Twenty-six Republican governors have signed a letter pledging to use “every tool” to aid President-elect Donald Trump with his mass deportation plans.
That includes the possible use of state law enforcement and National Guards. The federal government doesn’t have the resources required to carry out Trump’s plans of deporting 11 million undocumented people and will need the assistance of state and local authorities.
Some of the states run by the 26 governors include areas with some of the largest numbers of undocumented people, Axios noted.
The attempt to deport millions of people is likely to face procedural barriers and the cost is estimated to be between $150 billion to $350 billion.
“Republican governors remain fully committed to supporting the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport dangerous criminals, gang members, and terrorists who are in this country illegally,” the governors said in their letter. “We understand the direct threat these criminal illegal immigrants pose to public safety and our national security, and we will do everything in our power to assist in removing them from our communities.”
Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee didn’t commit to using the National Guard, the Tennessean reported last week.
He noted that Trump “hasn’t requested anything yet.”
“I agree that he should, because he’s been elected, follow through with what he promised he would do for the American people,” Lee added. “To the degree that Tennessee participates in that, I look forward to seeing what his plans are going to be. We will be supportive of the strategies of the president.”
Immigration advocates and progressive leaders in Nashville are concerned ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
Metro Council members in the city voted down a proposal to allow police to have fast access to private security camera footage, pointing to worries that the program could be used for immigration enforcement, according to Axios.
In the letter, the 26 governors said, “We stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal—whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard—to support President Trump in this vital mission.”
Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has said in interviews with conservative media outlets that the administration will prioritize undocumented people who pose a threat to national or public security.
“President Trump has made it clear we will prioritize public safety threats and national security threats first and that’s what the focus would be,” he told Fox News on November 11. “There’s thousands of gang members, illegal alien gang members we’re going to be looking for. Now, I’m going to say if you’re in the country illegally, you shouldn’t feel comfortable, absolutely not.”
