Mass detention and returning migrants to Mexico: Donald Trump’s plans on immigration are coming into focus

The incoming Trump administration’s plans to implement strict border measures, strike down Biden-era policies and kick off the detention and deportation of migrants at large scale are underway and starting to come into focus, according to four sources familiar with the plans.

The incoming Trump administration’s plans to implement strict border measures, strike down Biden-era policies and kick off the detention and deportation of migrants at large scale are underway and starting to come into focus, according to four sources familiar with the plans. President-elect Donald Trump made immigration a central element of his 2024 presidential campaign – but unlike his first run, which was spent largely focused on building a border wall, he’s turned his attention to interior enforcement and the removal of undocumented immigrants already in the United States. People close to the president and his aides are laying the groundwork for expanding detention facilities to fulfill his mass deportation campaign promise, including reviewing metropolitan areas where capabilities exist. But they are also preparing executive actions that are a call back to his first term in office and could be rolled out as soon as Trump takes office, sources say. Taken together, it amounts to the return of hardline immigration policies that garnered fierce criticism from Democrats and immigrant advocates during Trump’s first term – and a dramatic change for migrants and immigrants in the United States. The executive actions and reviews underway include the return of the program informally known as “remain in Mexico,” which requires migrants to stay in Mexico during their immigration proceedings in the US, revising asylum restrictions, revoking protections for migrants covered by Biden’s humanitarian parole programs and undoing ICE’s enforcement priorities, according to two sources briefed on transition policy discussions. Another executive order that is being considered would make detention mandatory and call for an end to releasing migrants, which often happens across administrations because of limited federal resources. It’s that type of executive order, sources say, that would pave the way for detaining and eventually, deporting people at a large scale.