Immigration hawks urge Congress and Trump administration to ‘get started immediately’ on mass deportation pledge

FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of hawkish immigration groupsahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, Republicans in Congress and officials in the incoming Trump administration are urging them to follow through on their promises to launch a massive deportation crackdown, urging them not to back down or compromise on key issues , and to use the upcoming reconciliation process to put these promises into practice.

“The undersigned organizations and individuals are writing to express and pledge our support in keeping the promises you made to the American people,” the coalition says.

The 10 groups include Heritage Action for America, NumbersUSA, the National Immigration Center for Enforcement and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). In their letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, they warn that work must begin immediately.

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Migrants line up outside a migrant center on January 5, 2024 in Manhattan. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Due to the constraints of congressional calendars, the threat of litigation from open-border zealots, the slow pace of regulatory action, as well as the complexity of the promised law enforcement operations, the work must begin immediately, seriously,” they say.

“Mass deportations and secure borders are not just cornerstones public safety and national securitybut they are also a critical means of protecting American workers and preventing employers from engaging in unscrupulous activities,” they say. “Most importantly, they are not negotiating other policies or political priorities.”

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Trump has promised to launch a “historic” deportation operation and provide more border security. Many Republicans in Congress ran on these issues, and polls showed that many Americans saw illegal immigration as a top problem.

The groups point out that the House-passed GOP border bill of 2023, which they repeatedly pushed lawmakers to pass, included a series of sweeping measures to secure the border and limit the ability of migrants to seek asylum. But they now say the bill is a “floor, not a ceiling” and are urging the incoming administration and Congress to go further, first with a funding package through the budget reconciliation process.

President-elect Trump and Melania Trump arrive at Dulles International Airport on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Dulles, Virginia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“Now, with unified government control and an open critical window, we are also ready to help you put together a bold reconciliation package that reflects President Trump’s commitment to the American people and the very laws that govern and protect our nation,” they say.

His recommendations for the reconciliation package include additional resources to achieve “millions of deportations,” close loopholes in immigration law, cut funding to nonprofits, and “prioritize the American worker over the foreign labor”.

They also warn lawmakers: “There is NO amnesty of any kind. (If you have to say it isn’t one, yes).

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“It’s time to bring order to our immigration system and restore fidelity to the rule of law. The American people are waiting,” they say.

Rosemary Jenks, police director of the Immigration and Accountability Project, said Congress must “act immediately to deliver the resources, including ICE ERO officers and detention beds, needed for President Trump to carry out the mass deportations needed to reverse the damage done by the Biden Administration.”

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Fox reported on Friday that the incoming administration plans to begin mass immigration detentions as soon as the first day.

“What we’re saying to ICE, you’re going to enforce immigration law unapologetically,” border czar Tom Homan said on “Jesse Watters Tonight.” “You’re going to focus on the worst first, the threats to public safety first, but nobody is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they have a problem.”