FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of hawkish immigration groups, ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, are urging Republicans in Congress and officials in the incoming Trump administration to follow through on their promises to launch a mass deportation operation – urging them not to back down or compromise on key issues, and to use the upcoming reconciliation process to put those promises into action.
“The undersigned organizations and individuals write to express and pledge our support in fulfilling the promises you made to the American people,” the coalition says.
The 10 groups include Heritage Action for America, NumbersUSA, the National Immigration Center for Enforcement and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). In their letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, they warn that work needs to start immediately.
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Migrants line up outside a migrant center on Jan. 5, 2024, in Manhattan. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Due to limitations in Congressional calendars, the threat of litigation from open-borders zealots, the slow pace of regulatory action, as well as the complexity of promised law enforcement operations, work needs to begin immediately, in earnest,” they say.
“Mass deportations and secure borders are not only cornerstones of public safety and national security, but they are also a critical means to protect American workers and stop employers from engaging in unscrupulous activities,” they say. “Most importantly, they are not bargaining chips for other policies or political priorities.”
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Trump has promised to launch a “historic” deportation operation and to provide additional border security. Many Republicans in Congress ran on those issues, and polls showed many Americans saw illegal immigration as a top issue.
The groups note that the 2023 House-passed GOP border bill, which they repeatedly pushed lawmakers to pass, included a number of sweeping measures to secure the border and limit the ability of migrants to claim asylum. But they say now that the bill is a “floor, not a ceiling” and urge the incoming administration and Congress to go further, first with a funding package via the budget reconciliation process.
President-elect Trump and Melania Trump arrive at Dulles International Airport, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Dulles, Virginia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“Now, with unified control of government and a critical window opening, we also stand ready to help you assemble a bold reconciliation package that reflects President Trump’s commitment to the American people and the very laws that govern and protect our nation,” they say.
Their recommendations for the reconciliation package include additional resources to make “millions of deportations” happen, end loopholes in immigration law, cut funding to nonprofits and “prioritize the American worker over foreign labor.”
They also warn lawmakers: “NO amnesty of any kind. (If you have to say it isn’t one, it is.)”
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“It is time to bring order to our immigration system and restore fidelity to the rule of law. The American people are waiting,” they say.
Rosemary Jenks, police director at the Immigration and Accountability Project, said Congress must “act immediately to deliver the resources, including ICE ERO officers and detention beds, that are required for President Trump to carry out the mass deportations necessary to reverse the damage done by the Biden Administration.”
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Fox reported on Friday that the incoming administration is planning to start mass immigration arrests as soon as day one.
“What we’re telling ICE, you’re going to enforce the immigration law without apology,” border czar Tom Homan told “Jesse Watters Tonight.” “You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem.”
