Trump Plans Mass Deportations and Border Closure

As Donald Trump's inauguration approaches, his team is focused on executing plans to close the U.S.–Mexico border and initiate mass deportations on day one. Central to these plans is the consideration of invoking Title 42, a public health order that could restrict entry based on communicable disease threats, although finding a suitable disease to justify this action poses a challenge. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, has advised Republican lawmakers to temper their expectations regarding the scale of deportations due to historical budget constraints within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Current discussions hint at a phased approach targeting 1 to 2 million undocumented immigrants, rather than the previously suggested 20 million. Lawmakers are grappling with financial limitations and the complexity of fulfilling campaign promises, as significant funding would be necessary for such operations. The upcoming government funding deadline adds further uncertainty to these ambitious immigration plans.