The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is advising cities and states on strategies to help illegal aliens evade deportation under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Trump has tasked his incoming Border Czar, Thomas Homan, with overseeing what is expected to be the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, targeting the 11 to 22 million illegal aliens currently residing in the country. Among this group, approximately 1.5 million individuals have final deportation orders.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero recently discussed the organization’s “game plan” on The Rachel Maddow Show, explaining that the ACLU is working to guide local governments on how to resist federal deportation efforts. According to Romero, the ACLU’s strategy includes pressuring local officials to help hinder deportations by preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from accessing local resources, such as police officers, jails, and prisons.
Romero called for cities and states to cut ties with the federal government on immigration enforcement. He suggested that localities should refuse to allow ICE access to their jails and prisons and even consider pardoning illegal aliens with criminal convictions for minor offenses, such as driving with a suspended license. The goal, he said, is to remove these individuals from potential deportation proceedings and ensure that local officials do not cooperate with federal agents.
Romero emphasized that this plan, which the ACLU has crafted, is aimed at protecting immigrants from deportation and stopping what he described as “guardrail abuses.” He argued that local governments could play a critical role in blocking deportation efforts by refusing to cooperate with federal authorities.
In contrast, Thomas Homan, Trump’s incoming Border Czar, made it clear that ICE agents would continue to perform their duties, regardless of resistance from cities or states. Homan asserted that illegal immigration is illegal, and it’s unacceptable to allow individuals to remain in the U.S. unlawfully. He warned that ICE agents would not be deterred from carrying out their mission to enforce immigration laws, even in the face of opposition from local authorities.
