Former President Donald Trump vowed to use the National Guard or other military troops to deport millions of illegal migrants if he's elected to another term in the White House.
Trump, in an exclusive interview with Time magazine, addressed how he would combat a migrant crisis that has escalated to record numbers of border crossings under President Joe Biden.
The former president said he would be willing to build migrant detention camps. He also plans to resume construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and reimplement policies such as "Remain in Mexico" and Title 42.
The former policy required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until their court dates, and the latter allowed border officials to expel migrants for health concerns.
The increased amount of fentanyl that has entered the country and child-trafficking would be cited as justification for reimposing the emergency measures, Trump advisers said.
A border wall likely would be funded by allocating money from the military budget without congressional approval, Time reported Tuesday.
The most significant initiative, though, would be the mass deportation of more than 11 million undocumented migrants — a plan for which Trump mostly would rely on the National Guard to conduct.
"If they weren't able to, then I'd use [other parts of] the military," Trump told Time.
Asked whether he would override the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of military force on civilians, Trump says the law wouldn't apply in this case.
"Well, these aren't civilians," he said. "These are people that aren't legally in our country."
Trump added local police also would be asked to help, and refusal to do so would be denied funding.
"There's a possibility that some won't want to participate, and they won't partake in the riches," Trump said.
Former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan, a Trump adviser, said: "People need to be deported. No one should be off the table."
A border security and immigration package would join legislation for an extension of his 2017 tax cuts as two bills Trump is eyeing to kick off a second term.
Trump and Biden appear headed for a November rematch of the 2020 presidential election.
A CNN poll during the weekend found that Trump holds a near majority support at 49% and leads Biden (43%) by a whopping 6 percentage points in a head-to-head election matchup.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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