How The Military Would Assist In Trump’s Deportation Plans In NYC

NEW YORK CITY – President-elect Donald Trump’s newly named border czar, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) veteran Tom Homan, shed light on how the military will support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants once the new administration takes office, per an interview with the New York Post.

Service members will primarily assist in non-enforcement duties, Homan clarified, referring to the military’s role in these operations as “administrative.”

The report follows Trump’s confirmation on Truth Social earlier this week that he will declare a “national emergency” upon taking office and utilize military assets to address immigration.

Trump appeared to affirm the plan by responding “TRUE!!!” to a post by Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton, who described the strategy as a response to what he called the “Biden invasion.”

While sanctuary city policies like New York City's – which prevent local law enforcement from coordinating with federal immigration authorities – may complicate ICE’s efforts, it could lead to more arrests overall, Homan warned.

“If they don’t want to help us in the jail, then we’ll go into the community and arrest them,” he told the Post, adding that individuals not originally targeted may also be apprehended during such operations.

'We Need To Stop All The Misinformation'

Mayor Eric Adams, when asked directly about his and the city’s policy should the Trump Administration move forward with this aggressive approach, said the following at a press conference this week:

...I can't be any clearer. Our laws are clear. And I think misinformation and fear is really hurting people. You know, people stop me on the street every day and say, oh, I read this, I read that. You know, we need to stop all the misinformation.

…We are going to make sure that people who need city services, educating children, hospital care, public safety care, that is what we do in this city. And as the scenarios come in front of us, we'll address them...

But let's not ignore the fact we have a broken immigration system. Broken. The American public, they have communicated they want it fixed. That's what we need to be talking about...

Castro: Adams 'Does Not Support Mass Deportation'

The Mayor continues to say he “does not support mass deportation,” Manuel Castro, the Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, told WNYC earlier this week. “But most importantly he continues to say that we are a sanctuary city, and all our agencies are expected to follow our sanctuary city laws…so we are continuing to prepare across city agencies…to make sure that our sanctuary policies are in place, and that we are prepared for what may come.”

According to The City, as of this week neither Gov. Kathy Hochul nor Mayor Adams had instituted policies or a concrete plan to protect immigrants within New York’s borders before Trump takes office in January, although Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James recently affirmed that they would “[protect] New Yorkers from [the] variety of policy and regulatory threats that could emerge under President-elect Trump.”

Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.

As of 2021 – the most recent year for which data is available – New York State and City received about a hundred billion dollars from the federal government, or about 18 percent of government revenues, according to a USAFacts analysis of Census Bureau data.