President Donald Trump tweeted on June 17 that “Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States,” adding, “They will be removed as fast as they come in.”
According to The Washington Post, “Trump and his senior immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, have been prodding Homeland Security officials to arrest and remove thousands of family members whose deportation orders were expedited by the Justice Department this year as part of a plan known as the ‘rocket docket.’” Supporters of the strategy have argued that this move “will send a message to families that are in defiance of deportation orders.” This plan is not new for Trump; during his presidential campaign in 2015, Trump called for a “deportation force” to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants.
White nationalists and some in conservative media have spent years calling for mass deportations -- for example, neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer argued in March 2018 that “plans to deport millions of immigrants” are “the only way to save White countries at this point.” These are just a few of the conservative figures and white nationalists who have called for mass deportations in recent years:
2019
On his Fox Business show, Lou Dobbs asked, “Why are we not seeing an energetic removal of those under deportation orders?” Fox contributor and former acting ICE Director Tom Homan agreed, arguing that “I know it works because I have done it.” [Fox Business, Lou Dobbs Tonight, 6/11/19]
The night before, Dobbs called for the removal of “hundreds of thousands, millions of illegals” in the United States. [Fox Business, Lou Dobbs Tonight, 6/10/19]
On Fox & Friends Weekend, co-host Ed Henry asked acting ICE Director Mark Morgan if the agency is going to “increase deportations.” Morgan responded that “we’re at a point where we have no choice.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends Weekend, 6/9/19]
On Fox & Friends, Homan called for “over 100,000 family units” to be found and deported “to their homeland.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/31/19]
On her podcast, Fox host Laura Ingraham agreed with her guest that “Operation Wetback” -- a 1950s mass deportation effort -- should be re-created to deport immigrants. [PodcastOne, The Laura Ingraham Show Podcast, 2/6/19]
2018
Far-right site Breitbart pushed a study claiming “mass deportations effectively deter the violent El Salvadoran MS-13 gang from expanding across the United States.” [Breitbart, 12/21/18]
On Fox News’ Hannity, talk radio host Larry Elder complained that “no one is talking about mass deportations.” “The president campaigned on getting rid of bad hombres,” he added, urging him to follow through. [Fox News, Hannity, 12/20/18]
On Fox & Friends Weekend, guest Mark Krikorian, executive director of the anti-immigrant group Center for Immigration Studies, claimed that the problem with the government losing 1,500 migrant children is that “we're never going to find them to return them to their own countries.” He said media reports claiming the Trump administration lost migrant children are a “classic propaganda operation.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends Weekend, 5/27/18]
Neo-Nazi outlet The Daily Stormer argued that deporting “millions of immigrants” is “the only way to save White countries at this point.” The racist website went on to argue: “Anyone who ISN’T for mass deportation is by definition FOR the demographic replacement of Germans in Germany and Whites in most every country hit by mass immigration.” [The Daily Stormer, 3/28/18]
On Twitter, far-right commentator Ann Coulter argued that “mass deportations” and an “immigration moratorium” would reduce mass shootings in the United States. [Twitter, 2/26/18]
2017
One America News Network host Graham Ledger urged Trump to use the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals database to deport DACA recipients’ parents. He called on Trump to “take that list and use it as a road map to go after their parents.” [One America News Network, The Daily Ledger, 9/15/17]
On CNN, president of the anti-immigrant hate group Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) praised threats of mass deportation as an effort to “reclaim our schools, our hospitals, and our communities once again for the American people.” He also said that undocumented immigrants “need to be thinking about going out and buying some luggage.” [CNN, New Day, 2/22/17]
The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft complained that former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) said mass deportations are “not happening.” Hoft claimed “you can never trust” Ryan and criticized him for thinking “he is leading the party and country and it was him who won the historic November election — Not Trump.” [The Gateway Pundit, 1/13/17]
2016
On Hannity, Coulter said that Trump “made a mistake” by walking back campaign promises to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. [Fox News, Hannity, 8/25/16]
On CNN, commentator Kayleigh McEnany justified Trump’s plan to conduct mass deportations by saying that “he never committed to not deporting 11 million people.” She added that Trump “likes immigrants, … but he does believe in the rule of law.” [CNN, Erin Burnett OutFront, 8/25/16]
The Daily Stormer praised Newt Gingrich for calling for the “mass deportations of hajis.” The article acknowledged that Gingrich specified Muslims who believe in Sharia, but concluded that “believing in Sharia law is a required article of the Islamic faith, so it’s very close to a call to deport every ethnic Arab. It’s one step away.” The neo-Nazi outlet called Gingrich a “gross opportunist,” but asserted: “The fact that this has entered the mainstream discussion is simply glorious. It cannot be overstated how absolutely fantastic this is.” [The Daily Stormer, 7/15/16]
White nationalist outlet VDare argued that “mass deportation would pay for itself.” [VDare, 5/28/16]
Fox Business host Charles Payne suggested that Trump’s plan to conduct mass deportations of immigrant families “might be the only solution.” [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 3/10/16]
2015
The Daily Stormer on Trump saying he’ll “bypass courts for mass-deportation program”: “That’s what we want to hear.” [The Daily Stormer, 11/23/15]
Conservative website LifeZette pointed to a racist “Mexican Repatriation” policy during the 1930s as a possible model for Trump’s mass deportation. [LifeZette, 11/19/15]
Fox host Sean Hannity claimed that people impacted by “Operation Wetback,” the 1950s mass deportation program, “didn’t look like they were all that upset as they were walking back into Mexico” based on “some of the images in the paper today.” In reality, the program has been described as inhumane and ended in multiple deaths due to exposure to extreme conditions. [Fox News, Hannity, 11/12/15; Slate, 11/10/15]
Former Fox News host Eric Bolling defended Trump’s “deportation force,” calling it “good for Latinos.” Co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle agreed that it would “secure the border.” [Fox News, The Five, 11/12/15]
The Daily Stormer celebrated Trump’s announcement of a “deportation force,” claiming it would “remove invaders.” [The Daily Stormer, 11/12/15]
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum applauded Trump’s mass deportation plan and his comparisons to “Operation Wetback” at a GOP primary debate, calling it “one of the most thought-provoking exchanges of the evening.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 11/11/15]
Coulter: “I'm warming to ‘mass deportation and a wall’!” [Twitter, 10/19/15]
Hannity defended Trump’s plan for mass deportation, dismissing concerns as an “emotional argument.” [Fox News, Hannity, 8/17/15]
2014
Media Research Center editor Tim Graham: “Love how they always say mass deportation is ‘unrealistic.’ Imposing thousands of kids who don't speak English? The essence of realistic.” [Twitter, 11/20/14]
Washington Times staff writer Stephen Dinan complained the Obama administration was deporting criminals instead of millions of “rank-and-file illegal immigrants who are living here, working here, holding jobs.” [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 4/9/14]
Conservative media websites The Daily Caller, National Review Online, and Breitbart.com criticized President Barack Obama for focusing on deporting criminals instead of deporting all undocumented immigrants. [Media Matters, 3/27/14]
2012
Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade asked if America should emulate Greece in “rounding up thousands” of undocumented immigrants to deport them in an attempt to improve its economy. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/23/12]
Bolling suggested deporting millions of undocumented immigrants to create economic demand for jobs. [Fox News, The Five, 6/14/12]
2011
Bolling said undocumented immigrants should be given “a one-way bus ticket back to where they came from.” [Fox News, The Five, 12/21/11]
Asked if he would support rounding up undocumented immigrant children in public schools for deportation, Bolling said, “Sure.” [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 12/2/11]
Bolling endorsed putting undocumented immigrants “on buses and sending them back.” [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 9/21/11]