In a nation where more than 16.7 million people live in households with at least one undocumented member, the threat of deportation has profound consequences for families. Deportation disrupts lives, upends communities, and has a devastating impact on children, including those who are U.S. citizens. Many children who experience the loss of a parent or other family member face tremendous emotional stress, and millions of mixed-status households would suffer economically from a disruption of their economic and social support systems.
During the campaign, President-elect Trump pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants immediately upon taking office. This is a daunting promise, and many Americans are concerned about the cost and feasibility of his plan.
The government’s goal of removing all undocumented people from the United States would require a massive expansion of immigration enforcement efforts that disrupt families and neighborhoods, and would involve significant costs for American taxpayers. Mass deportation could also have negative impacts on the economy by causing labor shortages, reducing productivity, and ultimately resulting in job losses for American workers.
There are four key steps in the process of deportation: 1. Identify and apprehend individuals subject to removal proceedings; 2. Place them through a legal proceeding to determine whether they qualify for relief from removal or can be removed voluntarily; 3. Obtain an order of removal; and 4. Carry out that order by repatriating individuals to their home countries or to a third country. The first step of the process can take months, and requires close coordination with local law enforcement agencies to conduct targeted surveillance and enforcement actions that often disrupt families in sensitive locations. These actions would impose enormous costs on local governments and divert resources away from public safety needs, such as community crime prevention and emergency response.
Once an individual is placed into removal proceedings, they must go through a series of steps with their attorney, such as presenting evidence and calling witnesses, to make their case that they should not be deported. If they are ruled to be removable they can appeal their ruling with the Board of Immigration Appeals. If their appeal is unsuccessful and they are ruled to be removed, they must leave the United States and cannot return for a specified period of time (usually 5, 10, or 20 years).
Most unauthorized immigrants live in neighborhoods, cities, and towns where they have deep roots. Many have been here for a decade or more and have established businesses and deep community ties. Expanding deportation to this group would likely be met with widespread resistance and deep community concerns, especially since the majority of those currently facing deportation are convicted criminals who have been deported in the past. Deporting these residents would be extremely costly, and would damage the economy and communities that depend on them. Many of these residents are also parents to U.S. citizen children, who would be forced to live without their loved ones. Moreover, the stigma of being deported can lead to retaliation and increased risks of violence in their home countries.