President-elect Donald Trump has faced significant criticism for proposing the deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, a plan that some argue could rival or surpass the deportation efforts of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Left-wing critics have labeled Trump’s plan as authoritarian, brutal, costly, fascistic, illegal, racist, and xenophobic.
However, CNN acknowledged on Wednesday that Trump’s plan, while controversial, aligns with previous immigration enforcement practices, especially those of former President Barack Obama. CNN’s White House correspondent Priscilla Alvarez noted that Trump’s proposed actions are “consistent with the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement has often carried out operations.”
The similarity extends to personnel involved in the enforcement plan. For example, Trump’s border czar nominee, Tom Homan, was appointed by Obama in 2013 as the executive associate director of Enforcement and Removal Operations at ICE. Homan’s work in deporting criminal noncitizens earned him the Distinguished Rank Award in 2015 during the Obama administration.
John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under Obama, told CNN that many of the tactics being revived by the Trump administration were “Obama-esque,” emphasizing that more “draconian” actions will be required to meet the scale of deportations Trump aims to accomplish.
Under Obama’s presidency, over 5.2 million noncitizens were deported or returned to their home countries between 2009 and 2016, and nearly 1 million noncitizens were deported during his first year in office. Notably, Obama holds the record for overseeing more deportations through removal orders than any other president at that time.
Despite the vast deportation efforts under Obama, critics such as the ACLU and UnidosUS dubbed him the “deporter in chief.” In contrast, Trump has been held to a different standard, with some of his policies resembling those from past administrations, including Obama’s. Trump has even referenced the effectiveness of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Operation Wetback,” which utilized military support to deport over 1.3 million illegal immigrants within months.
Though Trump’s plans appear to shift immigration enforcement by today’s standards, CNN reiterated that his proposals mirror those put in place during Obama’s tenure, including prioritizing public safety, national security, and fugitives. Despite criticism, former ICE officials, like Jason House, argue that Trump’s ideas are not entirely new, asserting that past administrations, including those under Democratic leadership, implemented similar approaches.
