s a very tough thing to do… but you have to have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally.”

"I don't want to be breaking up families," Trump said in reference to mixed-immigration families. So the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together, and you have to send them all back.” His comments align with those of his proposed border czar, Tom Homan, who advocates deporting families together. 

Additionally, Trump intends to revoke birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to all people born in the United States. Trump said, "We have to end it," calling it "ridiculous." Although more than thirty countries, including Canada and Brazil, have similar citizenship privileges, he asserted that the program is exclusive to the United States.

Considering birthright citizenship is firmly established in constitutional law, any attempt to eliminate it by executive action would be immediately challenged in court.

Regarding Dreamers—undocumented immigrants brought to the country as youngsters and protected under DACA—Trump adopted a more accommodative tone while retaining a harsh position on the majority of immigration-related issues. “We have to do something about the Dreamers,” Trump said, highlighting their contributions to society. “Some of them are no longer young people… they’ve become successful. They have great jobs, and in some cases, they have small or large businesses.”

Trump acknowledged the special circumstances of Dreamers and stated his willingness to work with Democrats on a legislative proposal for them. He remarked, “These are people that have been brought here at a very young age… they don’t even speak the language of their country.” 

Trump's immigration policies are expected to spark heated discussions as he gets ready to enter office. Advocates as well as critics are preparing for legal and political battles, particularly in relation to constitutional issues pertaining to DACA protections and birthright citizenship. Trump's plan indicates a controversial direction for U.S. immigration policy going forward, with a combination of strong policies and some compromises.