Bill O’Reilly has challenged former President Trump’s ambitious plan to implement the largest deportation program in American history. On NewsNation’s “CUOMO” Wednesday, O’Reilly dismissed the idea as unfeasible. “It’s impossible,” he said. “As soon as Trump orders federal agents to remove individuals, the ACLU and others would file lawsuits, and the federal courts would halt it almost immediately.”
Instead, O’Reilly proposes that Trump should issue an executive order requiring undocumented individuals to register with the federal government rather than pursuing mass deportations.
The call for large-scale deportations was prominently featured at the Republican National Convention, reflecting Trump’s campaign strategy. He has made immigration a central issue, aligning with a tough stance reminiscent of the 1950s, when President Eisenhower’s controversial “Operation Wetback” aimed to deport migrants.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Trump suggested using the National Guard and possibly the military to target 15-20 million individuals, despite government estimates indicating around 11 million undocumented migrants in the U.S. as of 2022. This proposal has shifted the debate from merely securing the southern border to considering a radical overhaul of the nation’s immigration policy.
Following a record number of border crossings under the Biden administration, Democrats have also adjusted their stance, emphasizing border security before addressing the needs of current immigrants.
Trump won 35 percent of Hispanic voters in 2020, and support for stricter border enforcement has increased among Hispanic voters. However, recent polling shows that about half of Hispanic Americans view Trump unfavorably.