3mil immigrants face deportation
> But president-elect tells protesters not to be afraid
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has said he will deport two to three million undocumented immigrants “immediately” upon taking office – while urging protesters angry at his election not to be afraid of his presidency.
In his first television interview since winning the election, Trump insisted that he is going to carry out his hardline immigration policy proposals and will build a wall between the US and Mexico.
He also moved to assure his core supporters that he will not let them down on gun rights, abortion or immigration.
Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes that he would be deporting two to three million “people that are criminals and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers” or “incarcerate them”.
“But we’re getting them out of the country, they’re here illegally.”
He explained that once the border is “secure”, then the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will assess the status of the remaining undocumented immigrants in the country.
The Republican billionaire – whose shock election has spurred days of protests – also told demonstrators they have no reason to fear his presidency.
“Don’t be afraid. We are going to bring our country back,” he said.
Trump said he was “saddened” by reports that incidents of harassment and intimidation of minorities had spiked since his election and called for it to end.
It remains unclear how Trump plans to carry out his deportation proposal.
Undocumented immigrants are entitled to full removal proceedings in immigration court and as the courts already have a major backlog of hearing, there would be no immediate removals.
Additionally, he fails to explain how his policy would be different from the current law in place under the Obama administration, which prioritises removal of immigrants convicted of criminal offences.
Trump did offer minor details about the planned wall – namely, that a portion of it would not be a wall at all – describing an iteration of the boundary between the two nations that essentially already exists.
“There could be some fencing. For certain areas I would (accept a fence), but certain areas, a wall is more appropriate. I’m very good at this, it’s called construction,” he said. – The Independent