A history of anti-human rights
The 78-year-old president-elect has pledged to launch, on the first day of his mandate, the largest operation to deport illegal migrants in the history of the United States. During his campaign, he repeatedly lashed out against illegal migrants who he said were “poisoning the blood” of his country, and promised to reinstate a policy of family separation at the border.
Thomas Homan had already led ICE during Donald Trump’s previous term (2017-2021). Under this first Trump presidency, nearly 4,000 migrant children were separated from their parents and placed in detention. His appointment is not a surprise. In July, during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the man said: “I have a message to convey to the millions of illegal immigrants that Joe Biden has released into our country in violation of federal law: you better start packing now.
The “Ice Baby” White House Chief of Staff
Donald Trump has made another appointment to his future cabinet, naming his campaign manager Susie Wiles – whom he calls “ice baby” because of her supposedly unflappable temperament – as White House chief of staff. Trump won’t be inaugurated until January. He also announced that he had named Republican MP Elise Stefanik as United States ambassador to the United Nations, in statements to the American media late Sunday.
“I am honored to nominate President Elise Stefanik to serve in my administration as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tenacious and intelligent fighter for America,” Donald Trump said in a statement to New York Post.
“Operation Aurora”, for mass expulsions
As the U.S. government has struggled for years to manage its southern border with Mexico, Trump has exacerbated concerns by saying an “invasion” of migrants is underway who he says will rape and murder Americans. In his election speeches, he greatly exaggerated local tensions and misled his audience about immigration statistics and policy.
The number of violent crimes, which increased during Trump’s first term, has declined each year under President Joe Biden’s administration. Migrants commit proportionately fewer crimes than the local population, although foreign suspects have been named in a few high-profile cases of violent attacks on women and children, infuriating Republicans.
The number of U.S. border patrols encountering migrants arriving illegally from Mexico is now about the same as in 2020, the final year of Trump’s presidency, after peaking at a record number of 250,000 for the month of December 2023 .
Trump has pledged to combat migrant gangs using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the federal government to round up and deport aliens from enemy countries, as part of a campaign to mass expulsion which he called “Operation Aurora”. It was as part of this operation that a video went viral purportedly showing armed Latinos rampaging through a building with false narratives about a city being terrorized by Latino migrants. Donald Trump also promoted the fictional story that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating residents’ pets.
