On his first day in office, President Donald Trump promised to launch mass deportations of undocumented immigrants—a central tenet of his immigration policy. However, questions abound about whether the Trump administration has the infrastructure, resources, and international support necessary to carry out such a massive undertaking.
While President Trump's rhetoric has frequently centered around the idea of a "mass deportation" strategy, the reality of executing such a plan is far more complex. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for immigration enforcement, simply does not have the capacity to detect, arrest, and process millions of undocumented immigrants.
One of the most glaring challenges is the sheer size of the task. The U.S. immigration court system is already overwhelmed, with a significant backlog of cases. The addition of millions of new cases would further strain this system, potentially causing even more delays and complications.
A key concern surrounding any large-scale deportation effort is the impact on families, particularly children. During his previous term, President Trump’s administration implemented a controversial family separation policy that led to the forced separation of over 5,500 children from their parents. Many of these children have still not been reunited with their families.
One of the more contentious issues in the debate over immigration is birthright citizenship. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, children born in the United States automatically receive citizenship. This provision was initially enacted to ensure that newly freed slaves were granted full rights under the law, and its protections have since been extended to all individuals born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
What's the Law is a weekly video podcast on KHON2 that covers important legal topics. The podcast is hosted and produced by Coralie Chun Matayoshi, an attorney with a background in many legal and leadership roles.
To learn about these topics and more, you can access all of the full podcast episodes at KHON2.com/whats-the-law.