US President Donald Trump is threatening to remove millions of people living in the country illegally on the eve of formally announcing his re-election bid.
In a pair of tweets on Monday night, Trump said that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement would next week “begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.”
“They will be removed as fast as they come in,” he wrote.
An administration official said that the effort would focus on the more than 1 million people who have been issued final deportation orders by federal judges, but remain at large in the country.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
It is unusual for law enforcement agencies to announce raids before they take place.
Some in Trump’s administration believe that decisive shows of force — such as mass arrests — could serve as effective deterrents, sending a message to those considering making the journey to the US that it is not worth coming.
Trump has threatened a series of increasingly drastic actions as he has tried to stem the flow of Central American migrants crossing the southern border, which has risen dramatically on his watch. He recently dropped a threat to slap tariffs on Mexico after the country agreed to dispatch its national guard and step up coordination and enforcement efforts.
Three weeks ago, about 4,200 migrants were arriving at the US border daily, and that number has dropped to about 2,600, a senior Mexican official said.
Immigration was a central theme of Trump’s 2016 campaign and he is expected to hammer it as he tries to fire up his base heading into next year’s campaign.
Trump was to formally launch his re-election bid last night at a rally in Orlando, Florida — a state that is crucial to his path back to the White House.
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