Trump’s Alarming New Target for Mass Deportations: U.S. Citizens
By David LaGuerre
In a stunning development that should alarm every American regardless of political affiliation, former President Donald Trump has openly expressed enthusiasm for deporting U.S. citizens to El Salvador—a proposal that directly challenges fundamental constitutional protections and the very concept of American citizenship.
“I Love That”: Trump’s Shocking Endorsement
When asked by a reporter whether he was considering an offer from El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to “take American citizens in the federal prison population,” Trump’s response was unambiguous: “Well, I love that.”
He continued with disturbing specificity: “If we could take some of our twenty-time wise guys that push people into subways and hit people over the back of the head, and purposefully run people over in cars, uh if he would take them, I would be honored to give them.”
This isn’t a misinterpretation or exaggeration. These are Trump’s exact words, captured on video and reported by The New Republic on April 7, 2025.
The Constitutional Crisis
Trump’s casual dismissal of legal barriers—”I don’t know what the law says on that, but I can’t imagine the law would say anything different”—reveals either a profound ignorance of constitutional law or a willful disregard for it. In fact, the law is crystal clear: it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens.
Legal experts have pointed out that such deportations would violate multiple constitutional protections:
- The Eighth Amendment protection against “cruel and unusual punishment”
- U.S. Code 3621, which requires incarcerated persons to remain accessible to U.S. courts
- U.S. Code 4100, which only allows prisoner transfers to countries where they hold citizenship
The proposal also contradicts international law prohibiting the return of individuals to countries where they may face torture—a real concern given El Salvador’s CECOT prison’s notorious human rights abuses.
A Pattern of Targeting Citizens
This isn’t an isolated incident. The Trump administration has already demonstrated a troubling pattern of targeting U.S. citizens in immigration enforcement:
Between 2015 and 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 674 individuals who were later identified as U.S. citizens. Of these, 121 were detained and 70 were actually deported.
Trump has also revived efforts to denaturalize U.S. citizens, particularly targeting naturalized immigrants. During his first term, his administration investigated 700,000 naturalized citizens, aiming to strip citizenship from those they claimed obtained it fraudulently.
Historical Echoes
Trump’s proposal evokes dark chapters in American history. During the Great Depression’s “Mexican Repatriation” (1929-1936), approximately 1.8 million people were deported, with an estimated 60% being U.S. citizens—many of them children born in the U.S. to Mexican parents.
These deportations were racially motivated, with little regard for due process. Raids targeted individuals with “Mexican-sounding” names, tearing apart families and sending citizens to countries some had never even visited.
The Broader Threat
When Trump says, “Why should it stop just at people who cross the border illegally?” he reveals the true scope of his vision—a deportation regime that makes no meaningful distinction between citizens and non-citizens, particularly for those he deems undesirable.
This represents a fundamental shift in American governance. Citizenship has always been the ultimate protection against deportation, the cornerstone of belonging in our constitutional republic. Trump’s willingness to discard this principle threatens the very foundation of American identity.
Beyond Partisanship
This isn’t about partisan politics. It’s about whether we believe in the Constitution and the rule of law. Even Trump’s own Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the “obvious legalities involved” when Bukele first made this offer in February, referring to “that pesky U.S. Constitution.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melchick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, was even more direct: “This is so incredibly illegal that there’s not even a hint of possible way to do it under any circumstances whatsoever. It violates international law and the U.S. constitution. Period. End of story.”
The Path Forward
As Americans, we must recognize this moment for what it is: a direct challenge to constitutional governance and the rights of citizenship. If a president can deport citizens he deems undesirable, no one’s rights are truly secure.
The courts have previously served as a check on Trump’s most extreme immigration policies. But with a transformed judiciary and Trump’s demonstrated willingness to invoke obscure laws like the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to bypass normal legal processes, we cannot simply assume institutional guardrails will hold.
This is a moment that demands civic vigilance and a recommitment to constitutional principles that transcend partisan divides. The right to citizenship—with all its protections and responsibilities—must remain inviolable, regardless of who occupies the White House.
