Democrats decry Trump’s deportation plan
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Democrats are calling President Trump’s plan for ICE to deport millions of people starting next week inhuman and unrealistic.
“He wants to use prejudices and amplify bigotry and engage in campaigns,” Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the idea of abruptly deporting millions of immigrants is both inhuman and impossible.
“Two of the highest ranking officials within the agency, within CSIC, within Homeland Security have said it’s impossible to do. And they’re not prepared to do it,” Schumer said.
When asked who ICE plans to target, a Trump administration official said there are more than one million immigrants the courts have ordered to be deported but who remain at large within the country.
Reports of a plan targeting immigrant families has circulated in Washington for months. Some speculated that friction over the plan may have been the reason Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was fired in April.
Senator Merkley says people in his home state of Oregon are also concerned about the economic impact of deporting millions.
“Already they’re very concerned about a supply of labor, for everything from our vineyards to our processing facilities, to our fields.”