Trump says immigrants are 'building an army' as he reiterates intention to conduct mass deportations

Former President and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump displayed his stance against unlawful migrants by claiming in a recent rally that people arriving in the U.S. are "building an army" to attack Americans "from within."

Speaking at Crotona Park in South Bronx, a neighborhood comprised almost entirely of Latino and Black people, he said that most of those arriving between ports of entry at the southern border are "male and they look like fighting age."

"They are coming from Africa, Asia, from all over the world. They are coming from the Middle East, from Yemen. If you look at these people, they are in good physical form. They are between 19 and 25," Trump added, saying they "want to get us from within."

In that context he again vowed to conduct "the largest deportation operation in the history of our country because this situation is unsustainable."

This is far from the first time Trump used such rhetoric. Last week he said in an interview that unlawful immigrants are "coming in with very contagious diseases." "All of a sudden you see there's a run on tuberculosis, things that we haven't talked about for years in this country." He has also said that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country" and described them as "vermin."

It is also far from the first time Trump discusses such immigration enforcement intentions, having made of these initiatives a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

Data from the Migration Policy Institute estimates roughly 11.2 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2021, up from 11 million in 2019.

In an April interview, Trump said he'd use the National Guard "as he sees fit" throughout American cities to deport immigrants if he's reelected. "If I thought things were getting out of control, I would have no problem using the military," he said in an interview with Time magazine.

"We have to have safety in our country. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job."

Trump also told Time he plans to sign orders to reinstall many of the same policies from his first term, such as the Remain in Mexico program, which requires that non-Mexican asylum seekers be sent south of the border until their court dates. He would also be looking at reinstating Title 42, which allows border officials to expel migrants without letting them apply for asylum.

However, such an operation could have unintended consequences for Trump, as economists worry that such projects could bring a massive blow to the U.S. job market.

As a response to Trump's plan on immigration, many economists and business leaders warn that this scenario could trigger higher unemployment and slower growth— while also devastating the country's immigrant workforce, according to The Washington Post. These proposals could also exacerbate inflation.