President-elect Donald Trump said he is open to building deportation camps for migrants as part of his plan to conduct mass deportations once he takes office in January.
In his interview with Time magazine, in which he was named "Person of the Year," Trump said he will do "whatever it takes to get them out." "Again, I'll do it absolutely within the confines of the law, but if it needs new camps, but I hope we're not going to need too many because I want to get them out, and I don't want them sitting in camp for the next 20 years."
The president-elect went on to say that the deportees' countries of origin "have got to take them back," anticipating that if they don't his administration "won't do business with those countries" and impose substantial tariffs on them. "When they send products in, they will have substantial tariffs, and it's going to make it very hard for them to do business with us," he added.
Trump was also asked about whether families will be separated again under his incoming administration. He said he doesn't believe he will have to "because we will send the whole family back to the country." I would much rather deport them together, yes, than separate."
The statements reiterate what Trump has been anticipating will do once he takes office on January 20. In an interview with NBC News' Meet The Press, he reiterated his belief that strict immigration enforcement is necessary, noting that people who entered the U.S. legally have been treated unfairly compared to those who didn't. "We have to get the criminals out of our country," he said. "But we're starting with the criminals, and we got to do it," he told Kristen Welker.
Trump also addressed the issue of birthright citizenship, which guarantees U.S. citizenship to those born on American soil regardless of their parents' immigration status. He highlighted his intention to end this practice through executive action, calling it "ridiculous" and claiming that the U.S. is the only country that offers it. However, over 30 countries, including Canada and Brazil, provide the same right.
In another passage of the interview, Trump did express willingness to work with Democrats to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children (known as Dreamers), currently protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which is renovated every two years.
Originally published on Latin Times.
