Donald Trump and the GOP are ready to fight back against the Left’s radical policies. They want to fix what the Biden/Harris admin have destroyed.
And this leading Republican has revealed a new plan to fix the illegal immigration crisis should Trump win the 2024 election.
In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed that if former President Donald Trump were to win the White House again, deportation of up to 4.5 million migrants who entered the U.S. illegally would be a top priority.
These individuals, Johnson explained, have already committed crimes and are part of what he described as a dangerous group that needs to be fast-tracked for removal.
“There’s about 4.5 million who would be the first priority for that, people who’ve already committed crimes,” Johnson said. He emphasized that these individuals are already in the legal system for offenses ranging from shoplifting to more serious crimes.
Trump, 78, has previously floated the idea of deporting up to 20 million migrants if he were to become the 47th president, and Johnson’s remarks suggest that the initial focus would be on those with criminal records. However, Johnson’s figure of 4.5 million criminal migrants far exceeds available federal data, raising questions about the true scope of the issue. But Republicans have consistently accused the Biden administration of downplaying immigration numbers, pointing to an additional 2 million “gotaways” — migrants who evaded capture when crossing the border.
Many of these migrants settle in so-called “sanctuary” cities, primarily in blue states such as New York and California. In these areas, local officials often avoid asking about immigration status and limit cooperation with federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This has led to frustration among Republicans, who see sanctuary policies as a major obstacle to addressing illegal immigration.
During a recent debate, Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance suggested that around 1 million criminal migrants are currently living in the U.S., a figure that further highlights the scale of the challenge. “We’ve got 20, 25 million illegal aliens who are here in the country. What do we do with them?” Vance asked, before stating that the first step is to focus on criminal migrants.
Data obtained last month by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) supports this concern. According to ICE records, at least 662,566 migrants have criminal histories beyond illegally crossing the border, but most are not in federal custody. These offenses include 13,099 individuals convicted for homicide, 1,845 accused of m*rder, 20,061 alleged r*pists, and more than 100,000 assaulters.
Currently, only about 15,000 migrants who have been charged with or convicted of crimes are in ICE detention. Among them are 277 convicted m*rderers and 509 convicted r*pists. Johnson expressed his frustration at the slow pace of deportations, stating, “We know where they are, we know what they’ve done, they’re here detained, they gotta go.”
While the House speaker acknowledged that deporting millions of migrants would be a long and difficult process, he believes a firm stance from the White House could pressure foreign governments to take back their citizens. Johnson called for “a strong hand” to restore order at the southern border, where a surge of migrants has overwhelmed U.S. immigration authorities.
Under the Biden administration, the number of migrants flagged for deportation but not in custody has soared. ICE’s non-detained docket is expected to reach 8 million by the end of the fiscal year, a significant increase compared to previous administrations. This dramatic rise has coincided with what Republicans describe as dangerously lax border policies.
Many in the GOP compare the proposed mass deportations to “Operation Wetback”, a 1954 initiative under President Dwight Eisenhower that removed over 1 million migrants. Trump has signaled that he would mobilize local law enforcement, the National Guard, and even the military to help ICE carry out these deportations, though the plan would likely require significant Congressional approval and funding.
Critics of the current administration point to alarming cases where known criminals have been released into the U.S. only to commit further violence. For example, Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national and member of the Tren de Aragua gang, was allowed entry into the country despite his criminal background. He later m*rdered Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia. Incidents like this, Republicans argue, highlight the urgent need for reform and stricter enforcement.
Despite being tasked with addressing the “root causes” of migration, Vice President Kamala Harris has faced criticism for failing to stem the flow of illegal crossings. Since taking office in January 2021, the Biden-Harris administration has seen more than 10 million migrants apprehended at the border, with 85% of those later being released into the U.S. interior.
Johnson expressed his frustration with the administration’s reluctance to reinstate Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which Biden scrapped shortly after taking office. Johnson recalled a conversation with the president in which Biden dismissed the idea, saying, “It’s complicated. Mexico doesn’t want that.” Johnson retorted, “You can make it less complicated — you just show some leadership.”
In addition to those apprehended, an estimated 1.9 million “gotaways” have entered the country without being captured.
Johnson believes that this number is likely an undercount, citing a recent Border Patrol memo indicating that 30% of surveillance cameras along the southern border are out of order.
“We’re going to be dealing with this for the rest of our lives,” Johnson warned, emphasizing the lasting impact of the current border crisis.
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