Zero tolerance and raids on schools: The clues into Trump’s plans to launch the biggest deportation operation in history

It’s a promise with no nuance: the largest deportation operation in history. Donald Trump repeats the pledge in practically every public statement he makes, from a rally or a press conference to a friendly conversation with Elon Musk. But that’s all that Trump says; he hasn’t given any hint about how he plans to achieve an operation that at first glance will be filled with logistical, administrative and legal obstacles.

In an interview on ABC a few days ago, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance discussed securing the border and “mass deportation,” when he was asked: “I mean do you go knock on doors and ask people for their papers? What do you do?”

Trump’s running mate responded: “I think that’s the wrong attitude towards it. There are 20 million people here illegally [the most recent data, from 2022, indicates that there are a little more than 11 million], you start with what’s achievable [...] I think it’s interesting that people focus on, well, how do you deport 18 million people? Let’s start with 1 million. That’s where Kamala Harris has failed. And then we can go from there.”

The answer did little to clear up the doubts hanging over the plan. At best, it added another question: how many people do they intend to deport in the first place? With Trump and JD Vance failing to provide details, all that remains is to look into the documents. The official Republican Party platform reads like any Trump campaign speech and offers 20 promises that sound more like slogans than policy points. The first two, in capital letters: “Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion” and “Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” That’s it.

Then there is Project 2025, the blueprint for a hypothetical second Republican presidency written by ideologues, congressmen, former high-ranking officials from Trump’s first term and those hoping for a spot in his government if he is elected. The 900-page document was published by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation, and according to various reports, sponsored by the Donald Trump campaign. However, the Republican has tried to distance himself from the blueprint after its more extreme proposals — firing civil servants en masse and replacing them with people “loyal” to the administration or even abolishing the Federal Reserve — sparked widespread backlash. Even so, for now it remains the best source of clues about how the Trump campaign intends to carry out its promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

The 34-page immigration section was written by Ken Cuccinelli, who was director of the Immigration Service (USCIS) and deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during the Trump presidency, until it was ruled that his appointment had violated the law, since it should have been ratified by the Senate. As the main promoter of the “zero tolerance” policy implemented in the last years that Trump was in the White House, he writes about what lessons he has reportedly learned on protecting immigration policy from those who seek to weaken it.

First, he proposes merging all federal agencies dealing with immigration to create the third-largest department in the administration, with more than 100,000 personnel, shared databases, and full capacity to process and expedite deportations. This would require modifying, repealing, or eliminating all current regulations that impede expedited deportations. He also recommends that this new Department of Homeland Security — which was originally created in response to the 9/11 attacks — be solely aimed at the deportation of undocumented immigrants and restricting immigration.

The mass deportations would begin, according to the text, with raids not only in homes and workplaces, but also in places where immigration agents have previously been prohibited from entering: the so-called “sensitive zones,” such as schools, hospitals, churches and courts. In addition, the list of “inadmissible” persons would include not only undocumented persons, but also any foreigner who makes a simple administrative error, such as leaving a blank space on an immigration service form.

Due process — the legal basis that protects anyone in the country — would be eliminated to allow immigrants to be deported without facing a judge, through the national expansion of the expedited removal process. Now, this move can only be implemented within 100 miles of the border. The plan also proposes expanding the capacity of immigration detention centers to 100,000 beds, with the express construction of temporary facilities on the border.

The outlined plan also seeks to turn many people who have special permits into illegal immigrants. To do so, it proposes eliminating visas such as the U and T visas, designed for victims of trafficking, arguing that “victimization should not be the basis for an immigration benefit.” Along those lines, the plan would also eliminate TPS protection, a temporary immigration status for people from 16 specific countries that are considered too dangerous to return to, either due to natural disasters or armed conflict; stop considering domestic violence or gang violence as legitimate reasons to request asylum; end the DACA program for undocumented minors and bar U.S. citizens from receiving federal housing aid if they live with anyone who is not a citizen or permanent legal resident.

The document openly admits that many of these measures would need congressional support, sometimes as much as one-third of the Senate, which is impossible even under the most optimistic projections. The plans therefore rely on executive orders, interim appointments, and other maneuvers to circumvent constitutional legislative requirements. “The next administration arguably should place its nominees for key positions into similar positions as ‘actings’ […] This approach would both guarantee implementation of the Day One agenda and equip the department for potential emergency situations while still honoring the confirmation requirement,” states the document.

Citing the obstacles imposed by the Administrative Procedure Act during Donald Trump’s presidency, which prevented him from ending TPS for Central American countries and the DACA program, the plan recommends using “exemption” routes from that law. For example, it suggests that the DHS declare mass migration is an urgent matter, in order to approve, via executive order, norms that prohibit the entry of people from certain countries and expedited deportations.

Trump is a fan of superlatives — he says his presidency was the best ever, his inauguration was the biggest ever, the economy under his watch the strongest ever, etc. — but these claims provide few details. Though it is very difficult to corroborate, the largest deportation operation — Operation Wetback — occurred in 1954, and involved the expulsion of between 350,000 and two million Mexicans from the United States to Mexico, although an estimated 40 to 60% were American citizens. Decades later, that episode does not even serve as a reference for what Trump’s plan will look like, but there are clues in the Project 2025 document that suggest it involves implementing a police state and eliminating fundamental rights.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition