Trump Indicates That Families with Mixed Immigration Status Could Face Deportation, Promises to Abolish Birthright Citizenship
“The only way to avoid breaking up the family is to keep them together, and that means sending them all back,” stated the president-elect.
In a recent interview, President-elect Donald Trump discussed his plans to end birthright citizenship and hinted at the possibility of deporting families with varying immigration statuses.
The mass deportation strategy was a key element of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and he indicated last month that he would declare a national emergency concerning this issue.
When Welker inquired about the implications for children who are in the United States legally while their parents are not, Trump replied, “If they want to stay with their father—rules and regulations must be in place.”
“I believe we must carry out mass deportations,” he stated. “It’s a challenging task… but rules, regulations, and laws are necessary. They entered illegally. Those who have been treated unfairly are the ones waiting in line for a decade to enter the country.”
Trump then stated that criminals would be the first to be prioritized for deportation, reiterating his previous positions on illegal immigration.
“We need to remove criminals from our nation,” Trump asserted, emphasizing, “Our initial focus will be on criminals… followed by others, and we’ll see how that unfolds.”
Welker also questioned Trump about the policy from his first term that led to the separation of families at the border as a deterrent to potential illegal immigrants.
“There is no need to separate families,” he responded. “We will return entire families humanely to their countries of origin.”
“It varies by family,” Trump added, noting that “if individuals arrived illegally but their family is legally present here, then the family has a choice. The individual who entered illegally can leave, or they can all leave together.”
During Biden’s administration, the influx of illegal immigrants into the U.S. has spiked, becoming a predominant concern among American voters and a focal point of Trump’s 2024 campaign. He has not only pledged to implement a mass deportation strategy but also aims to combat the smuggling of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the country.
In late November, Trump warned both Canada and Mexico of impending 25 percent tariffs on imported goods if either country does not take actionable steps to control illegal immigration or drug trafficking into the U.S.