GOP Leaders Back Trump's Mass Deportation Plan, Advocates Cooperation Between Local And State Authorities

As President-elect Donald Trump plans to go ahead with his mass deportation policies, the GOP leaders are supporting his efforts by facilitating cooperation between the local and state authorities.

The GOP leaders are of the opinion that involving local police would make it easier for the authorities to identify and remove undocumented immigrants, who pose a threat to public safety. Some local governments already work with federal immigration officials through "detainers," Axios reported.

An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies, including jails and prisons, asking them to inform the agency before releasing a noncitizen who can be deported. It also asks these agencies to hold the individual for up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release, according to ICE's official website.

The federal government depends on local police for help because it doesn't have enough resources to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country on its own.

However, critics warn that this cooperation can create fear in immigrant communities, adding that it discourages immigrants from reporting crimes or helping the police with investigations, because they are afraid of being detained and deported.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox recently announced a plan to support Trump's deportation efforts in collaboration with the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah Department of Corrections.

"Utah will continue to welcome refugees and immigrants who enter the country lawfully, and we will continue pushing for reforms to the asylum process and for more visas to support our workforce needs," Cox said, adding, "We have zero tolerance, however, for those who demonstrate a threat to public safety while in the country illegally."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose state has the third-largest number of undocumented immigrants, said last week that states and local governments should be required to help with deportations if they want to receive federal funding.

Texas, with the second-highest number of undocumented immigrants, offered Trump a 1,400-acre ranch near the southern border to use for deportations. The state also passed a law last year allowing local police to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally.

However, the U.S. government says this law is unconstitutional because only federal authorities have the power to enforce immigration laws. The law is currently on hold, while the issue is being decided in court.

Carrying out mass deportations will be a logistical challenge, even with help from some states or cities. Immigrants are entitled to due process through the nation's immigration courts, which currently have a massive backlog of 3.7 million cases.