President Donald Trump requested from the Department of Homeland Security 20,000 additional law enforcement officers to carry out what he calls the “largest deportation in American history.”
At the end of a proclamation mainly focused on pushing undocumented immigrants to leave the country voluntarily, Trump called upon DHS to begin “deputizing and contracting with state and local law enforcement officers, former federal officers, officers and personnel within other federal agencies, and other individuals,” adding that it shall be done “no later than 60 days after the date of this proclamation.”
It is unclear how his latest push would be funded as Trump and Congressional Republicans look to make large cuts to the federal government’s budget. There are currently about 6,000 officers focused on deportation efforts at Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
Earlier this week, DHS officials said they would pay migrants $1,000 to “self deport” and that their cost of travel would be covered. In his proclamation Friday, Trump repeated that offer and labeled it “project homecoming.”