U.S. District Judge David Ezra ruled on Thursday, Feb. 29, Texas cannot use local police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally. On that same day, Former President Donald Trump said that tactic would be part of his immigration policy as president to expedite his plan for a mass deportation operation.
“The way you do it is your local police,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “We’re gonna give immunity to police and we’re gonna let the police do the job they have to do. I think it’s very important. It’s going to be the local police are going to turn them over and then we’re going to send them back to their country.”
In the attempt by Texas to implement a similar policy, Texas said the law would have given local police the right to act as immigration enforcement officers for the state.
Under the policy, local authorities and judges would’ve had the right to deport migrants who were in Texas illegally. However, the Biden administration argued it was unconstitutional and the judge agreed.
Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, said the state has the right to defend itself, and he vowed to appeal. Abbott said he believes the case will ultimately end up before the Supreme Court.
While Texas was told it doesn’t have the authority to ask local police to intervene, Trump said that’s exactly what he would do if elected in November. According to Trump, utilizing local police is a key detail in conducting the largest deportation effort the U.S. has ever seen, which is arguably his largest campaign promise to date.
The glimpse into Trump’s proposed immigration policy comes as a new Gallup poll suggests Americans now consider immigration to be the most important issue in the country, ranking above government, the economy and inflation.
