Senate Judiciary Committee Conducts Hearing on Trump’s Mass Deportation Strategy

The Senate Judiciary Committee convened on November 10 to analyze President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations.

Throughout his campaign, Trump hinted that he could deploy the United States military to assist in deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.

During the hearing on Tuesday, retired Army Major General Randy Manner testified that using troops domestically for deportation missions exceeds the traditional mission scope of the military. He emphasized that military personnel should concentrate on national security threats, particularly from China.

“I am deeply concerned that assigning our military to this function could inflict significant damage on both the integrity of our Armed Forces and the well-being of service members,” Manner expressed to the committee.

He also noted that if the military were to take on mass deportations, it would hamper its combat readiness.

Conversely, several senators highlighted the potential risks that undocumented immigrants pose to American citizens.

Ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) noted that 86 percent of undocumented immigrants deported during Trump’s first term had “pending criminal matters.”

Graham presented a chart indicating that the annual deportation rates under Trump were comparable to those under former President Barack Obama, with a decline evident during President Joe Biden’s term.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) remarked that the upcoming 2024 presidential election indicates that Americans have had enough of the “lawlessness at the southern border.”

Cornyn stated that an estimated 1.3 million to 1.6 million undocumented immigrants have final orders of deportation.

However, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) emphasized that implementing Trump’s plan would incur significant costs, highlighting the need for more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the construction of detention centers and jails.

Padilla also pointed out that undocumented immigrants represent 15 percent of construction workers and 50 percent of agricultural laborers in the United States.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, characterized mass deportations as a “costly error” for American taxpayers.

“When considering the substantial capital investment, infrastructure, and workforce necessary to arrest, detain, process, and remove one million individuals annually, we project that mass deportations could cost $968 billion in total,” he explained.

He added that such actions would also lead to economic instability, resulting in a reduction in the U.S. population and labor force.

Foday Turay, an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, shared his personal story of fleeing political violence with his parents who brought him to the U.S. when he was seven years old. He stated that many children like him, often called Dreamers, have grown into successful individuals contributing positively to society.

Senators acknowledged the stark contrast between Turay and those who commit violent crimes, proposing that a balanced approach could involve deporting individuals with criminal records.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) cited ICE data indicating that as of July 21, 2024, nearly 650,000 criminal undocumented immigrants were on ICE’s non-detained list. The statistics revealed that around 15,000 individuals had been convicted of or charged with murder, over 20,000 for sexual assault, and more than 105,000 for assault.

Cruz recognized Patty Morin, mother of Rachel Morin, who also provided testimony during the hearing. Morin advocated for stricter border security after her daughter was murdered by an undocumented immigrant who had been deported three times. She reiterated that the man was also accused of committing murder in his home country of El Salvador.