Donald Trump, who has been endorsed by the union of local law enforcement officers at the Fraternal Order of Police, may threaten to revoke funding for local police departments that refuse to go along with his mass deportation plan, should he be elected, NBC News reported Wednesday.
Trump has pledged that if elected, he will begin a deportation plan that will include all immigrants who haven't been granted citizenship and their children, even if they were born in the U.S., according to Newsweek. Under the Constitution, any person born on U.S. soil is considered a citizen.
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"A study by the Center for Migration Studies estimates undocumented workers contribute $97bn in federal, state and local taxes, their removal from the workforce would have a substantial impact on local economies, including pushing nearly 10 million US citizens into economic hardship," cited The Guardian in a report this week.
NBC noted it would also result in legal challenges similar to what Trump faced in his first administration.
“The Justice Department was going to withhold grant money,” said Ron Vitiello, who served as Trump's director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “They didn’t get to enjoy, if you will, or participate in that fully.”
NBC News cited "three sources close to the campaign," saying that the tactic would force compliance with Trump's policy in blue states that might resist the mass deportations.
A CBS News analysis found that the plan could cost taxpayers a hefty sum. They calculated that it costs about $19,599 to deport a single person. Deporting 1 million people would cost an estimated $20 billion, and it would likely take longer than four years to accomplish.