Deportation is the process of sending a noncitizen back to his or her country of origin. The US government can remove someone from the country if they have violated immigration law, committed certain criminal crimes (including homicide), or posed a threat to national security. Deportations are overseen by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. ICE arrests and detains individuals who are subject to removal proceedings or have been ordered removed by a judge. Detainees are held in a federal detention facility unless they can be released on bond or their own recognizance.
If the Trump administration were to carry out mass deportations, it would have to increase capacity to hold individuals while they await hearings in a system that already has a years-long backlog. It would also have to create many new detention facilities. ICE typically targets individuals with criminal records and those who are recently arrived migrants for deportation. These populations have fewer paths to legal status in the United States and are less likely to be able to apply for relief from removal, which can take months or years to complete. Moreover, mass deportation operations would require the use of a more aggressive version of the expedited removal program, which denies deportees the usual opportunity for a hearing or an appeal and can be triggered by even minor immigration violations.
Mass deportation could also be expensive for the economy and American communities. Undocumented immigrants have a significant impact on the US labor market, especially in low-wage jobs like construction and agriculture. They also fill important roles in the service sector, including restaurants and other local businesses. The mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants could push many businesses to reduce hiring or close altogether, leading to economic losses.
Finally, deportation impacts American families, particularly children. The widespread implementation of deportation policies could cause millions of families to be separated. Currently, there are an estimated 1.5 million US-born children with undocumented parents and more than 10 million people in “mixed-status” households, in which a parent is an unauthorized immigrant. These families would face the stress of potentially being separated and could be at risk of deportation themselves, despite the fact that their children are U.S. citizens.
While the deportation of a large number of people may sound scary, it is unlikely that a new administration will have any realistic chance of carrying out the mass deportations it has proposed. Experts say it would be too costly in terms of both manpower and resources to apprehend, detain, process, and remove that many people. They also note that any agreements with countries willing to accept deportees are fragile, and can change quickly. For example, Venezuela had agreed to accept some deportees until it reneged on a deal with the Obama administration earlier this year. If an administration were to proceed with mass deportation, experts warn that the impact on families, communities, and the economy would be devastating.