Former President Donald Trump's campaign promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history faces significant logistical, legal, and political obstacles. If re-elected, Trump plans to remove millions of illegal immigrants, starting with 500,000 convicted criminals, according to his campaign. However, experts point out that deportations on such a massive scale would present numerous challenges.
On a large scale, Trump's campaign promise could impact up to 11 million people living in the country without legal status. During a September debate, Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), claimed that around 21 million undocumented people reside in the United States, with "a million having committed some form of crime in addition to crossing the border illegally." Vance suggested starting deportations with those individuals. However, the scale of Trump's plan would far exceed past administrations, including his own, which deported 1.5 million people over four years.
