As Trump touts plans for immigrant roundup, militias are standing back, but standing by

Civilian paramilitaries, like these pictured in 2016, patrol areas of the U.S.-Mexico border searching for immigrants and drug smugglers. John Moore/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed that once he takes office he plans to declare a national emergency and use the military on American streets to accomplish his promises to round up and deport millions of undocumented migrants.

Many experts’ concerns about this program have included the facts that immigrants contribute enormous value to the U.S. economy and mass deportation would hurt food production, housing construction and other crucial industries. Other scholars have analyzed how deportation traumatizes families.