Washington, Dec 28.- President-elect Donald Trump's plan for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants continues to generate more fear in the United States, based on the statements of his next Border Czar, Tom Homan.
Homan confirmed that when he takes office on January 20, 2025, they will focus on the deportation of migrants with irregular immigration status and that they will give the opportunity to decide whether those who have children who were born in the United States and are therefore citizens, choose to leave with or without them.
“The problem is this: you knew you were in the country illegally and you decided to have a child. So it was you who put your family in that position,” Trump's chosen one for the position stressed during an interview with The Washington Post published the day before with repercussions in local media.
Hence, the use of family detention centers for migrants, which were closed by the Joe Biden administration in 2021, is on the table, he said.
It's something we're considering, said Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the first Trump Administration (2017-2021) and supported the criticized zero tolerance policy that allowed the separation of young children from their parents.
He warned that immigration judges will be increased and that detention facilities would not be jails, but open-air centers designed for families.
We're going to have to build family facilities, he emphasized, adding that the number of beds we're going to need will depend on what the data says and that they will initially use soft-walled tents similar to those used to house migrants detained at the southern border.
Trump reinforced his anti-immigrant rhetoric throughout his election campaign and promised the largest deportations in US history.
On its website, the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) warned that Trump could fulfill his promise through an expansion of the expedited removal program, combined with raids in neighborhoods and workplaces.
If expedited removal occurs, an immigration officer can quickly deport people without due process, without appearing before a judge, the center said.
The NIJC said that migrants can seek legal assistance and, in the midst of the whole scenario that threatens, to create safety plans such as having emergency contacts, memorizing phone numbers, providing schools and daycare centers where their children are with whom to call in case of emergency; as well as keeping identity information and financial resources ready. (PL) (Photo: Taken from the Internet)