Former President Donald Trump, on Saturday, said that, if elected to the presidency again in 2024, he will "shift massive portions of the existing federal law enforcement apparatus to immigration enforcement."
Trump made the statement during the speech that he gave on Saturday evening.
The speech took place at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to a Majority Conference that was held in Washington, D.C. The events webpage states:
[The] Conference has empowered conservative activists to fight for their values at the polls and in the public arena. Designed to forge a path toward a pro-family majority, the conference equips attendees with the knowledge and connections they need to drive engagement and voter turnout.
Trump was one of the numerous Republican presidential candidates who spoke at the event.
Trump, during his speech, outlined his plan to address the southern border crisis should he once again enter the Oval Office in 2024.
Part of that plan would be shifting "massive portions of the existing federal law enforcement apparatus to immigration enforcement." Trump said that this change would include moving "parts of the DEA, ATF, FBI, and Homeland Security investigators."
Trump said:
I will issue a policy directive making clear that our core national defense mission is to protect American sovereignty, and therefore we must use any and all resources necessary to stop this incredible, incredible invasion.
Trump went on to make it clear that among these resources is the U.S. military. Accordingly, Trump reiterated his vow to deploy "thousands of troops … to the border."
So, a big part of Trump's plan to address the southern border crisis has to do with the actual enforcement mechanism itself. Trump, essentially, wants to beef this mechanism up, which makes sense given reports that part of the cause of the southern border crisis is a lack of resources.
In addition to beefing up the enforcement mechanism, Trump plans to also make big changes to southern border-related immigration policies.
Trump, on Saturday evening, said that he wants to reinstate many of the immigration policies that were in place during his administration, including Title 42, Remain in Mexico, and others.
Trump said that he wants to end the policy which automatically makes children of illegal immigrants American citizens. And, regarding children, Trump says that he would look to end the child trafficking that takes place via the U.S.-Mexico border.
Finally, Trump said that he would look to finish building the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Trump's southern border plan is a significant contrast from the open border policies of the current administration.
