President-elect Donald Trump indicated Monday that his incoming administration was preparing to declare a national emergency to mobilize military assets to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the border.
Trump responded “TRUE!!” to a Truth Social Post from Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton saying that the second Trump administration was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
The emergency declaration on the border would follow one Trump made during his first administration, which he announced on February 15, 2019, as he fought with Democrats in Congress over border security.
“We’re going to confront the national security crisis on our southern border, and we’re going to do it one way or the other,” he said at the time. “We have an invasion of drugs and criminals coming into our country.”
Trump later vetoed a resolution from Democrats in Congress opposing the declaration, which allowed him to fund border wall construction. His administration was sued by Democrat state attorneys general and leftist groups who claimed that the declaration was unconstitutional.
Under Biden’s administration, illegal immigration hit record highs as more than 10 million people crossed into the United States. Polling showed that Biden’s handling of immigration was unpopular, while Trump’s positions were broadly supported.