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By Billal Rahman and Dan Gooding
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Donald Trump has backed calls for a national emergency plan as part of his mass deportation policy and pledged to use "every power necessary'.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, the President-elect responded to reports that he was considering the move in order to secure the use of military resources in carrying out deportations of foreign criminals who have entered the country illegally.
Trump made immigration a core component of his successful bid for the White House, which saw him secure a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition Spokesperson told Newsweek: "President Trump will marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families.
"The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, like deporting migrant criminals and restoring our economic greatness. He will deliver."
Conservative commentator Tom Fitton said in a post: "Reports are the incoming @RealDonaldTrump administration prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program."
Responding to Fitton's remarks, Trump wrote: "TRUE".
Fitton is a prominent conservative activist and the president of Judicial Watch, a public interest group dedicated to investigating government corruption.
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Trump has previously warned that he will deploy the National Guard, as well as government agencies, to carry out his proposed deportation policy. However there are questions over the legal limits on military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
"On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America," Trump said on the campaign trail.
Immigration Hardliners Tom Homan, Stephen Miller to Help Carry Out Trump's Policies
As part of the push, immigration hardliners, including Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, will feature once more in the Trump White House.
Homan, who was acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the previous Trump presidency, has been nominated as the "border czar". He has urged illegal immigrants to self-deport and promised criminal gangs that he will take them out.
One of Trump's senior advisors, Miller, will become Deputy Chief of Staff, helping to influence policy, including immigration. During the 2017-2021 administration, Miller was one of the key architects of Trump's travel ban and other controversial policies targeting immigrants and was a regular target of criticism and backlash for his policies and statements.
Miller has been vocal in his support for mass deportations, often appearing at rallies during the campaign with specific messages on immigration before Trump spoke.
Trump has said he will use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which empowers the president to deport foreign nationals deemed hostile to the United States, to expedite the removal of known gang or cartel members.
"I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil," Trump said at a rally on November 4.
Trump's plan to combat cartel activity and curb illegal migration involves reintroducing his previous border enforcement policies, enlisting full military support to stop trafficking, including a naval blockade, and deploying Special Forces and cyber tools against cartels.
He supports classifying cartels as terrorist organizations to cut off their financial resources globally and has urged Congress to pass laws that would impose the death penalty on drug traffickers.
Trump previously said he would "make appropriate use of Special Forces, cyber warfare, and other overt and covert actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure, and operations."
The future president previously told NBC News his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants carries no specific "price tag."
"It's not a question of a price tag," Trump told NBC.
"Really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they're going to go back to those countries because they're not staying here. There is no price tag."
Meanwhile, Trump's deportation plan is causing widespread "panic" among farmers at risk of losing staff and business.
Agricultural output would fall between $30 and $60 billion if Trump's flagship policy is carried out, the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) has claimed.
Restaurant owners and agricultural leaders are calling for an approach that supports businesses and preserves their workforce.
Update, 18/11/24, 5:23 p.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.
Update, 18/11/24, 10:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Trump-Vance transition team.
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