President-elect Trump confirmed online he will call a national emergency to begin a large deportation program with the military when he takes office in January. He wrote "true" on his social media account when one of his followers called for the steps.
Because of its size and location along the Southern border, Texas has the second most people living in it without legal immigration status. According to Pew Research 1.6 million people in Texas crossed into the country illegally or are living with expired VISAs. Many work in construction and agriculture jobs.
“We’re going to take the handcuffs off. ICE is going to do the job, secure the country, protect the American communities, and arrest the bad guys first," said Tom Homan, Trump's incoming border czar on FOX News.
During his first term, President Trump declared a national emergency along the border and used 2,800 troops to support the construction of sections of the border wall. This time it will be for deportations, a logistically complicated and emotionally taxing process of finding people without legal status in the country, detaining them, and removing them back to their home country.
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Trump also will have new tools to assist him in Texas. If he declares a national emergency, it is possible for him to federalize the Texas National Guard depending on the size and scope of his operation. Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Ken Paxton, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are key Trump allies who've said illegal immigration is a problem needing a drastic response.
“It’s going to take Trump time to build up the ICE (Immigration and Customs) enforcement that existed when he was last President," said Gov. Greg Abbott, at an earlier press conference when asked.
Over the weekend, several protests across the country called on local cities and states to file lawsuits and work against Trump's program. Similar efforts in Texas are likely against state law.
Lone Star Politics
Covering politics throughout the state of Texas.
A few years ago, Texas lawmakers banned so-called "sanctuary cities" preventing locals from obstructing deportation proceedings. Governor Abbott has signaled the state government will be helpful in Trump's program.
“First find all the criminals that are here who crossed the border illegally or committed a crime in the United States or have a criminal background before entering the United States. Either jail them or remove them from the country," said Gov. Abbott.
According to a report from the Texas Department of Public Safety in the past thirteen years, every year, roughly 34,000 people enter Texas jails who came into the country illegally or overstayed VISAs.
FOX News reported earlier for big jails like the one in Harris County, roughly one in ten people locked up are waiting to be deported.
Texas also has names and some location information from new migrants after taking them and bussing them across the country through the state's Operation Lone Star.
Then, there are the tens of thousands of people immigration attorneys say are caught up in a lengthy legal process, waiting for trial dates.
“They’re already in line to get their green card. They’re in waiting for a family member who petitioned them years and years ago. But the line is 18 or 20 years behind," immigration attorney Fernando Dubove.
