US President-elect Donald Trump has unveiled plans for mass deportations and an end to birthright citizenship, sparking controversy and concerns over the potential economic and social implications.
Trump’s proposal, which he intends to classify as a national emergency upon taking office on January 20, aims to deport all immigrants in the US without legal status, estimated to be over 11 million people as of January 2022.
The president-elect has emphasized enforcement, stating that removing unauthorized immigrants is essential, despite acknowledging the challenges involved.
While Trump has expressed willingness to negotiate protections for “Dreamers” immigrants brought to the US illegally as children, his administration’s plans have raised concerns among immigration experts and advocates.
The proposed measures would require substantial financial resources, with the American Immigration Council estimating the annual cost of deporting all unauthorized immigrants at $88 billion.
Furthermore, Trump’s plan to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship on his first day in office has sparked debate.
The policy, rooted in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and reinforced by an 1898 Supreme Court decision, grants citizenship to anyone born on US soil regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Trump has acknowledged potential legal challenges to his proposal, suggesting that achieving this goal might require a constitutional amendment.
Immigration experts have warned that mass deportations would not only be enormously expensive but also potentially harmful to the economy.
Many economists disagree with Trump’s assertion that mass deportations would lead to higher wages and better benefits for American workers. Instead, they argue that such measures would likely disrupt the labor market, drive up inflation, and reduce employment and wages for native-born workers.
As Trump’s administration prepares to implement these measures, concerns over the potential consequences for immigrants, the economy, and American society as a whole continue to grow.
