Everything We Know About Eric Prince, Mastermind Behind The $25B Plan to Deport 12 Million Immigrants By 2026

Erik D. Prince, founder of the private military contractor formerly known as Blackwater, considered the biggest private security firm in the world, is reportedly spearheading an initiative to have private efforts help carry out deportation efforts in the U.S.

The project, given to President Donald Trump's advisers before the inauguration, features several "processing camps" on military bases, a private fleet of planes and private citizens empowered to make arrests. It was first reported by Politico and it would have an estimated price tag of $25 billion, a fraction of what reports have shown deporting all undocumented people in the country would cost.

The project also claims it would be able to carry out all deportations before the 2026 midterms, something all other assessments have deemed highly unlikely given logistical and legal challenges. The document recognizes the challenges posed by the figure, saying it "would require the government to eject nearly 500,000 illegal aliens per month."

"It is unlikely that the government could swell its internal ranks to keep pace with this demand ...in order to process this enormous number of deportations, the government should enlist outside assistance," it suggests.

The document surfaces as Trump is seemingly frustrated with the current pace of deportations, removing acting Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Caleb Vitello last Friday.

Vitello is "actually being elevated so he is no longer in an administrative role, but is overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens," said a spokesperson for the administration. However, both Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, have expressed frustrations that the number of immigrants being deported isn't higher, reported NBC News.

In this context, White House officials are having conversations with contractors in order to quickly increase figures. It is unclear whether Trump has seen the plan, presented to his advisors in December. He has so far not given it the green light despite the pace of deportations being below what he expects.

White House spokesman Kush Desai addressed the document, saying "while White House officials receive numerous unsolicited proposals from various private sector players, it is ultimately up to the agencies responsible for carrying out the President's agenda to consider and sign contracts to advance their mission."

The document also proposes mass deportation hearings and a "bounty program which provides a cash reward for each illegal alien held by a state or local law enforcement official." Moreover, it suggests deputizing 10,000 private citizens including former law enforcement officials and give them expedited training to help with the effort. All such initiatives would likely be quickly challenged in court.

Bill Mathews, the former chief operating officer of Blackwater, said the group has not been contacted since submitting the White Paper. "There has been zero show of interest or engagement from the government and we have no reason to believe there will be," he added.

Prince is no stranger to helping carry out government initiatives, as 2USV (formerly Blackwater) gained national attention for providing security services for U.S. officials and military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the subject of intense scrutiny in 2007 after contractors killed 17 Iraqi civilians and wounded 20 more during the Nisour Square Massacre. Some contractors were charged with manslaughter, with four being convicted in 2014. They were pardoned by Trump in his first term.

Prince also made headlines last year after suggesting higher bounties for Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and other top officials sanctioned in the U.S. "If Kamala Harris and Joe Biden want to actually support freedom and legitimate elections in Venezuela, they should elevate the bounties to $100 million each on these already wanted criminals, Nicolas Maduro and Diosdado Cabello and all the others in their cartel. Then sit back and watch the magic happen. You can even pay these out from frozen regime money already in US banks."